Latest news with #NevadaStateLegislature
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6 days ago
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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.
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6 days ago
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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
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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.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
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Checking in on the Nevada Legislature: What's on death watch and what's still kicking
Time is ticking for the hundreds of bills still alive in the Nevada State Legislature. (Photo: Trevor Bexon/Nevada Current) The Nevada State Legislature has only a fortnight remaining before it must gavel out, which means it's crunch time for the hundreds of bills still trying to make it to Gov. Joe Lombardo's desk. Friday, May 16 marked the 103rd day of the session and the deadline by which most bills had to pass out of a committee. The bills subject to Friday's deadline had already passed one chamber of the Legislature, meaning their next step is to get a floor vote in whichever chamber hasn't already voted on it. The deadline for passing that full floor vote is this Friday, May 23. Meanwhile, there is an avalanche of bills exempt from standard deadlines. Some of these bills are chugging along. Others are languishing in inaction and likely already dead inside, though their sponsors may still be holding out hope. We know it's a lot to follow, so here's the Nevada Current's status check on the dozens of noteworthy bills we have covered so far this session. We've included links to our previous coverage and links to the official legislative website where you can find out more about each bill. This time around, we've broken out the bills that appear stuck in a budget committee. The rest of the bills are organized by subject. We've also added dates to give you a sense of how long each bill has been wherever it is. * Notes: Bills exempt from the legislative deadline are marked with an asterisk. Lead sponsors are listed in parentheses. Bills with no lead sponsor listed are sponsored by interim committees. One common joke among the halls of the Legislature is that Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means are the committees where bills go to die. That may especially be true this year because of a souring economic outlook and the potential for major federal cuts causing further financial damage later this year. Here's a look at bills that have been referred to these budget committees and not seen recent action. 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. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Senate Bill 172* (Sen. Edgar Flores, D) seeks to bolster protections for farm workers and amend overtime pay laws to include agriculture workers. Referred to Senate Finance on April 16. Senate Bill 199* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish guardrails around artificial intelligence. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Senate Bill 217* (State Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, D) would establish the right to assisted reproduction treatment, including in vitro fertilization. Referred to Senate Finance on April 18. Senate Bill 220* (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) is known as the Nevada Film Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Education and Economic Diversification Act. It is one of two bills that would massively expand the state's film tax credit program to support a film and production studio in southwest Las Vegas. Referred to Senate Finance on April 15. Senate Bill 244* (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) would expand the types of obesity treatments covered by Nevada Medicaid, including approving weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for wider use. Referred to Senate Finance on April 1. Senate Bill 260* (Sen. Edgar Flores, D) seeks to ensure that outdoor workers receive protection when air quality reaches unhealthy levels due to wildfire smoke. Status: Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Senate Bill 353* (State Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, D) would increase Medicaid reimbursement for mental health providers. Referred to Senate Finance on April 17. Senate Bill 391* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish a corporate landlord registry and cap purchasing power for corporate owners. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Senate Bill 431* would apply the state's live entertainment tax to tickets resold by third-party vendors and dedicate some funding to transit. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Assembly Bill 191* (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would give graduate assistants the right to collectively bargain for better pay and conditions. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 14. Assembly Bill 224* (Assemblymember Erica Mosca, D) would dedicate $100 million in state general obligation bonds for high-needs school construction projects in low-population counties that cannot fund them through typical means. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 10. Assembly Bill 246* (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would require the Nevada Department of Corrections to conduct a study on food quality, waste and nutrition within state prisons. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21. Assembly Bill 276* (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would adjust the commerce tax threshold to inflation. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21. Assembly Bill 366* (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would appropriate $25 million from the state general fund to supportive housing initiatives throughout the state. Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on March 28. No action taken. Assembly Bill 388* (Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch, D) would require private employers with more than 50 workers, as well as all public employers, to provide paid family and medical leave. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 15. Assembly Bill 460* (Assemblymember Cecelia González, D) streamlines the process for selecting a temporary guardian for minors prior to any immigration action. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21. Assembly Bill 475* would provide funding for eviction diversion programs in Clark and Washoe counties. Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on April 4. Senate Bill 121 (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) changes what homeowners' associations are allowed to require of new residents. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary on May 8. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 18 yeas, 2 nays. Republicans Ira Hansen and Robin Titus opposed. 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. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. Assembly Bill 201 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) would expand efforts to automatically seal eviction records. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. 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. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 41 yeas, 0 nays, 1 excused. Assembly Bill 223 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would give tenants more power to hold landlords accountable for failing to provide livable conditions. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. 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. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly 28 yeas, 14 nays. Republican Danielle Gallant voted with Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 280 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) proposes rent stabilization for seniors. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. Assembly Bill 283 (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would restructure the eviction process. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. Assembly Bill 540* is Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's housing bill. It would allocate millions of dollars to build more housing and expand the definition of affordable housing to include people with higher incomes. Status: Heavily amended and passed by Assembly Commerce and Labor on May 16. Senate Bill 316* (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would curb how much profit pharmacy benefit managers can make. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 13. Senate Bill 417 would allow Southwest Gas and other natural gas utilities to ask the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada to depart from traditional rate-setting in favor of alternative rate-making. Status: Heard by Assembly Growth and Infrastructure on May 15 and moved out of the committee without recommendation the following day. Previously: Passed full Senate unanimously. Senate Bill 442 mandates utilities report the number of disconnections due to non-payment. Status: Passed Assembly Growth and Infrastructure on May 8. Previously: Passed full Senate with some bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays from Republicans. Assembly Bill 44 (Attorney General Aaron Ford, D) seeks to crack down on 'knowingly deceptive' price fixing. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 24 yeas, 18 nays; three Democrats voted with Republicans in opposition. Assembly Bill 204* (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would prevent collection agencies from threatening to arrest people for debt, obtain a lien against a primary residence, seek to foreclose on a home, or garnish wages. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 15. 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. Status: Passed Assembly Health and Human Services on May 14. Previously: Passed Senate with bipartisan support: 16 yeas, 5 nays. Senate Bill 495*, known as the Nevada Health Care Access Act, is Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's health care bill. Status: Introduced into the Legislature on May 15. Referred to Senate Health and Human Services. 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. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with unanimous support. Assembly Bill 235 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) protects employees and volunteers of reproductive health care facilities, as well as their spouses, domestic partners or minor children, by allowing them 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. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed the full Assembly with bipartisan support: 33 yeas, 9 nays; six Republicans supported. 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. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 26 yeas, 15 nays, 1 Democrat excused. Senate Bill 116 (State Sen. Skip Daly, D) would give pay raises to elected county officials. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 19 yeas, 2 nays. Republicans Carrie Buck and Robin Titus opposed. Senate Bill 161* (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would establish an expedited arbitration process for teachers unions and school districts and establish a pathway for K-12 public school teachers to legally go on strike. Status: Passed full Senate: 14 yeas, 6 nays. Republicans Lori Rogich and John Steinbeck voted with Democrats in support. Senate Bill 418* would enable the State Superintendent of Public Schools to withhold a charter school's per-pupil dollars in order to pay PERS delinquencies. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 13. Previously: Passed full Senate unanimously. 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. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 29 yeas, 13 nays. Republicans Rebecca Edgeworth and Gregory Hafen voted with Democrats in support. 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. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously. Assembly Bill 502* would boost the state's ability to investigate and enforce prevailing wage violations. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 17. Hearing scheduled for May 23. Assembly Joint Resolution 1* (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would let voters in 2028 decide whether the taxable value of property should reset when a home is sold. Status: Heard by Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15 and advanced without a recommendation the following day. Previously: Resolution passed full Assembly: 26 yeas, 16 nays. Democrat Brittney Miller joined Republicans in opposition. Assembly Joint Resolution 8 (Assemblymember Joe Dalia, D) would let voters in 2028 decide whether Nevada should establish a dedicated business court with the goal of enticing large companies to incorporate here. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Resolution passed the full Assembly with bipartisan support: 40 yeas, 2 nays. Democrats Selena La Rue Hatch and Erica Roth opposed. Assembly Bill 256 (Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch, D) would create a Regional Rail Transit Advisory Working Group to assess the need for a regional rail system in the state's largest metro areas, as well as potential funding sources for such a system. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Passed the full Assembly with unanimous support. Assembly Bill 277 (Assemblymember Rich DeLong, R) would make the Net Proceeds of Minerals Bulletin public again. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly unanimously. Senate Bill 28 (City of Las Vegas) would create 'tax increment areas' in which a portion of future property tax revenue would be used to pay interest on bonds used to finance affordable housing development and public transit. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 13. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays. Four 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. Status: Passed Assembly Revenue on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays. Four Republicans opposed. Assembly Bill 185 (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would bar most HOAs from prohibiting licensed home-based childcare operations within their communities. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 16. Previously: Passed Assembly with bipartisan support; 32 yeas, 10 nays. A third of the Republican caucus supported. Assembly Bill 238* (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) is known as the Nevada Studio Infrastructure Jobs and Workforce Training Act. It massively expands the state's film tax credit program to support a production studio in Summerlin in Las Vegas. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 9. No action taken since. Assembly Bill 376* (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would create a 'regulatory sandbox' for the insurance industry. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 22. Scheduled for a hearing on May 20. 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. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas 15 nays. Assembly Bill 487 originally sought to ban retail pet sales statewide. It has been amended into a study bill. Status: Passed Senate Natural Resources on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly with bipartisan support; 32 yeas, 9 nays, 1 excused. Six of the chamber's 15 Republicans supported. Senate Bill 318* (State Sen. Skip Daly, D) would ban charter schools from contracting with for-profit education management organizations. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 19. No action taken. 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. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly; 31 yeas, 11 nays. Four Republicans joined Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 398* (Assemblymember Steve Yeager, D) would provide additional pay for public school district teachers in hard-to-fill positions. Yeager plans to amend the bill to establish a fund for broader charter school raises. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 15. Assembly Bill 441 (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would change how Opportunity Scholarships are administered. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas, 15 nays. Senate Bill 88* would discharge medical debt from those incarcerated once they leave prison. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 19. No action taken. Assembly Bill 91* (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) is known as 'second look' legislation and would create an avenue for those incarcerated to have sentences reviewed by the State Board of Parole Commissioners after they've served extended periods of time. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 14. No action taken. Assembly Bill 107 (Assemblymember Tracy Brown-May, D) would allow people convicted of marijuana possession for amounts that are currently legal to become foster parents. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with unanimous support. Assembly Bill 111 (Assemblymember Brian Hibbetts, R) would make driving the wrong way a misdemeanor crime. Status: Passed Senate Growth and Infrastructure on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly unanimously. Senate Bill 323* (State Sen. Melanie Scheible, D) would create a pilot program to provide free phone calls at Florence McLure Women's Correctional Center. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 13. No action taken. Assembly Bill 320* (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) seeks to stop judges from using dress codes to turn away defendants. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 14. No action taken. 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. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate on party lines: 13 yeas, 8 nays. Assembly Bill 381* (Assemblymember Melissa Hardy, R) is known as Reba's Law and mandates prison time for killing a domestic animal. Status: Passed full Assembly unanimously on May 16. Assembly Bill 402* (Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, D) would authorize traffic monitoring cameras in construction work zones when workers are present. Status: Scheduled for Assembly Ways and Means hearing on May 23. 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. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party-line vote. 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. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously. Senate Bill 457 (Gov. Joe Lombardo, R) is known as the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act. Status: Referred to Senate Judiciary on April 7, no hearing scheduled Assembly Bill 96 would mandate that cities and counties with populations exceeding 100,000 people include 'heat mitigation' as part of their master plans. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly; 29 yeas, 13 nays. Republicans Gregory Koenig and Toby Yurek voted with Democrats in support. 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. Status: Passed Senate Natural Resources on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously. Assembly Joint Resolution 10 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) a non-binding statement of support urging the federal government to prioritize the passage of the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, colloquially known as the Clark County Lands Bill, which would open 25,000 acres of public land in Southern Nevada to development. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with bipartisan support: 36 yeas, 6 nays. Six Democrats opposed. As of Monday afternoon, only four bills had actually made it to the governor's desk — a bill funding the session, a bill covering a budget shortfall in the Secretary of State's Office, a bill designating Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the 'emergency egg bill' designed to help reduce egg prices. Lombardo signed them all. However, four bills have passed both chambers and should soon head to Lombardo. Most prominently: Assembly Bill 530, which would allow the Clark County Commission to extend fuel revenue indexing (FRI) an additional decade beyond its current sunset date. The bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support. The Senate vote on May 12 was 14 yeas, 6 nays. Republicans Ira Hansen and John Steinbeck voted with Democrats in support. (Democrat James Ohrenschall was excused.) The Assembly vote in April was 39 yeas, 3 nays. Republicans Jill Dickman, Danielle Gallant, and Gregory Hafen were opposed. Lombardo vetoed a similar bill in 2023. Once AB530 formally arrives at his desk, he will have 5 days to sign or veto.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Despite broad support, prevailing wage reform may get sunk
Aerial view of construction at the Clark County School District JD Smith Middle School capital improvement/replacement project in 2019. (CCSD video) A bill to boost the state's ability to investigate and enforce prevailing wage violations has earned the support of both organized labor and industry groups, but it may still face an uphill battle in the Nevada State Legislature because it would fund new state positions at a time of fiscal uncertainty. Assembly Bill 502 would restructure the Office of the Labor Commissioner to include a dedicated Public Works Compliance Division to investigate alleged violations of state prevailing wage laws, which set minimum wages for workers on publicly financed projects. The bill also adjusts the penalty structure and allows the office to help public bodies who are having difficulties monitoring compliance. 'We all agree that something needs to change,' Labor Commissioner Brett Harris told lawmakers earlier this month, referring to organized labor groups, the companies that hire them, and the executive branch agency. The effort to improve the Labor Commissioner office stems from an interim legislative committee. Democratic Assemblymember Max Carter, who represents east Las Vegas, says he was asked to work on proposed legislation. 'I look at this as an industry bill,' he told the Nevada Current. 'Not labor or management. It was joint.' Contractor groups did testify in opposition to AB502 during its hearing in the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs on April 7 but lobbyists emphasized the concerns were relatively minor and could likely be addressed through a minor amendment to the bill. Lobbyist Warren Hardy, representing the Associated Builders and Contractors of Nevada and Nevada Urban Consortium, called AB502 'the best good faith effort I've seen to get at the issues that are of concern.' The bill was amended and passed out of the committee three days later, and Carter said he believes everyone is satisfied with the end result. AB502 was referred to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee on Thursday because it comes with a fiscal impact — approximately $790,000 over the biennium, mostly to fund four new staff positions. Gov. Joe Lombardo included that funding request in his recommended budget. But many in Carson City expect the state's revenue forecast to be adjusted downward come May 1 when the Economic Forum meets. If that happens, the state may be forced to 'triage,' as Lombardo has put it, state resources and programs, making any request for additional funding much tougher. Carter told the Current the uncertain revenue outlook feels 'like a wet blanket over everything.' Still, he said he remains 'cautiously optimistic' that AB502 can find a path forward. Labor groups have long said that wage violations are rampant across the state and that better enforcement is needed. In the case of prevailing wage, the public agency awarding the funds is supposed to monitor compliance but many don't for one reason or another. 'If I go to a big box store and walk out with a set of golf clubs, it will be rapidly investigated, I will be found, prosecuted and punished in a very defined, timely manner,' Nevada State Pipe Trades lobbyist Guy Esposito told lawmakers during the bill hearing. 'The people that you represent, wage earners, workers, they probably don't even know who to call if they haven't gotten paid properly. If their boss has decided 'no, you didn't really work 40 hours last week, you worked 20, and I dare you to say something about it.'' In Fiscal Year 2024, the Labor Commissioner received 3,828 non-prevailing wage claims and 146 prevailing wage claims, in addition to other types of investigations they oversee. Only 62% of prevailing wage claims were resolved in 90 days, compared to 82% of general wage claims. The current fiscal year doesn't end until June 30, but Harris told the committee that as of March 27 her office had received 2,521 wage claims and 185 prevailing wage claims. 'What happens is, our wage and hour claims are so highly voluminous and so regulated that those kind of get priority,' Harris said, adding that public works claims are 'more audit heavy' and 'a lot denser in technicality' with more complex legal interpretations. In Nevada, any public project with a contract price of $100,000 or greater that is wholly or partially funded by public dollars is subject to prevailing wage law. Rates for prevailing wage are set annually by the Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner, which compares similar projects in the region. Of the 185 wage claims received in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, only 32 were initiated by the public body; 153 were filled by a third party. Jimmy Schwarz, an organizer with Ironworkers Local 433, said a complaint filed by the union led to members receiving $120,000 in back pay last year. 'Workers were performing iron work and paid as laborers,' he said. 'That's about a $20 an hour difference.' Harris, who was appointed labor commissioner in 2022, told the Current last year she wanted the office to become more proactive on prevailing wage issues. The Office of the Labor Commissioner currently has 26 full-time employees. Four of those positions were added last session as part of a 2023 bill that broadened apprenticeship mandates on public works projects. Republican Assemblymember Rich DeLong asked the labor commissioner if the addition of four new positions this session would be enough considering their current and expected workload. 'The honest answer to that is probably not,' responded Harris. 'Ideally, I think we'd want eight, but I also know we have to start somewhere.'
