Speaker Jason Frierson has had an expansive career in public service, including his roles as a state legislator, a federal prosecutor, and as a committed advocate for community engagement. A Democrat, Speaker Frierson served in the Nevada Assembly from 2011 to 2014 and again from 2016 to 2022, where he served as Speaker of the Assembly from 2017 to 2022. In 2022, Speaker Frierson was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Nevada, becoming the first African American to hold that role. As U.S. Attorney, he led a team of over 100 professionals—including 55 attorneys—handling federal criminal, civil, and appellate cases. Speaker Frierson’s tenure in public office and legal practice has been grounded in a record of bipartisan collaboration, youth empowerment, and a deep commitment to public service. His broad perspective—from legislative leadership to federal law enforcement—offers a unique lens on what drives effective lawmaking in state legislatures.
The importance of mentorship:
“Yeah. Well, I was recruited. I lobbied for two sessions for Clark County and for the public defender’s office. And then Speaker Barbara Buckley, who was my role model, called me out at a gala in front of about 500 people and asked me when I was running for office. I wasn’t. I was single with no children, and I just said, you know, I need no other cloud to part than the Speaker calling me out to run. And so I moved early to get established, and she by far — I mean I had a track record. I would call her on Sine Die every session just to get some encouragement. It wasn’t necessarily about a bill or anything like that, but you know there were people like her and another former Speaker, Richard Perkins, who is a colleague now and also a lobbyist now, who would, you know — I had those folks in my life who would take off their lobbying hat and put on their mentor hat, put on their former Speaker hat, and we could talk about process. And so, you know, I tried to offer that this session. Unfortunately — well, fortunately for me — but for the last few years as U.S. Attorney I wasn’t able to really engage politically. But I think there’s value in mentors who’ve been there before being able to have those frank conversations, and I was really fortunate to have that.” [Seek out experts and those with prior experience. To learn more, read our New Member Guide].
On the difference between campaigning and lawmaking:
“But I do think the job as a campaigner is different than being a lawmaker — but they are not detached. I think, you know, as a campaigner you obviously want to win, and that’s your focus — you’re trying to raise money, and you’re trying to do outreach, and you’re trying to win. And as a policymaker, you’re trying to advance legislation. But when you detach the two, I believe it leaves the door open to forget your purpose and to lose a step when it comes to accountability. I think you have to remember, as a candidate, that you have constituents that you’re making promises to and committing to. And if you go too far and make commitments that are not really what the community needs or wants, then you’re going to run the risk of losing. So you have to remember, as a policymaker, that you have to be accountable as well. But I will say this — they’re kind of connected.” [To learn more about how effective lawmaking affects constituents’ views of lawmakers, see our published article on these topics].
On developing an agenda based on constituent needs:
“Well, in that particular cycle, I reached out for some help from folks that I knew were engaged and involved and had experience, and we did some polling to ask voters what they care about — what are the issues that are important to them? And my agenda moving forward ceased being my own, and it was really more what that polling reflected voters were interested in. And so, we did polling and established pillars of issues, and then we encouraged policymakers to introduce legislation that fell under some of those pillars. And sometimes they did; if they didn’t, that was fine. It didn’t mean that the measure wasn’t going to advance, but it wasn’t going to be highlighted necessarily. But, you know, we tried to come up with clarity and a blueprint of what we stood for, and then we could articulate that, and actually talk about the bills that advanced those purposes. Nevadans feel pretty strongly about public lands and about individual rights; it’s somewhat of a libertarian-spirited state. Women’s gender equality resonates very, very well in Nevada. Public education is well known to be behind the ball here, and it’s something that everybody cares about. And so I put some of my personal criminal justice issues that I was interested in aside and made sure that the agenda was focused on the issues that voters said they actually cared about, and I think that gave us clarity moving forward, buy-in from colleagues to follow that lead, and the light at the end of the tunnel that was going to send them to a good place.” [The importance of developing a specialized policy agenda connects with our research on issue specialization and lawmaking effectiveness]
On cultivating allies outside of the legislature:
“Well, you know, as a policymaker I never wanted to reinvent the wheel, even when I started. And so I think, in a state that’s as small as Nevada — about three million — and meets once every other year, it’s really difficult for us, as a state this small, to really get out front on some issues that might be much more complicated in a bigger state like California, New York. So, you know, we would check what other states were doing. If I had an idea or an issue, I would explore whether any other states have tried it. There are wonderful resources out there, like the National Conference for State Legislatures and Council of State Governments, and others that really serve as a resource when it comes to looking at other policies in other states. But those organizations also allowed, once I became Speaker, a lot of interaction with other states. I remember, I think Democrats in Virginia at the time were about to become the majority, and invited me to come speak with them about how we took the majority — which we were already there as a kind of return. But I just told them, you know, the legislature is one of the few institutions where no one can do it alone. It’s an amoeba — you operate together collectively, or you don’t.” [Cultivating a broad set of allies connects with our five habits of highly effective lawmakers].
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