Latest news with #AB44
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Attorney general blasts governor's veto of bill to rein in price fixing
Attorney General Aaron Ford and Gov. Joe Lombardo. (Photo: Richard Bednarski/Nevada Current) Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford said Monday that Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's veto of Ford's legislation to crack down on price fixing 'means fewer protections for your wallet.' Lombardo, in his veto message last week, blasted the bill as 'a striking case of government overreach' and 'inherently broad and open to wide interpretation, likely making enforcement subjective and inconsistent.' Assembly Bill 44 sought to expand the state's existing Unfair Trade Practice Act to include knowingly deceptive price fixing of essential goods and services, defining those goods as things 'needed on a daily or recurring basis for the livelihood of a person.' The list of essential goods defined by the bill included housing, food, internet service, ground transportation, and pharmaceutical and other medical products. 'Let's be clear about what this veto means,' said Ford, who has indicated he hopes to take Lombardo's job away from him in next year's election, in a statement Monday. 'It means fewer tools to hold bad corporations accountable. It means fewer protections for your wallet. And it means more power for the people who rig the rules against all of us in the Nevada family.' During his presentations of AB 44, Ford told lawmakers the legislation was designed to bolster consumer protections and wouldn't apply to businesses if they weren't engaging in fraudulent practices. The legislation passed the Assembly 24-18 in April with three Democrats, Assemblymembers Joe Dalia, Duy Nguyen and Venise Karris, joining Republicans in opposing the measure. AB 44 passed the Senate 14-7 in late May, with Republican state Sen. John Steinbeck joining Democrats. The veto showed Lombardo sided 'with corporations that cheat and deceive to make a buck,' Ford said Monday, adding that Lombardo's decision was 'disappointing, but not surprising.' While the bill encompassed several categories of goods and services, perhaps its most notable feature was an attempt to rein in price fixing in the rental market. Landlords and property owners across the country, including in Nevada, have come under fire in recent years for using rent-fixing software to artificially raise the price of rents. Real estate software companies, like RealPage, have been sued by several state attorneys general and the federal government in the last year, though the companyRealPage has denied wrongdoing in these cases. During the legislative session, rental property owners and real estate groups likened the bill's efforts to address price fixing as 'rent control.' 'This bill does not cap in any kind of way how much someone can charge for something as long as they aren't knowingly, fraudulently or deceptively engaging in conduct,' Ford said in a March bill hearing. 'You can charge what you want to charge.'
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
16 new vetoes boost Lombardo total to 49; HOA limits, price fixing bill rejected
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed 16 more bills on Monday, including two that would have reined in powers wielded by HOAs — homeowners associations. He also vetoed a price-fixing bill. The Republican governor has now vetoed 49 bills passed by the Democrat-controlled Nevada Legislature, which adjourned in the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 3. Lombardo has 10 days after adjournment (excluding Sundays) to veto bills. Lombardo set a record after the 2023 legislative session, vetoing 75 bills. Veto messages reflected Republican principles — smaller government and pro-business laws — as Lombardo his decisions. Here's a closer look at some of the vetoes issued on Monday: PRICE FIXING: One of the vetoed bills, Assembly Bill 44 (AB44), was singled out as 'a striking case of government overreach.' AB44 would have granted the Nevada Attorney General the authority to investigate and prosecute pricing decisions involving an 'essential good or service,' a definition that Lombardo said threatened to cripple a wide range of businesses. Notably, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who presented the bill to lawmakers, is a Democratic candidate seeking to challenge Lombardo in 2026. When prices go up, whether it's eggs, gasoline or electricity, there is often a public outcry for government action. But Lombardo attacked the language of AB44 as subjective and a threat to free markets. JUNE 4: Lombardo vetoes 33 bills in days following Nevada Legislature, 229 signed HOA POWERS: Two bills that Lombardo vetoed involved HOAs. AB185 would have required HOAs to allow in-home daycare businesses to operate inside communities. Democrats who sponsored the bill said community rules were preventing more child care businesses from setting up. In his veto message on AB185, Lombardo said: 'It is important to note that people choose to live in HOA communities with the clear understanding that certain activities are governed by agreed-upon rules designed to protect the consistency of the neighborhood. AB 185 undermines that mutual understanding by allowing some owners to bypass long-standing community standards through legislative action.' Senate Bill 121 (SB121) was also rejected, with Lombardo stating that the choice to buy within an HOA community comes with responsibilities to maintain community standards. The bill would have limited landscaping and parking restrictions. It also would have given homeowners at least three years after purchase to bring landscaping up to community standards. The same bill would have prohibited fines for some oil stains. CAMPAIGN FUNDS: AB79 would have toughened restrictions on how campaign funds could be used and required reporting on how that money is spent. But Lombardo said he was vetoing it for other reasons. 'Though ensuring transparency in elections is an important goal, AB 79 contains provisions, some vague, that would make political involvement less feasible for many and lack sufficial judicial oversight,' according to his veto message. He said the bill needed to do a better job of defining what constitutes a 'spent' or 'unspent' contribution. PROTECTING PROSTITUTES: AB209 would have set up protections for sex workers meant to encourage them to report violent crimes. It hinged on the prostitute asking for medical attention. But Lombardo said the wording of the bill could create a loophole that gives them immunity for more than is intended. A sex worker could actually use a request for medical attention to invoke immunity. Further, AB209 undermines law enforcement and assumes police aren't trustworthy. ICE ACCESS IN SCHOOLS: Lawmakers sought to keep immigration enforcement out of schools, but Lombardo vetoed AB217. The bill would have prohibited school employees, public schools or school districts from allowing access for ICE agents. Lombard called it well-intentioned, but attacked it as an overreach on a number of levels, even saying the bill would make school grounds into 'sanctuary zones' 24 hours a day. SUMMARY EVICTIONS: AB283 would have changed the summary eviction process, requiring landlords to file the initial court complaint. Similar attempts during the 2023 legislative session were vetoed, and Lombardo held firm with a veto on Monday. He called it 'lopsided, red-tape laden' and predicted disastrous consequences on Nevada's housing market if it were to become law. EXECUTIONS IN NEVADA: SB350 would have extended the time frame for executing a prisoner who was sentenced to death from the current 90 days to a full year. The bill sponsor argued that 90 days wasn't enough time to properly challenge court rulings. 'Since rather than promoting fairness or finality, SB 350 threatens to undermine the very foundation of justice by creating endless delays that retraumatize victims' families and erode public confidence in our legal system, I cannot support it,' Lombardo said in his veto message. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Price fixing on essential goods in Nevada targeted, but businesses are not on board
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A bill that targets fraudulent and deceptive actions that try to manipulate prices of essential goods and services prompted a backlash from the business community on Wednesday in Carson City. Food, clothing, gasoline, medicine, housing, household utilities, ground transportation, and phone and internet access were cited as essential needs. Attorney General Aaron Ford — a Democratic contender for governor in two years — wants a change in state law related to essential goods and services. After Ford introduced Assembly Bill 44 (AB44), lawmakers challenged the bill on several points. But opposition from the business community went beyond that, casting the bill as an overreach that would apply to mom-and-pop businesses as well as the business giants like AT&T, home builders, auto dealers, generic drug manufacturers and even the Henderson Chamber — all who showed up to testify against it. Breastfeeding, second chances and student trustees: A look at new bills in the Nevada Legislature The bill specifies the kinds of increases it is targeting: 'The price for which results in the person paying more than $750 for the good or service over a 30-day period or $9,000 for the good or service over a 1-year period.' Proposed amendments are already looking to change that section of the bill, but substitute language that compares price changes over a five-year period doesn't appear to be a viable solution either. Ford and Mark Krueger, chief deputy attorney general for the consumer protection bureau, had a bigger sales job to worry about. Business representatives who showed up to testify in opposition seemed to think the bill could be targeting them. They presented all kinds of arguments, including conflicts with federal law, duplication in state law and the fear that AB44 would open everyone up to lawsuits by anyone who wanted to claim price fixing. 'Euthanasia pill' proposed as Nevada law after Gov. Lombardo's veto in 2023 Opponents argued that the bill's language is subjective and too broad, that it would scrutinize anyone who raised prices even when there were legitimate reasons. They said it doesn't take into account market conditions that could provide good reasons for higher prices. 'We're talking about knowingly engaging in fraudulent and deceptive conduct. That's the threshold,' Ford said. He and Krueger said it again and again. They presented that intent as an assurance to the people who protested. But they didn't make much headway. Ford and Krueger tried to stop a belief that AB44 is an attempt at rent control, too. Krueger's comment on deceptive trade practices gave businesses another reason to wonder whether they would be targeted. In particular, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile all sent representatives to oppose the bill. 'We know what it looks like and we know that it's prevalent, especially when it preys on Nevadans,' Krueger said. Jonathan Norman of the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers was the only voice in support: 'This is about scammers trying to fleece Nevadans. And when I think of the consumers we see, the people we see coming into our offices, they almost uniformly no matter the issue have been … had economic harm happen to them. And I appreciate any bill that stands up for those consumers.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ford sponsors bill to confront ‘unfair' pricing
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said the legislation stems from 'several investigations and litigations my office has been active in" dealing with "prices of essential goods and services," including food and shelter. (Photo: Richard Bednarski/Nevada Current) With the Trump administration indicating little interest in the federal government's consumer protection role, it could be up to states to prohibit and prevent corporate landlords from using algorithm software to inflate rents via price fixing. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has brought forward Assembly Bill 44 to regulate price fixing of essential goods and services, including shelter, food and medicine. Ford's office declined to say how the legislation, if passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor this year, would specifically address alleged practices by real estate software companies, like RealPage, that are being investigated for price fixing rents. 'We can't address hypotheticals about specific companies but to the extent any business' operation violates the provisions as laid out in AB 44, our office will not hesitate to utilize the statute to protect Nevada's consumers,' the office said in an email. The White House Council of Economic Advisors under former President Joe Biden released an analysis in mid-December that found RealPage and other firms that market rent price algorithms r likely cost renters more than $3.8 billion in 2023. Rent-pricing algorithms added on average $92 a month for units in Las Vegas that use such software, according to the report. The national average was $70 per month. 'Our analysis indicates that if price coordination was eliminated, there would be an economically meaningful decrease in price mark-ups for rental units using pricing algorithms,' the report found. The White House has since removed the analysis from the website after President Donald Trump returned to office last month. A ProPublica investigation from 2022 found rental pricing software by RealPage used algorithms to collect lease transaction data and advertised rates. The data was used to effectively tell landlords the highest rent an apartment applicant is able to pay, and then charge it. Greystar, one of the nation's largest property management firms, featured prominently in the investigation. Greystar lists 44 apartment complexes under its management in Southern Nevada and five in the Reno area. Currently more than 30 lawsuits nationwide allege RealPage has colluded with corporate landlords to inflate rent prices The U.S. Department of Justice, along with Attorneys General of North Carolina, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington, filed a lawsuit against the company in August 2023 alleging it violated antitrust laws. The department expanded its antitrust lawsuit in early January, prior to Trump's inauguration. 'RealPage will continue to aggressively defend itself in the remaining, previously filed civil lawsuits, which we believe are wholly without merit,' RealPage said in a statement in December. 'RealPage's revenue management software is purposely built to be legally compliant, enhances competition throughout the rental housing ecosystem and is highly configurable by our customers.' The future of the lawsuit remains uncertain under the new administration. Ben Iness, the coalition coordinator for the Nevada Housing Justice Alliance, said the state needs to take 'a bold and brave stance' to regulate the practice. Some states, including Washington, have introduced bills to specifically prohibit landlords from using software that collect rental data to fix prices. Lawmakers in New Jersey sought to make algorithmic systems unlawful, noting it would violate the New Jersey Antitrust Act. In an email to Nevada Current, Ford said 'AB44 is designed to curb unfair methods of increasing prices' in general and would attempt to regulate price fixing essential goods and services under the Nevada Unfair Trade Practice Act. The legislation, Ford added, stemmed from 'several investigations and litigations my office has been active in during my time as Attorney General.' He said details of those investigations are not yet public. 'These investigations and litigations have to do with the prices of essential goods and services like food, medicine, shelter, and the ability of companies to raise those prices to levels that impact consumers ability to purchase them,' he said. The threshold for violating the law under the bill is when a person pays 'more than $750 for the good or service over a 30-day period or $9,000 for the good or service over a 1-year period.' When asked about the threshold amounts, Ford said he was looking to 'balance the concerns of various industries with the need to curb the unfair practices that take advantage of consumers who must have regular, continual access to essential goods and services.' He anticipated 'further discussions on these thresholds to occur throughout the legislation session.' Iness noted that while the legislation is significant and has the potential to rein in rent-price fixing, the bill 'in the current form is broad and vague.' He urged lawmakers to 'explicitly name' the practices they are looking to regulate. 'I would love, during that hearing, that they talk about housing scarcity, cost fixing and the exploitative factors around renting,' he said. Lawmakers are expected to introduce a variety of bills this session to address the state's housing shortage and costs, as well as a landlord-tenant regulatory framework in Nevada that critics say is uniquely landlord hostile compared to most states. Gov. Joe Lombardo named housing as one of his top legislation priorities in his state of the state address last month, and called on $1 billion in new attainable housing units, supported by some direct state spending, the Nevada State Infrastructure Bank, and bonds. The details of that legislation have yet to be released. Iness said addressing the housing crisis needs to go beyond building more units and include expanding tenant protections. 'If folks are going to take our housing crisis seriously they need to look at all sides of it and not just the one-dimensional supply and demand approach,' Iness said.
