A petition to amend the Nevada constitution to require the teaching of the "strengths and weaknesses" of evolution was filed with the secretary of state's office on February 24, 2006. The "Truth in Science" initiative calls for students to be informed that "although most scientists agree that Darwin's theory of evolution is well supported, a small minority of scientists do not agree," listing five specific "areas of disagreement" to be discussed.
The initiative petition was introduced by Steve Brown, whom the Las Vegas Review-Journal (March 1, 2006) described as "a masonry contractor who has lived in Las Vegas for more than 30 years." Brown told the newspaper, ""I've looked at a middle school textbook that says that all elements of evolutionary theory are proven science. That's not so. ... Evolution has occurred, there's no way to argue that," he said. "Some parts have been proven, but some is just theory."
In order for the initiative to reach the November 2006 ballot, Brown must collect 83,184 signatures by June 20, 2006. Brown acknowledged that he lacks financial and organizational support for a signature drive, but expressed a willingness to make common cause with Christian conservatives. The chairman of Nevada Concerned Citizens told the Review-Journal, however, "I am curious to see what he has to say ... But there are other issues we're working on."
Even if the initiative wins a spot on the ballot, it would have to be approved not only in November 2006 but also in 2008 in order to take effect. But it may have already had its effect: state senator Maurice Washington (R-District 2) told [Link broken] the Associated Press (March 5, 2006), that while he disagrees with Brown's strategy, he is now thinking about introducing legislation allowing "intelligent design" to be taught as an elective in Nevada's public schools.
In its editorial about the initiative (March 1, 2006), the Review-Journal was critical, arguing, "we must teach science as best we know it, in order to train succeeding generations of chemists, doctors and engineers. And despite the word games that allow a fundamentalist minority to insist that 'evolution is just a theory,' it is a scientific 'theory' that has been vetted and refined over more than a century."