2 days ago
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.
