‘What the landlord wants, the landlord gets,' effort to change Nevada state law for tenants
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Nevada state lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow tenants to take a property owner to court for failing to make timely repairs before the property owner may try to evict them.
Assembly Bill 223, introduced Monday at the Committee on Commerce and Labor by Assembly Member Venicia Considine, would allow tenants to pay reduced rent and file a verified complaint for unhabitable conditions.
Renters' rights and 13 more bills to watch at the 2025 Nevada Legislature
Tenants can currently withhold rent in Nevada for unhabitable conditions, but they must deposit the money with the justice court. That rarely happens, according to supporters of the bill, and the end result is eviction. 'What you often see is how habitability presents itself as a tenant Is there on the eviction,' Jonathan Norman of Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada told legislators. 'They have their phone and they say, 'Judge, I have pictures,' and it can be, you know, sewage backing up in their bathtub. It can be, you know, really horrific stuff, and the judge looks at them and then asks if they escrowed the rent, and the answer is almost always no because people don't understand how they're supposed to do that, how they can take advantage of that and then the judicial officer orders the eviction.' Assembly Bill 223 would allow the tenant to turn to court first. Numerous groups and individuals testified in support of the bill. 'I have stared into the eyes of cockroaches. I have sweated in the broken air conditioner night. I have breathed the dangerous poles of mold. I have felt trapped. I have felt meaningless. I have felt like I did not matter,' Noah Cicero testified. 'I have felt like that I too have become a cockroach, a pest that doesn't matter to anyone. Cockroaches can be evicted just as quickly as I can in the state of Nevada. What the landlord wants, the landlord gets.' Opponents of the bill, including the Nevada Realtors Legislative Committee, testified laws are already in place to address landlord and tenant issues.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Nevada public lands likely a target again when Senate takes up Trump's ‘one big, beautiful bill'
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada's lone Republican in Congress failed in an effort to sell off public lands in the state, but a Utah senator might revive the tactic as President Trump's 'one big, beautiful bill' progresses this summer. A late-night amendment by U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) was heavily criticized by Nevada's Democratic representatives. It ended up dying, a casualty of political dealing after Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, the former Interior secretary during Trump's first term, threatened to vote no on the giant House funding bill. Zinke called out Amodei's amendment as the vote drew near, and Republicans weren't sure if they could pass the spending bill without him. Now, Republican Sen. Mike Lee is working on selling public lands as the Senate prepares to take up the spending bill. While he hasn't said which states will be targeted, he has taken Montana off the list. A Thursday report from The Hill indicated that Republicans could be in a similar position when the Senate vote arrives. Trump wants the Senate to pass the bill by July 4, but that's already looking unlikely. The Congressional Budget Office projected Wednesday that spending bill passed by the House will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, and some senators are saying they can't accept that. Amodei's move to sell public lands was among the proposals to come up with money to pay for the renewal of tax cuts passed under Trump in 2017. Lee said his plan is expected to be released on Monday, according to a Bloomberg report. With 63% of the state federally-owned, Utah is second only to Nevada. More than 80% of Nevada is federally owned — nearly 57 million acres. Most of the land is under the control of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (63%, 47 million acres), followed by the U.S. Forest Service (5.7 million acres), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2.3 million acres), the National Park Service (797,000 acres) and the Department of Defense (60,000 acres), according to a 2020 report. That report didn't account for the Nevada National Security Site (formerly the Nevada Test Site), which covers 880,000 acres in southeastern Nye County or the Tonopah Test Range, 370,000 acres farther north in Nye County. Next is Idaho at 61.9%, Alaska at 60.9% and Oregon at 52.3%. Western states dominate the list. Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox has challenged federal decisions about land in the state, objecting to expansions of national monuments. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante expansions were disputed in years past. Now, the Trump administration is opening up more federal land to oil and gas exploration, fast-tracking geothermal projects and looking at mineral deposits on national park land. Gov. Joe Lombardo cited the Biden Administration's move creating the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument south of Las Vegas. He said it would prevent development at a time when Nevada needs federal land to address a housing crisis. Housing has been at the center of the public land debate recently in the Las Vegas valley. An agreement with the BLM under Biden provided opportunities to buy federal land within the valley for $100 an acre, an incentive to get builders to deliver affordable housing. Nevada Gov. Lombardo unveils $1 billion affordable housing plan: 'We have to expand'? Rural Nevadans have had a sometimes-strained relationship with federal landowners. It's only been 11 years since Cliven Bundy's armed standoff with BLM officers along Interstate 15 northeast of Las Vegas, near the town of Bunkerville. Ranchers were angry after the BLM rounded up their cattle a tense battle over grazing rights. The cattle were eventually released, diffusing the situation, but prosecutors pursued a court case against Bundy and his family. Before that, the Sagebrush Rebellion in the 1970s and 1980s traces its roots to Nevada and other western states. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas sheriff frustrated after red-light camera, DUI bills fail: ‘We can do better'
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Several proposals in the Nevada Legislature aimed at curbing dangerous and impaired driving failed, leaving LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill frustrated as more people in his jurisdiction die on valley roads. 'I got to be honest with you, I feel like I failed,' McMahill, who leads the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, told the 8 News Now Investigators during an exclusive interview Wednesday. 'We can do better. We absolutely can do better, and politics played a role in these things not getting passed.' The 120-day legislative session ended Tuesday at midnight. Nevada lawmakers failed to pass any legislation this session to amend the state's DUI laws where death is involved, or several proposals to allow red-light cameras. McMahill pushed for the cameras in an attempt to discourage reckless and speeding drivers. 'I'm sick and tired of people dying on our roadways because of the bad behavior of other drivers,' he told a legislative committee in March. The bill failed to move forward and died in April. Two proposals aimed at enhancing sentences for DUI involving death also failed to become law. Nevada's DUI-with-death law carries a sentence of 2-20 years. A 1995 Nevada law requires judges to sentence a person to a range, meaning the maximum amount of time a DUI driver who kills can serve in prison before going before the parole board is eight years. The 8 News Now Investigators have found most drivers who kill serve those eight years or less, not 20. An amended version of Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo's crime bill, Senate Bill 457, would have increased the maximum amount of prison time for a DUI driver who kills to 25 years. Lombardo told the 8 News Now Investigators in March that he wanted to change the law to allow prosecutors to charge a DUI driver who kills with second-degree murder. The amended version would have carried a similar maximum sentence – 25 years — as the state's second-degree murder statute. However, the bill failed to pass the Nevada Senate amid a last-minute scramble and speech. A second proposal, Senate Bill 304, would have amended the state's vehicular homicide law to include all DUIs involving death. As currently written, a driver must have three prior DUI convictions to face a vehicular-homicide charge. The proposal would have negated the prior conviction clause, carrying a possible sentence of 10 to 25 years or 10 to life, the same as the state's second-degree murder statute. 'There's just tragedy, tragedy, tragedy all the way around, and it sickens me that I wasn't able to get this done, quite frankly,' McMahill said. Opponents have argued that imprisoning a person for years on the taxpayers' dime is not effective 'Who do you think is working against this?' 8 News Now Investigator David Charns asked the sheriff. 'I think there's a lot of people out there who advocate that this mass incarceration piece hasn't worked over the years,' McMahill said. 'And look, there's a few arguments I think that are valid on that side of the house. There's also a bunch of people that think we've become very soft on crime, and I think there's some arguments that are true there as well.' Nevada law classifies a person's first DUI as a misdemeanor. It carries a potential jail sentence of 2-180 days, though the law is written to say the time can be served through community service. The crime becomes a felony after a person's third DUI within seven years. Tougher penalties, including potential prison time, do not begin unless a person joins that three-plus club. A felony DUI conviction can carry prison time and require a driver to have an interlock device placed in their vehicle. One driver the 8 News Now Investigators followed racked up the three cases so quickly that he did not have a second DUI conviction before his third arrest, meaning all three remained misdemeanors. Records show in those first three DUI cases, municipal court judges ordered the driver to attend classes, stay out of trouble and pay a fine. 'The punishments are literally a slap on the hand,' McMahill said. 'The multiple, multiple DUI, I've watched your reports, you know exactly what I'm talking about, people can get away with a DUI over and over again and that's purely not acceptable.' A third proposal involving misdemeanor DUI, Senate Bill 309, passed and — 36 hours after the end of the session — showed as enrolled in the legislative system. The bill changes the minimum jail requirements for a person's second DUI offense within seven years, amending a possible penalty from 10 days in jail to 20. The bill also lowers the blood-alcohol threshold for when a defendant would be ordered into treatment. Several people blamed the failure of the governor's crime bill on its late introduction and last-minute votes in the final minutes of the legislative session. The governor submitted the crime bill in February, but the Legislative Counsel Bureau did not finalize it until April, a spokesperson for his office said. They added that Democratic leadership did not give the bill a hearing until May 28 — days before the end of the session. Lawmakers will not reconvene, except for special circumstances at the request of the governor, until February 2027. 8 News Now Investigator David Charns can be reached at dcharns@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Lombardo vetoes 33 bills in days following Nevada Legislature, 229 signed
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Gov. Joe Lombardo has vetoed 33 bills passed by the Nevada Legislature, putting his Republican stamp on another Democrat-controlled session. It's too early to tell if Lombardo will approach the record 75 vetoes from 2023, but it's a fast start on a pile of legislation that made it to his desk as the session adjourned in the early morning hours on Tuesday. Lombardo has also signed 229 bills — and counting — according to the Nevada Legislature's website. Here are the highlights of the vetoes and signed bills as of early Wednesday afternoon: VETOED: AB82, AB83, AB98, AB144, AB342, AB278 and SB297. These seven bills each had to do with designating a day or a month to recognize a person, a group or a topic. Lombardo rejected the bills and encouraged their sponsors to apply for a proclamation instead. Of the seven, AB144 had received the most attention as Democratic Assem. Shea Backus fought to move the observation of Indigenous Peoples Day to the second Monday in October. The conflict with Columbus Day brought politically-charged testimony to legislative committee hearings during the session, but the bill passed through the Democratic-controlled Legislature, meeting its end on Lombardo's desk. The specifics of the other bills: AB82 designated 'Diwali Day,' 'Eid al-Fitr Day,' 'Vaisakhi Day' and 'Vesak Day' AB83 designated Larry Itliong Day AB98 designated Dolores Huerta Day AB342 designated March as Women Veterans History Month AB278 designated July as Muslim American Heritage Month SB297 designated October as Menopause Awareness Month SIGNED: SB96 designates Jan. 27 as 'International Holocaust Remembrance Day' in Nevada. VETOED: AB205 would have changed an 'opt in' for sex education in public schools to an 'opt out.' A parent or guardian would have been required to fill out a form to refuse to participate. SIGNED: AB116, a crackdown on unscrupulous 'ghost kitchens' that sell restaurant meals to customers who think they are buying well known brands. The bill makes it a $100 fine per order for the kitchen, and a $500 (maximum) fine per day that the online platform continues to list the product. The platform is allowed 10 days to remove the listing before it is subject to fines. VETOED: 8 News Now reported on Tuesday that Lombardo had vetoed SB102, legislation aimed at punishing 'fake electors.' Lombardo has also vetoed AB306, which would have set up more return boxes for election ballots. 'AB 306 appears to be well-intentioned but falls short of its stated goals while failing to guarantee appropriate oversight of the proposed ballot boxes or the ballots cast. I believe additional election reforms should be considered as part of a larger effort to improve election security, integrity and allow Nevada to declare winners more quickly,' Lombard stated in his veto message. VETOED: Three bills related to renters and landlords went down to Lombardo's veto pen as the governor continued to reject more business regulations. AB201 contained provisions to automatically seal some eviction records. AB223 would have allowed a tenant to withhold rent if the property failed to meet 'habitable' conditions. AB280 would have capped rent increases at 5% for senior citizens in an 18-month pilot program. VETOED: SB171, also referred to as a shield law for medical professionals who provide gender-affirming care services, was vetoed because Lombardo believes it won't hold up in court. Use of the term 'prudent' makes the law subject to interpretation, according to Lombardo's veto message. A statement from Silver State Equity, an LGBTQ civil rights organization in Nevada, criticized the veto as 'a betrayal of Nevada values and an affront to the LGBTQ+ community.' The group added, 'This bill was a clear opportunity to ensure that transgender Nevadans can access the care they need — and that providers can offer it without fear of legal retaliation. Transgender people in Nevada deserve safety, dignity, and access to life-saving health care. The Governor's decision puts all of that at risk.' SIGNED: AB111, 'Jaya's Law,' which makes wrong-way driving a crime again. When traffic violations became civil infractions, it removed any criminal penalties in some high-profile cases, and Republican Assem. Brian Hibbetts sponsored this bill to restore penalties for wrong-way drivers. 'Jaya's Law' remembers 3-year-old Jaya Brooks, who was one of three people killed on U.S. 95 in a wrong-way crash in December 2023 in Hibbetts' district. Wrong-way driving is a misdemeanor beginning on Oct. 1, 2025. VETOED: AB140 would have extended how long driver authorization cards are valid, allowing the rules for ID cards to match those for drivers licenses. SIGNED: AB309, extending domestic violence protection orders. This bill lays out requirements for notifying people who are already incarcerated when a protective order is issued, and the steps to follow in extending or challenging the protective order. VETOED: AB244 would have banned the use of polystrene foam takeout containers, but only for chain restaurants. If a restaurant had fewer than 10 locations in Nevada, it would be exempt. But a violation by a chain restaurant would have brought a $1,000 fine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
