Nevada’s Democratic state lawmakers plan to introduce a bill giving Medicaid to illegal immigrants, at an estimated initial cost of $78.5 million.

The proposed legislation comes from State Sen. Fabian Doñate, Co-Majority Whip of the Senate Democrats. Doñate issued the cost estimate during a Wednesday press conference; however, he implied that the extension could end up being more, since there are no exact data on illegal immigrant totals in Nevada and folks are “scared” to admit their immigration status. The bill — titled the “Nevada Health Opportunities, Planning, and Expansion Act,” or “HOPE Act” for short — has yet to be filed.

Doñate first disclosed the Medicaid expansion plan during a press conference on the opening day of Nevada’s legislative session last month through the Latino Legislative Caucus, which he chairs. The proposed extension of benefits to illegal immigrants falls under the caucus’ legislative priorities for this session.

The NLLC is proud to push forward towards helping serve our communities and fight for the rights of our fellow Latino brothers and sisters.
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— Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus (@NVLatinoLeg) February 7, 2023

In a Wednesday press conference on the act, Doñate called the legislation “fiscally responsible” and “the right thing to do.” Doñate then invited two illegal immigrant activists to testify on behalf of the proposed legislation.

That illegal immigrant activist, Samuel Cano, explained that the legislation means a lot to him because he’s currently an “undocumented” nursing student at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN). Cano, who said he entered the country illegally around four years old, has also served in student leadership at CSN, leading as a campus senator for the Associated Students of the College of Southern Nevada (ASCSN).

Cano complained that he’s unable to obtain health insurance because he’s an illegal immigrant. Cano said that this limitation prevents him from achieving greater success in his intended career as a nurse.

“This is a major setback for me, and it is preventing me from achieving my goal. It is heartbreaking to know that the only thing that is standing between me and my dream is something as basic as health care,” said Cano.

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Cano has been involved in other activist efforts as of late. Earlier this month, Cano rallied with the Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition at the Nevada State Capitol to make water, clean air, and a “clean and healthy environment” into constitutional rights within a “Green Amendment.” The proposed constitutional amendment would also preclude state lawmakers from taking any action that would degrade, diminish, or deplete the environment.

Rico Ocampo, an illegal immigrant activist with the nonprofit Make the Road Nevada, said that the United States failed him as a child because his family couldn’t obtain insurance after his older brother was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. (Ocampo’s bio on Make the Road Nevada lists his brother as younger, not older). Despite receiving financial aid from social workers, Ocampo’s family purportedly lost their home and faced hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt.

“We didn’t qualify for Medicaid because of our immigration status. The health care system failed us, and we were left to bear the financial and emotional burden of Carlito’s [inaudible] on our own,” said Ocampo. “He died as an undocumented person, a tragic reminder of how the country that I call home will gladly take our labor but deny our humanity.”

Other caucus members include Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui, Assemblywomen Elaine Marzola, Selena Torres, Bea Duran, and Cecilia González, and State Sens. Edgar Flores and Dina Neal — all Democrats.

Democrats hold a majority in both Nevada’s House and Senate: 13 members in the 21-member Senate, and 28 members in the 42-member House. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo is a Republican. Should Lombardo veto the bill while the legislature is still in session, the legislation would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to override. If the legislature is no longer in session, the bill would return the following session.

In a now-viral podcast interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the primetime news anchor said a Stanford professor told him that federal officials tasked the educator with investigating several cases of troops dying from traumatic brain injuries caused by UFOs.

Carlson shared the story during a “Full Send Podcast” interview last week, where he claimed an unidentified tenured Stanford Medical professor, who specializes in traumatic brain injuries, reached out to his team requesting to appear on the Fox News show to talk about a decade-old conversation between him and the U.S. government.

“He’s like, 11 years ago, the U.S. government reached out to me because I’m an expert on head injuries on brain injuries … traumatic brain injuries … as a physician,” Carlson said. “And they had all these court cases from families of U.S. servicemen — over 100 — who had been killed by UFOs. And the Department of Defense was refusing to give them death benefits or medical benefits.”

According to Carlson, the anonymous source said he was an expert researcher and witness who claimed nuclear energy appears to attract UFOs in such cases.

He said nuclear missile bases with nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines in the upper midwest have all been “buzzed” by the mysterious objects.

“And in a number of cases, these things have landed on military bases … servicemen have approached them … and they approach, and they get a traumatic brain injury, brain damage, or they’re killed,” Carlson said.

Carlson said there are dozens of open court cases that support the claim.

Tucker Carlson’s CRAZY UFO Story 🛸 pic.twitter.com/aLbMlJzWTE

— Full Send Podcast (@fullsendpodcast) March 10, 2023

Defense Department spokesperson Susan Gough told Military Times, “the story is false.”

Carlson, however, told the podcast hosts that if he ever encountered such objects or extra-terrestrial life, he would interview the unknown from a distance.

“I’d be super respectful,” he said, adding, “whatever is coming off these machines is very bad for the human body.”

UFO headlines have been circulating throughout the news media over the last few months after U.S. officials shot down four objects over North America this month, including a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina and three similar objects in Alaska, Michigan, and Canada.

Following the response from federal officials, top Biden administration officials briefed senators on both sides of the aisle about the flying objects, which left lawmakers with more questions than answers, while demanding the government should disclose what was said during the classified meeting.

Pentagon officials said in a draft document last week that a dominant artificial interstellar object could be releasing many small probes toward Earth.

“These ‘dandelion seeds’ could be separated from the parent craft by the tidal gravitational force of the Sun or by a maneuvering capability,” the report read.