Latest news with #NevadaStateLegislature
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Regional rail study, wrong-way driving bills among those signed into law
(Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) Teenagers won't be able to flip burgers at midnight. Newborns will be screened for more rare diseases. Cities will have to consider heat mitigation when drafting master plans. Those are just a few of the real-world outcomes of the hundreds of bills passed by the Democratic-controlled Nevada State Legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. The session officially adjourned June 2 but won't truly be over until the governor signs or vetoes each bill that passed. Lombardo has until Friday to approve or reject the bills or else they automatically become law. In 2023, the first-term governor did not allow any bills to automatically become law, opting instead to take a stance on each piece of legislation that came across his desk. (Lombardo's predecessor, Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, did the same.) As of Friday morning, the Legislature's website listed 515 bills as signed and an additional four bills awaiting approval or veto. Eighty-seven bills were vetoed. Here's a look at more than a dozen bills the Nevada Current has previously covered that have now been signed into law: Working teens Teenagers will soon be prohibited from working between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. before a school day, thanks to Assembly Bill 215, sponsored by Assemblymembers Daniele Monroe-Moreno and Brian Hibbetts, a Democrat and Republican, respectively. Teachers and students pushed for the change, citing the negative impact lack of sleep has on learning, mental and social health. The new restrictions, which do include some exemptions, go into effect on Oct. 1. Regional rail group Nevada will soon form a Regional Rail Transit Advisory Working Group to assess the need for regional rail systems in Southern and Northern Nevada and look at potential funding sources for such systems. The group was created by Assembly Bill 256, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch of Reno. The working group will be composed of lawmakers, transit experts and county representatives. They are expected to deliver to lawmakers a report in July 2026 with 'an actionable plan' for achieving regional rail transit and recommendations to the 2027 Legislature. Wrong-way driving Driving on the wrong side of the road will soon be a misdemeanor crime, following the passage of Republican Assemblymember Brian Hibbetts's Assembly Bill 111. Previously, wrong-way driving was only a civil offense. Nicknamed 'Jaya's Law' after 3-year-old Jaya Brooks who died in a wrong-way crash in Las Vegas last year, AB111 was unanimously supported by lawmakers and goes into effect Oct. 1. Protections for health care providers Employees and volunteers of reproductive health care facilities, as well as their spouses, domestic partners or minor children, will soon be able to request a court order that keeps their personal information confidential on otherwise public records within the offices of county recorder, county assessor, county clerk, city clerk, Secretary of State, or Department of Motor Vehicles. Democratic Assemblymember Erica Roth's Assembly Bill 235 saw some bipartisan support in the Legislature before being signed by the Republican governor. The legislation goes into effect July 1. Right to Contraception Assembly Bill 176, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, strengthens protections against a state or local government burdening access to contraceptive measures. Newborn screenings Nevada will expand the number of rare but treatable conditions newborn babies are screened for, thanks to Senate Bill 348, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Julie Pazina. The expansion is being funded through an increase in the fee hospitals pay the Nevada State Public Health Lab. The prior rate had been the same for more than a decade and kept Nevada behind what the federal government recommends for newborn screening. Raises for elected officials Many county elected officials will get a raise with the passage of Senate Bill 116, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Skip Daly. The bill establishes a formula to elevate the pay for the elected district attorney, sheriff, county clerk, county assessor, county recorder, county treasurer and public administrator of each county. The formula keeps those public servants' pay above the highest paid person in their office. Meanwhile, commissioner salaries across the state are also being bumped up by a set amount, followed by 3% annual increases for five years starting in 2026. The changes will go into effect in July with the new fiscal year. Foster parents People with criminal records of marijuana possession for amounts that are currently legal are now eligible to become foster parents. Democratic Assemblymember Tracy Brown-May sponsored Assembly Bill 107 for Clark County, which told lawmakers that otherwise qualified Nevadans are being needlessly turned away. The state faces a critical shortage of foster homes. Water rights Nevada will establish a Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program that allows willing landowners to sell their water rights back to the state through the year 2035. The program was established by Assembly Bill 104 and unanimously supported. Charters behind on PERS With Senate Bill 418, the Nevada State Superintendent of Public Schools will be able to withhold a charter school's state-funded per-pupil dollars if the charter school is more than 90 days delinquent in retirement contributions to the Public Employees' Retirement System of Nevada (better known as PERS). Administrators for PERS told lawmakers a mechanism for recouping the contributions is needed because of the unique quasi-public nature of charter schools. Local input on tax abatements Companies seeking massive tax abatements will have to enter into agreements to defray the costs of the government-provided services they require. Storey County, home to the heavily abated Tesla Giga Factory, sponsored Senate Bill 69. Heat mitigation Cities and counties with populations exceeding 100,000 people must include 'heat mitigation' as part of their master plans, following the passage of Assembly Bill 96. Inmate firefighters Democratic Assemblymember Jovan Jackson sponsored a bill, Assembly Bill 321 to require the Nevada Department of Corrections to create a program to allow formerly incarcerated people to work as firefighters within the Division of Forestry. The program is expected to help recidivism rates. Medical respite care Nevada's Department of Health and Human Services will apply for a federal waiver to amend the state Medicaid plan to cover medical respite care for people experiencing homelessness. The requirement was passed in Senate Bill 54. Net proceeds of minerals The Net Proceeds of Minerals Bulletin will soon be public again. Long made publicly available by the state, a new interpretation of state law resulted in the bulletin being kept private. Assembly Bill 277 makes the bulletin public again. The bill was sponsored by Republican Assemblymember Rich DeLong and had the approval of the mining industry. Tax increment areas Senate Bill 28 creates 'tax increment areas' in which a portion of future property tax revenue can be used to pay interest on bonds used to finance affordable housing development and public transit. The bill, sponsored by the City of Las Vegas, saw some bipartisan support in the Legislature. Mental health The Medicaid reimbursement rate for mental health providers will increase through Senate Bill 353, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop. Immigration guardianship Assembly Bill 460, sponsored by Assemblymember Cecelia González, streamlines the process for selecting a temporary guardian for minors prior to any immigration action. Insulin costs Assembly Bill 555 prohibits private insurance companies from charging people more than $35 for a 30-day supply of insulin. The bill, sponsored by, Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, received broad bipartisan support, with only Senate Republicans John Ellison and Robin Titus opposing. Democratic Assemblymember Joe Dalia's Assembly Joint Resolution 8, which would let voters in 2028 decide whether Nevada should establish a dedicated business court, also passed the legislative finish line. Resolutions are not subject to vetoes by the governor. AJR1 is now set to return to the 2027 Legislature for consideration. If lawmakers pass the resolution again, it will appear in front of voters on the 2028 general election ballot for final approval. A dedicated business court could entice large companies to incorporate in Nevada and settle their corporate litigation here, Dalia and other proponents of the resolution have argued. Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Doug Herndon announced the court would try to establish a dedicated business court on its own as early as next year. Herndon said in a statement he didn't believe AJR1 to be necessary.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dialysis Patient Citizens Applauds Nevada Governor Signing Legislation Expanding Access to Affordable Medigap Coverage for Dialysis Patients
CARSON CITY, Nev., June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Joe Lombardo (R-NV) and the Nevada State Legislature have taken a historic step to ensure affordable access to Medicare Supplement Insurance plans, also known as Medigap, to Medicare enrollees under age 65, including Nevada residents with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Senate Bill 292, sponsored and championed by Senator Roberta Lange (D-NV-7), passed the Senate unanimously and the Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support (39-3), and it was signed into law by Governor Lombardo. SB 292 guarantees that dialysis patients under 65-years-old in Nevada have access to affordable Medigap coverage, filling dire gaps in Medicare coverage for Nevadans who neither had access to Medicaid nor employer-provided private insurance to cover the remaining 20% of treatment expenses. SB 292 becomes effective October 1, 2025, and it provides access for under age 65 Nevadans with ESRD to enroll in Medigap Plans A, B, and D at the same premium rate as those age of 65. The remaining plans would be available at no more than twice the standard rate for age 65. The legislation not only impacts individuals who have just initiated dialysis and enrolled in Medicare Part B, but it also includes a one-time, 6-month special open enrollment period for dialysis patients who are already enrolled in Medicare Part B. This one-time enrollment period will run from October 1, 2025, to April 1, 2026. "This legislation is life-changing for dialysis patients under 65 across Nevada who have never had access to any Medigap coverage," said Andrew Conkling, President of the Board of Directors for Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC). "For the first time, Nevadans living with kidney failure can access coverage that fills the dangerous gaps in Medicare and gives them the financial stability they need to focus on their health." Chuck Lizer, a DPC Patient Ambassador and Nevada resident, provided compelling testimony in support of the bill. "I've lived through the stress and hardship of trying to cover out-of-pocket Medicare costs without a Medigap option," Lizer said. "This legislation will prevent others from going through that same hardship." DPC commends Senator Lange, the Nevada Legislature, and Governor Lombardo for their leadership on behalf of patients with kidney failure. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Dialysis Patient Citizens Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Still no green light for largest public subsidy in state history as Legislature hits adjournment day
A small army of lobbyists for film studios could be seen entering the Senate Democrats office after the lawmakers adjourned for the night. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) The Hollywood movie studios seeking $1.4 billion in transferable tax breaks over 15 years have clearly not received a red carpet rollout from the Nevada State Legislature. Assembly Bill 238, which proposes a twelvefold expansion of the state's transferable film tax credit program, passed the Assembly late Friday in a 22-20 vote, the thinnest margin allowable since a tie would mean not passing. That left the high profile bill three days to pass the Senate. However, two whole days came and went, leaving the bill with less than 24 hours to make it across the finish line. The Senate Finance Committee on Sunday appeared to be gearing up for a late night hearing on the film tax credit bill, but instead the full Senate withdrew the bill from the committee and allowed it to take a procedural step it needed in the full chamber. The bill would massively expand Nevada's film tax credit program to support the build out and operation of a 31-acre film studio currently referred to as the Summerlin Production Studios Project (after the Las Vegas neighborhood where it would be located). Hollywood giants Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery are attached to the project. Howard Hughes Holdings is developing. A small army of lobbyists for film studios could be seen entering the Senate Democrats office after the lawmakers adjourned for the night. Nevada's film tax credit program is currently capped at $10 million per year. AB 238 would raise that cap to $120 million per year, for 15 years, beginning in 2028. The majority of those tax credits, $95 million per year, would be reserved for productions at the Summerlin studio; $25 million per year would be for productions not attached to the studio. Altogether, that's equivalent to $1.8 billion in public subsidies for the television and film industry. If approved by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo, the legislation will be the largest public subsidy approved by the State of Nevada, surpassing the $1.25 billion approved by lawmakers in 2014 for Tesla Motors. While tax credits aren't issued to companies until they prove they've met the qualifications for them, the state must treat them as 'negative revenue' when forecasting expected state revenue. That means they do impact the state budgeting process. Here's where other high-profile bills stand going into the last day of the session: All five state budget bills have all passed the Nevada Legislature. Senate Bill 502, known as the capital improvement program (CIP) bill, crossed the legislative finish line on Sunday. The CIP bill must be passed by a two-thirds majority, so it is often used by the minority party as leverage in broader negotiations. That was the case in the 2023 session, when the CIP bill failed to pass the Senate before midnight on the last day. That forced a one-day special session. The state's other four budget bills (Senate Bill 500, Assembly Bill 591, Assembly Bill 592, and Senate Bill 501) all passed the Legislature within the last week and have been signed by the governor. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Gov. Joe Lombardo reached a compromise on their competing omnibus education bills. Cannizzaro's Senate Bill 460 was amended to include components of Lombardo's Assembly Bill 584, including his proposal to establish a statewide accountability system and a salary incentive program for educators and administrators. Components of Cannizzaro's bill that made it past the amendment include revised evaluation procedures for educators and administrators and additional transparency and assessment requirements for schools receiving funding through the state's quasi-voucher system, known as Opportunity Scholarships. The Senate unanimously passed the bill Sunday, and the bill now heads to the Assembly. Cannizzaro said the bill represents the state taking 'significant strides' toward accountability and transparency. Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus also spoke on the floor in support. Also on the education front: Senate Bill 161, a Clark County Education Association priority bill carried by state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D-Las Vegas), passed the Legislature with some bipartisan support and was signed by Lombardo in the last week of the session. The bill establishes an expedited arbitration process for teachers unions and school districts, and, perhaps more consequentially, establishes a pathway for K-12 public school teachers to legally go on strike. With the passage of SB 161, CCEA will withdraw a ballot measure it had qualified for the 2028 general election ballot. That ballot measure, if approved by voters, would have given teachers the right to strike. The teachers union had previously said it was prepared to defend the ballot measure next year but would prefer to bypass it through legislative action. It marks the second time the union has pulled this move. In 2021, CCEA qualified two ballot measures — one to raise the gaming tax, another to raise the sales tax — only to pull them after the Legislature established a new mining tax that directly funds the state's K-12 per pupil education fund. Assembly Bill 540, Lombardo's housing bill, is currently in the Senate Government Affairs Committee. It has received a hearing but no action has been taken. The bill has already cleared the full Assembly. Senate Bill 457, Lombardo's criminal justice bill, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sunday after receiving a major amendment. The bill needs to pass the full Senate and the full Assembly. Senate Bill 495, Lombardo's health care bill, is prepped for a vote by the full Senate. It will need to be approved by the Senate, then by the Assembly. Senate Bill 461, Lombardo's economic development bill, is currently in the Senate Revenue and Economic Development Committee. It received a hearing but no action has been taken. On Friday, a banking bill sponsored by Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager fell short of the required two-thirds approval it needed to pass the chamber. Assembly Bill 500 would allow for payment banks, a new type of financial institution that focuses solely on payment processing rather than lending. The Assembly vote was 25-17, a simple majority but three votes short of the two-thirds it needed because it would raise state revenue. On Sunday, AB500 returned to the Assembly floor with an amendment that removed the two-thirds requirement. The amendment was adopted but, in a bizarre turn of events, the vote failed 20-22. The vote was attempted a third time and also failed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Once Legislature adjourns, all eyes will be on Lombardo's veto pen
(Photo by Trevor Bexon/Nevada Current) As of late Sunday, 223 bills were listed by the Nevada State Legislature as being in Gov. Joe Lombardo's office, and dozens more are headed his way. So far, the first-term Republican governor has vetoed just one bill and signed 169. For comparison, Lombardo vetoed 75 bills in 2023, setting a single-session veto record. He signed 535 bills. Nevada governors usually have five days, excluding Sundays, to veto a bill after it gets to their desk. Legislative rules extend that timeframe to 10 days in the waning days of the session. That means vetoes could be announced into next week. So what might Lombardo veto this year? Below are the bills the Nevada Current has covered that are now on veto watch. We've organized them by how bipartisan their journey through the Legislature was. That said, Lombardo last session did veto bills that passed unanimously, and he signed bills that the Republican caucuses voted against. Assembly Bill 44 (Attorney General Aaron Ford, D) seeks to crack down on 'knowingly deceptive' price fixing. All Republicans opposed the bill, as did a few Democrats. Assembly Bill 201 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) would expand efforts to automatically seal eviction records. Assembly Bill 209 (Assemblymember David Orentlicher, D) would grant sex workers immunity from criminal liability from prostitution-related offenses if they call 911 seeking medical assistance. Assembly Bill 223 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would give tenants more power to hold landlords accountable for failing to provide livable conditions. Assembly Bill 280 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) proposes rent stabilization for seniors. Assembly Bill 283 (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would restructure the eviction process. Assembly Bill 411 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) would allow prescriptions for drugs used for medical abortions and miscarriage management to list the name of the prescribing health care practice, rather than the name of the specific individual providing the prescription. Assembly Bill 441 (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would change how Opportunity Scholarships are administered. Senate Bill 350 (State Sen. James Ohrenschall, D) would extend the time period the state has for carrying out an execution of someone on death row. Assembly Bill 398 (Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D) would provide additional pay for public school district teachers in hard-to-fill positions and establish a fund for broader charter school raises. Yeager amended the charter school provision into the bill after Lombardo threatened to veto the K-12 education budget over the issue. AB 398 passed the Legislature with broad bipartisan support, with only Democratic Assemblymember Natha Anderson opposing. After its final vote, Lombardo signed the K-12 budget bill, a strong sign he will likely sign AB398. Assembly Bill 555 (Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D) would prohibit private insurance companies from charging people more than $35 for a 30-day supply of insulin. The bill received broad bipartisan support, with only Senate Republicans John Ellison and Robin Titus opposing. Assembly Bill 452 would ensure customers receive full refunds with interest for overcharges and extend regulatory timelines for rate case reviews. The bill received bipartisan support, with eight of 15 Assembly Republicans supporting the bill. All eight Senate Republicans voted for the bill after an amendment. Assembly Bill 96 would mandate that cities and counties with populations exceeding 100,000 people include 'heat mitigation' as part of their master plans. The bill passed with some bipartisan support. Three of 23 Republicans supported the bill. Assembly Bill 457 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) originally sought to close a potential loophole that can be used by corporate landlords to avoid paying the state's commerce tax. It has now been amended into a study on the issue. Only one Republican, Assemblymember John Steinbeck, supported the bill. Assembly Bill 217 would prohibit school employees from granting permission to immigration officers to enter a school, or provide student records, including information on a student's family, without a warrant. Six of 23 Republicans joined Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 185 (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would bar most HOAs from prohibiting licensed home-based childcare operations within their communities. Fourteen of 23 Republicans opposed. Senate Bill 69 (Storey County) would require companies seeking massive tax abatements to enter into agreements to defray the costs of the government-provided services they would require. Seven of 23 Republicans opposed. Assembly Bill 215 (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would prohibit high school teenagers from working between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. before a school day. The bill received broad bipartisan support, with just three Senate Republicans voting against it. Assembly Bill 502 would boost the state's ability to investigate and enforce prevailing wage violations. The bill received broad bipartisan support,with only two Assembly Republicans opposing. Assembly Bill 112 (Assemblymember Duy Nguyen, D) would allow workers covered by collective bargaining agreements to use their accrued leave to care for family members. The bill passed the Legislature with some bipartisan support. Senate Bill 121 (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) changes what homeowners' associations are allowed to require of new residents. Eight of 23 Republicans supported. Senate Bill 348 (State Sen. Julie Pazina, D) would increase the fee hospitals pay the Nevada State Public Health Lab for a newborn screening panel to expand newborn screenings for rare diseases. Thirteen of 23 Republicans supported. Assembly Bill 241 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) would require counties to speed up the process to rezone land currently designated commercial use into residential or mixed use. Three Republicans supported. Assembly Bill 121 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would require all non-optional fees, such as sewer and water, be listed in advertisements for rental properties. It would also require landlords to offer a way for tenants to pay rent without added processing fees. Three Republicans voted for the bill. Assembly Bill 211 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would allow a third party to take over the property until repairs are made and living conditions improved. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support, with only Republican state Sen. Robin Titus opposing. Senate Bill 88 would discharge medical debt from those incarcerated once they leave prison. The bill received broad bipartisan support. Senate Bill 54 would require the state's Department of Health and Human Services to apply for a federal waiver and amend the state Medicaid plan to cover medical respite care for people experiencing homelessness. Assembly Bill 321 (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) seeks to establish a pathway for formerly incarcerated people to work as firefighters with the Nevada Division of Forestry. Assembly Bill 104 would establish the Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program, which would allow willing landowners to sell their water rights back to the state through the year 2035. Assembly Bill 277 (Assemblymember Rich DeLong, R) would make the Net Proceeds of Minerals Bulletin public again. Assembly Bill 176 (Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, D), known as the Right to Contraception Act, would strengthen protections against a state or local government burdening access to contraceptive measures. Senate Bill 353 (State Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, D) would increase Medicaid reimbursement for mental health providers.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Antitrust Act, medical aid in dying, study of water use fees among bills that failed to advance
(Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) The Nevada State Legislature's latest deadline brought an unsurprising end to a 'medical aid in dying' bill Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo had promised to veto. The bill was one of 31 declared dead Friday. Similar to a bill vetoed by the governor two years ago, Assembly Bill 346 would have legalized the prescribing, dispensing and administering of medication designed to end the life of terminally ill patients. Lombardo in 2023 became the first governor to veto such legislation, and a day after AB346 was heard by a legislative committee last month vowed to veto it again. Despite Lombardo's position, the legislation did continue to move through the Legislature. The full Assembly voted on it, where it passed 23-19. The vote did not fall on party lines. It was referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services but never received a committee hearing. Other notable bills that died Friday: Senate Bill 143 (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would have authorized the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Natural Resources to evaluate and review the excessive use fees and other water conservation efforts that impact turf and tree canopy. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and was heard by Assembly Natural Resources on May 5. But it was never given a committee vote. Senate Bill 218 (State Sen. James Ohrenschall, D) would have adopted the Uniform Antitrust Pre-Merger Notification Act, requiring companies to submit to the state attorney general the same notices and information they are already required to provide federal agencies prior to mergers or acquisitions. The bill passed the Senate on party lines, with the 13 Democrats in support and the eight Republicans in opposition. It was referred to the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor but never given a hearing. Assembly Bill 119 (Assemblymember Steve Yeager, D) sought to crack down on paramilitary organizing and activities. It passed the Assembly on party lines, with the 27 Democrats in support and the 15 Republicans in opposition. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Government Affairs but never given a hearing. Assembly Bill 291 (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) would have made changes to the record sealing process for people with multiple past convictions. The bill passed the full Assembly on party lines. It was given a Senate Judiciary hearing in late April but never given a committee vote. Assembly Bill 437 (Assemblymember Jill Dickman, R) would have established a Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plan, an 'insurance of last resort' for properties unable to find coverage elsewhere. The bill's death was tied to an April 23 deadline, but missed the Current's publication time, so we're mentioning it here. The bill made it to the floor of the Assembly but languished on the Chief Clerk's desk and was never given a floor vote. The complete list of dead bills by deadline is available on the Nevada State Legislature's website.
