Opinion ID: 2452967
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Labor Commissioner has jurisdiction under NRS Chapter 271A

Text: The district court concluded that the Labor Commissioner has jurisdiction to enforce prevailing wage laws with respect to all STAR bond-financed projects. Although the City contends that the district court misinterpreted the language in NRS 271A.130 that places STAR bond projects under the Labor Commissioner's purview, given our rejection of Carson-Tahoe's application to this matter and our independent review of the statute, we disagree. NRS 271A.130(3) specifically states that NRS 338.010 to NRS 338.090 apply to contracts and agreements for projects that are financed through STAR bonds: The provisions of NRS 338.010 to 338.090, inclusive, apply to any contract or other agreement for the construction, improvement, repair, demolition or reconstruction of any project that is paid for in whole or in part [through NRS Chapter 271A financing], regardless of whether the project is publicly or privately owned. (Emphases added.) NRS 338.020 requires that the prevailing wage must be paid to workers working on public projects. NRS 338.015 requires the Labor Commissioner to enforce the provisions of NRS 338.010 to 338.130, inclusive. We review a district court's interpretation of a statute de novo. State Dep't of Mtr. Vehicles v. Frangul, 110 Nev. 46, 48, 867 P.2d 397, 398 (1994). When a statute uses words that have a definite and plain meaning, the words will retain that meaning unless it clearly appears that the Legislature did not intend such a meaning. State v. State of Employees Assoc., 102 Nev. 287, 289, 720 P.2d 697, 699 (1986). No part of a statute should be rendered meaningless, and this court will not read statutory language in a manner that produces absurd or unreasonable results. Carson-Tahoe, 122 Nev. at 220, 128 P.3d at 1067. The plain language of NRS 271A.130 incorporates NRS 338.010 to 338.090, which include provisions mandating the payment of prevailing wages on public projects and the enforcement of such mandates by the Labor Commissioner. A conclusion that the Labor Commissioner does not have jurisdiction to enforce prevailing wages on such projects would render NRS 271A.130 meaningless and produce an absurd and unreasonable result. Thus, we hold that the Labor Commissioner has jurisdiction to enforce this mandate. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's order insofar as the court granted judicial review and remanded for further proceedings; those proceedings, however, should be conducted in a manner consistent with this opinion. We concur: DOUGLAS, C.J., CHERRY, SAITTA, PICKERING, HARDESTY and PARRAGUIRRE, JJ.