Latest news with #AssemblyCommitteeonLegislativeOperationsandElections
Associated Press
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
A bipartisan mail ballot bill in Nevada? It's not as crazy as it sounds.
Anything is possible in the Nevada Legislature — including a bipartisan bill on the politicized issue of mail ballots. The top Democrat and Republican in the Assembly are joining forces on a bill that would require all sample ballots to be sent to voters before mail ballots are distributed. An amendment also would provide a clearer timeline for when mail ballots must be sent to voters. Assembly Minority Leader Gregory Hafen (R-Pahrump) is the lead sponsor of AB148, and on Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) joined as a sponsor. The bill was heard Tuesday in the Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections, where it was supported by the Nevada Republican Party and progressive groups such as Silver State Voices and All Voting is Local. Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, also supports the bill. Mail ballots are among the most politically fraught topics in the Legislature, as Republicans have long opposed universal mail ballots and the counting of certain mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day but received after. Democrats, meanwhile, have led efforts to protect existing mail ballot laws largely adopted during the COVID pandemic. 'This may be the only mail-in ballot bill that we agree on,' Yeager said in an interview before the bill hearing. 'But we'll take the win for the day and see what else comes up.' Under AB148, all mail ballots must be distributed to voters living in Nevada between the fourth and fifth Monday before an election. Existing law requires that mail ballots be distributed to in-state residents no later than 20 days before an election, but in practice, county election officials send mail ballots out over a wider time range before an election. 'There is nothing in statute that would prevent them from sending (mail ballots) in July after the primary's over,' Hafen told reporters Tuesday. 'To me, that would be concerning.' The bill would also set an earlier deadline for local election officials to send out sample ballots. Nevada law requires that sample ballots be sent before the start of early voting, which is the third Saturday before a general election. But under AB148, sample ballots must be sent out by the last day that mail ballots can be sent, which would be five days earlier than the current sample ballot requirement. The bill sponsors said they will also look into changing the timeline to send ballots to out-of-state voters. In the 2024 general election, some Nevadans reported not receiving their sample ballots at all. Hafen said some of his constituents were confused after receiving their sample ballots after their mail ballots last year. 'They thought their mail ballot was their sample ballot,' Hafen said. 'We've got to streamline the process.' Bipartisan agreement may be difficult to find on other election law changes. Republican lawmakers have introduced bills rolling back several mail voting provisions, although they have little chance of passing in a Democrat-controlled Legislature. Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, has also supported stopping mail ballot counting after Election Day, and he said during his State of the State address this year that he would be willing to take the issue to voters if the proposal — as expected — fails to win over the Democratic majority in the Legislature. But it's a different story for AB148. 'Surprise, surprise, I'm here supporting something,' said Lynn Chapman, vice president of Nevada Families for Freedom, a conservative group that is a frequent critic of mail ballot laws. 'It's important to have a sample ballot come out first.' Hafen said that the bill has the support of groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, that typically do not support his election-related proposals. 'It's no-brainer, common sense,' Hafen said.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers propose study bill on what it would take to build regional rail systems
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada rendering of a proposed light rail along Maryland Parkway. In 2019 the RTC opted to enhance bus lanes instead. Reno Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch brought forward legislation on Tuesday she hoped would be the first step to potentially bring a regional rail system to Southern and Northern Nevada. Assembly Bill 256, heard Tuesday at the Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections, would create a Regional Rail Transit Advisory Working Group to assess the need for mass transit via rail in the state's largest metro areas, as well as potential funding sources for such a system. The group would submit legislative recommendations for the 2027 Legislative Session. 'A fully functioning regional transit system with rail is not a-one session bill,' La Rue Hatch said. 'This is the first step in getting there.' Rail transit would ease traffic and congestion while reducing emissions that exacerbate climate change, La Rue Hatch said. There have been previous efforts to assess feasibility of rail transit systems in Las Vegas and Reno by regional transportation groups, La Rue Hatch noted. State lawmakers even passed legislation in 2017 authorizing Southern Nevada to pursue a light rail system. Upon consideration, Southern Nevada officials in 2019 opted to enhance the bus system instead. La Rue Hatch said there was 'never a plan for how we would make those things get off the ground,' adding discussions and studies assessing regional rail systems were 'all happening in silos' without much coordination. 'The legislature is not fully informed on how we can help support this,' she said. The aim of the bill would be to consolidate efforts, build on the work that's already being done and bring recommendations to the legislature, she said. La Rue Hatch was joined by Gabe Christenson, legislative director for SMART TD, which represents railroad conductors, and Anne Macquarie with the Nevada Rail Coalition, an advocacy group made up of railroad unions and environmental groups, in presenting the bill to the committee on Tuesday. Christenson said with an increased number of people relocating to Nevada, transportation infrastructure is struggling to keep up with demand. 'Building new roads or even expanding existing roads is a massive financial endeavor that takes a very long time,' he said. 'In many cases, by the time the projects are done, it's already time to start expanding again.' While it would be up to the working group to assess funding sources to pay for a potential rail system, 'there are billions of dollars available annually in the form of federal grants for new passenger rail projects,' he said. Neither Christenson nor any of the lawmakers discussed how efforts by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, an unelected adviser and director of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, to slash government services and funding federal cuts could stymie efforts to use federal dollars for a potential regional rail system. The legislation also proposed looking at state, private and nonprofit dollars as potential funding sources. Macquarie said rail systems bring economic benefits to communities. 'Property taxes in the areas surrounding stations can quadruple when they're developed with businesses that serve rail passengers,' she said, while contributing 'to meeting the state's environmental, economic and quality of life goals.' The working group outlined in the bill would include representatives from Clark and Washoe Counties, both counties Regional Transportation Commissions, state lawmakers, labor unions, as people with expertise in rail transit. The study bill received overwhelming support from business groups and environmental organizers. Reno Ward 4 City Councilwoman Meghan Ebert was the lone local elected official to testify in support of the bill. Ebert, who represents a more rural area of Reno, said the number one concern she hears from constituents is about the lack of transit infrastructure and 'ways to get in and out of the North valley into the rest of Reno.' 'I think this is a great option to move this forward and find ways to include light rail or whatever type of train system the study decides is feasible,' Ebert said. Both the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County supported the proposal. Michael Hillerby, a lobbyist with the RTC in Washoe, said the county is in the middle of its own feasibility study using outside consultants, but didn't specify a timeline for when it would be completed. The Vegas Chamber also supported the bill, requesting the working group include a member from the chamber as well. La Rue Hatch said she was open to adding a representative for a trade association or Chamber of Commerce. The committee took no action on the bill.
