Latest news with #SB216
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
15 quiet casualties of the 2025 legislative session
(Photo: April Corbin Girnus/Nevada Current) The pharmaceutical middlemen who play a role in inflating consumer drug prices escaped additional regulations by state lawmakers, after the Nevada State Legislature failed to pass a bill designed to curb how much profit they can make. Democratic state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen's Senate Bill 316 would have established 'guardrails' for pharmaceutical benefit managers, such as requiring PBMs to pass along to consumers rebate savings they receive from the drug companies. Nguyen led the legislative effort but a bipartisan group of eight other lawmakers signed on, including Republican state Sen. Jeff Stone, a pharmacist, and Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus, a medical doctor. The Senate and Assembly passed different versions of SB216, both with broad bipartisan support. Only Democratic state Sens. Dina Neal and Fabian Donate opposed. However, those votes came in the waning days of the legislative session, and the Senate did not get around to voting on whether to accept the Assembly's amendments. Here are 14 other bills the Nevada Current has covered that fell short (or really far) from becoming law during the 2025 Legislative Session. Pet store ban. Assembly Bill 487 originally sought to ban retail pet sales statewide, following the lead of several municipalities that banned them within their borders. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Natha Anderson, passed the Assembly with bipartisan support. It appeared stalled in the Senate but, right before a key deadline, was heard by a Senate committee and amended into a study bill. When it returned to the Assembly for concurrence, Anderson moved for the chamber to reject the amendment. A trio of lawmakers from both chambers were chosen for what's known as a 'conference committee' to try and reconcile the differences between the chambers. But it appears no action was taken. That means retail pet sales remain legal in municipalities without bans. Education management organizations. Senate Bill 318 (State Sen. Skip Daly, D) would have banned charter schools from contracting with for-profit education management organizations. The bill passed the Senate on party lines, with all Republicans opposing. It was referred to the Assembly Education Committee but was never given a hearing. That committee is chaired by Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, who is also the executive director of a Las Vegas charter school contracted with Academica, the largest EMO in the state. Third-party ticket vendors. Senate Bill 431 originally attempted to remove an exemption Nevada-based sports teams have from the state's 8% live entertainment tax on tickets. That is an effort Democratic state Sen. Dina Neal has pushed in prior sessions. This year, the bill was amended into a bill to apply LET to tickets resold by third-party vendors like StubHub. Some of the funding would have supported public transit. The amended bill passed the Assembly with bipartisan support but was never given a floor vote in the Senate. Farm worker protections. Senate Bill 172 (State Sen. Edgar Flores, D) sought to bolster protections for farm workers and amend overtime pay laws to include agriculture workers. The bill passed the Senate on party lines, with all Republicans opposing, but got stuck in the Assembly. Free phone calls for prisoners. Senate Bill 323 (State Sen. Melanie Scheible, D) would have created a pilot program to provide free phone calls at Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center. The bill passed the Senate with 20-0, with one senator excused from the vote, but died on the Assembly side. Traffic cams in construction zones. Assembly Bill 402 (Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, D) would have authorized traffic monitoring cameras in construction work zones when workers are present. The bill passed the Assembly with some bipartisan support, but then got stuck in the Senate Finance Committee. It was one of two 'red light camera' bills introduced into the session this year. The other missed a legislative deadline earlier in the session. Prison food study. Assembly Bill 246 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) proposed a study on food quality, waste and nutrition within Nevada Department of Corrections prisons. The bill was considered and passed by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, but died in the chamber's Ways & Means Committee. Graduate assistant unions. Assembly Bill 191 (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would have given graduate assistants the right to collectively bargain for better pay and conditions. The bill got stuck in the Assembly Ways & Means Committee. Commerce tax. Assembly Bill 276 (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would have adjusted the commerce tax threshold to inflation. The bill got stuck in the Assembly Ways & Means Committee. Weight-loss drugs. Senate Bill 244 (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) would have expanded the types of obesity treatments covered by Nevada Medicaid, including approving weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for wider use. The bill got stuck in the Senate Finance Committee. 'Second Look' Assembly Bill 91 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) is known as 'second look' legislation and would have created an avenue for those incarcerated to have sentences reviewed by the State Board of Parole Commissioners after they've served extended periods of time. The bill passed the Assembly on party lines, then died in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Lombardo's health care bill Senate Bill 495, known as the Nevada Health Care Access Act, was Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's health care bill. It passed the Senate on party lines, with Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus urging her caucus to oppose the bill over amendments added by Democrats related to freestanding emergency rooms. The Assembly did not vote on the bill. SNAP app. Assembly Bill 474 would have required DWSS to create a 'Smart Surplus Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.' The bill was criticized by local food banks, but passed the Assembly 40-1. Only Democratic Assemblymember Venicia Considine opposed. It was heard by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee but never voted out. Artificial intelligence. Senate Bill 199 (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish guardrails around artificial intelligence. The bill passed out of a Senate committee in early April but saw no activity after that.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate OKs limiting growth of owner-occupied values
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden and a band of 10 lawmakers can claim a victory today in trying to hold down the rapid rise of assessed values for owner-occupied housing in some parts of South Dakota. State senators on Tuesday afternoon agreed 29-6 with the House on Senate Bill 216. Appropriators reject Noem's $3.6 million cut for SDPB For the next five years, it calls for capping total growth of assessed values for existing owner-occupied homes in a county at 3% per year and limits school districts to annual increases of no more than 3% from property taxes per year. SB 216 also expands eligibility for owner-occupied assessment freezes for people age 65 and older. Single-person households will be allowed to have income up to $55,000 per year and multi-person households up to $65,000 per year. Those are increases from the current $35,000 and $45,000. The assessed value of the owner-occupied home qualifying for the assessment freeze will go up to $500,000 from the current $300,000. The initial proposal resulted from work by the governor and a group of legislators. It was amended during its first trip through the Senate. Then it was further amended Monday evening in a dramatic House debate. The Senate could have decided to not accept the House version and instead send it to a conference committee for more negotiation. But Republican Sen. Sue Peterson, who had served on the work group, asked the Senate to accept the House version. She recalled that Rhoden had called for short-term reform and long-term relief. 'So this is part of that long game,' she said. How They Voted Yes (29) — Beal, Blanc, Carley, Crabtree, Davis, Deibert, Duhamel, Foster, Howard, Hulse, K. Jensen, S. Kolbeck, Lapka, Larson, Marty, Mehlhaff, Miskimins, Otten, Perry, S. Peterson, Reed, Rohl, Sauder, Schoenfish, Smith, Vilhauer, Voight, Wheeler, Zikmund. No (6) — Grove, Hohn, Karr, Nelson, Pischke, Voita. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House votes to slow growth of owner-occupied values
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota House of Representatives tried once, fell short, came back from a closed-door caucus with a new compromise, and then tried again. That was the path to agreement on Monday on Senate Bill 216 that the governor and a group of 10 lawmakers put together. They say it's supposed to help bring property taxes under more control for tens of thousands of home owners during the next five years. Kitchen remodel underway at Ronald McDonald House The 53-16 tally sends SB 216 back to the Senate for a decision whether to accept the House compromise version. The Senate could act as early as Tuesday. The House had voted earlier Monday afternoon on SB 216. Needing 36 yeas to pass, the vote-board showed 36-33, but Republican Rep. Bethany Soye changed to a nay, leaving it one vote short. That led to a compromise by Gov. Larry Rhoden. The legislation originally would have allowed counties to capture up to 2% of new owner-occupied assessments. The governor agreed to 3% of new owner-occupied assessments. Republican Rep. Leslie Heinemann explained the change. That was followed by a bit of parliamentary scuffle, where House Speaker Jon Hansen initially ruled that the amendment failed on a voice vote, only to correct himself when a majority of 36 subsequently stood in support of the amendment. Heinemann acknowledged that he had originally felt 'queasy' about a key provision that caps growth of existing owner-occupied assessments at 3% in a county. But he drew a distinction between the governor's approach and another bill that sought to roll back owner-occupied assessments to 2021 levels. 'It would be across the county, rather than individual owners,' Heinemann said. Republican Rep. Greg Jamison voted nay the first time. During reconsideration, Jamison told House members that he appreciated the governor and his staff making an adjustment to allow an additional 1% of new growth. 'Having something seems to be the right place to be,' Jamison said. Jamison meanwhile saw his 2.5% budget cap die on Monday afternoon in the Senate, while the Hulse-Kolbeck proposal to roll back owner-occupied assessment was gutted and then killed in the House. That left only the governor's proposal. Jamison and Soye were among the 18 Republicans who changed to yeas the second vote. The chamber's five Democrats present Monday voted nay both times, as did 11 Republicans. One of the two-time nays was Republican Rep. Liz May. 'We've had summer study, summer study, summer study,' May said. 'I just can't understand how all of us cannot get this figured out.' May made reference to Rhoden's explanation that SB 216 was 'a rifle shot.' 'Rifle shot? Rifle shot for who?' she asked. She noted, 'The only thing we haven't studied is cut spending.' May also suggested that 'a fourth lane' of a new tax might be considered, but she didn't spell out what that might be. 'But I know one thing — if anybody thinks this is going to fix it, it's not.' May praised and thanked Republican Rep. Trish Ladner, who's been trying for years to find a way to deal with rising assessments that greatly accelerated during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in places such as the Black Hills and the Sioux Falls area. 'She wasn't looking for a rifle shot. She was looking for a solution,' May said about Ladner. 'Everybody put a lot of thought in this. We just didn't get across the finish line.' Ladner was one of the 10 legislators who worked with Rhoden on the legislation She saw the challenge somewhat differently than May did. The way to eat an elephant, according to Ladner, is one bite at a time. 'I really believe this is a good first bite,' Ladner said. Heinemann meanwhile responded to May's claim that local government spending wasn't being considered. 'It is a shot over the bow,' he said. 'It's a clear message. I hope everyone hears that.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate agrees with House that tax study is needed
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Sharply rising property values in some fast-growing areas of South Dakota have become the top problem for many state legislators and the governor, too. That's why they're spending the closing days of the 2025 legislative session considering possible ways to provide short-term relief, while at the same time getting ready to take a deeper look for a lasting solution. State senators on Thursday voted 34-0 to conduct a comprehensive review of South Dakota's property tax policies. The House of Representatives had adopted the resolution 64-6 last month. It calls for the Legislature's Executive Board to appoint a group of 16 legislators, who along with two members of Gov. Larry Rhoden's administration, will attempt to 'identify impactful, substantive measures to provide significant and lasting tax relief for the homeowners of this state.' The measure's prime sponsor, House Speaker Jon Hansen, and its lead Senate sponsor, Republican Chris Karr, serve as the Executive Board's chair and vice chair. Karr's remarks Thursday acknowledged there are shorter-term steps still being considered. The study would look beyond them. 'There's more work to be completed,' he said. Democratic Sen. Jamie Smith, a co-sponsor of the resolution, said that the sales tax should be studied, too. He compared the property-tax problem to an arcade game that can't be won. 'We play Whack-a-mole with it all the time,' Smith said. Republican Sen. John Carley urged the study panel to study agriculture property and commercial property in addition to owner-occupied. Carley also said the panel should consider ways to reduce spending. The Legislature meanwhile is scheduled look at three property-tax measures on Monday, the final day for legislation to clear its second chamber. The Senate will consider House Bill 1235, sponsored by Republican Rep. Greg Jamison. It proposes to allow local taxing districts including public school boards to raise the property-tax funded parts of their budgets by no more than 2.5% a year. State law currently says 3%. The House will consider Senate Bill 216, the product of work by the Rhoden administration and a 10-legislator working group. It would limit all counties' assessments on owner-occupied homes to increase by no more than 3% a year for taxes payable in 2027 through 2031. SB 216 would also place a 2% annual limit on additional tax revenue generated from improvements or other changes — and only if those increased the property's value by more than 40%. The third leg of SB 216 calls for increasing the income thresholds for people age 65 and older to qualify for assessment freezes on owner-occupied homes. A single person could have household income up to $55,000 and a multi-person household up to $65,000; those upper thresholds currently are $35,000 and $45,000. Rhoden, responding to a question from KELOLAND News, said at his weekly news conference on Thursday that he had been approached about folding Jamison's 2.5% growth limit into the proposal from the governor and legislators group. He said the offer came too late in the process. But, he noted, the two measures would be compatible if both win approval. The House also will consider Senate Bill 191. Its prime sponsor is Republican Sen. Amber Hulse, while Republican Rep. Jack Kolbeck is lead House sponsor. It calls for rolling owner-occupied assessments back to 2021 levels for people who have lived in their homes at least that long, while owner-occupied properties purchased after 2021 would be assessed at the fair-market value at the time of purchase. The Hulse-Kolbeck bill came out of the Senate on a 35-0 vote, but it barely survived the House State Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday night 7-6. Wendy Semmler, director for the property tax division in the state Department of Revenue, said the rollback would wipe out $16 billion of assessed value. SB 191 was amended in the House committee at its sponsors' request, so that only owner-occupied property would be responsible for generating enough tax revenue to offset that $16 billion difference. Semmler said that tax levies to make up the difference would have to be higher and would hit harder those homeowners who bought their properties after 2021. All of South Dakota's agricultural groups testified against SB 191 on Wednesday, as did business groups, county commissioners, municipalities, towns and townships, several county directors of equalization and a representative of a business that assists local governments with debt service and helped state government gain its current AAA bond rating. Hulse said people who have been in their homes for some time would benefit while newer owners would pay more. Hansen asked for clarity: So the intent is not to decrease the revenue? 'That is the intent,' Hulse said. Despite the parade of opponents, Republican Rep. Spencer Gosch called for SB 191 to go down to the House floor. 'You got four days,' Gosch told her. 'You'll have the weekend to work with some of the opponents and maybe pull a rabbit out of the hat.' Republican Rep. Marty Overweg, an agricultural businessman and farmer, said he couldn't vote for the governor-legislators plan or Hulse-Kolbeck plan. He doesn't trust that providing owner-occupied relief won't put a heavier tax burden on agricultural property. 'I think it's dangerous. I really do think it's dangerous. You want corporate farming in South Dakota, just let taxes go crazy on the property,' Overweg said. The House committee's chair, Republican Rep. Scott Odenbach, on the other hand voted to send both of them out. scared that ag will bear the burden. 'I hope one of these measures, the best measure for relief, can make it out of the House,' he said. Rhoden on Thursday pointed out another hurdle that the Hulse-Kolbeck plan would need to clear. The Legislature sets statewide tax levies for K-12 school districts as part of providing state aid to the districts. School districts as a whole are the largest recipients of property taxes in South Dakota. Rhoden said school levies have gone down almost every year because property values as a whole have risen. Having to raise the school levies would require a two-thirds majority vote, and Rhoden sounded doubtful that the Legislature would want to do that right now. He's raised the question with some lawmakers. 'I've asked them what do you think the chances of getting two-thirds of the legislators in both chambers to pass a bill, a two-thirds majority vote bill that increases property tax statewide on all classes of property. That would give the indication of where I stand on Senate Bill 191,' Rhoden said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers face big votes over property tax growth
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — With five working days left in the main run of the 2025 legislative session, it's coming down to crunch time at the state Capitol to find a way to slow the growth of property taxes on owner-occupied residences in South Dakota. State senators on Thursday afternoon could vote on a plan from Republican Rep. Greg Jamison plan to further restrict spending by local governments. Meanwhile the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon is scheduled to debate a package from Gov. Larry Rhoden and a task force of 10 lawmakers. Senate Bill 216 would cap assessment growth countywide at and limit spending growth, while also expanding financial limits for people aged 65 and older to have assessments frozen on their owner-occupied homes. Then there's also a proposal that the House will take up Monday from Republican Sen. Amber Hulse and Republican Rep. Jack Kolbeck, who want to roll back many owner-occupied assessments to 2021 levels — and do it without causing a tax shift to agriculture or commercial properties. Jamison's approach, House Bill 1235, would reduce the amount of property taxes that a taxing district — including school districts — can collect to 2.5% per year. Currently state law limits the increase to no more than 3%. The House voted 39-31 to send Jamison's plan to the Senate. On Wednesday, it received the endorsement of the Senate Taxation Committee 6-0, despite opposition from lobbyists for the South Dakota Municipal League, the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners and the Associated School Boards of South Dakota. The Rhoden-task force proposal, Senate Bill 216, rolled through the Senate a week ago 30-5 and came out of the House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday night 9-4. One section limits assessment growth on owner-occupied property for the county as a whole to no more than 3% annually for the next five years, with an exception for new construction. Another section of SB 216 caps spending growth to no more than 3% annually but allows for an additional 2% for any new construction or changes in circumstances. It also would give all school districts authority for capital outlay levies. The final sections of SB 216 expand eligibility for people ages 65 and up to qualify for assessment freezes. The current household income limits of $35,000 for single-person households and $45,000 for multi-person households would increase to $55,000 and $65,000. The upper limit for a home's assessed value also would rise to $500,000 from the current $300,000. The Hulse-Kolbeck proposal, Senate Bill 191, proposes to roll back owner-occupied homes to 2021 assessment levels for people who have been living in the same homes since then. Owner-occupied properties that have changed hands or circumstances since then would be assessed at fair-market value. Wendy Semmler, director for the state Property Tax Division in the state Department of Revenue, said the result of SB 191 would be a $16 billion reduction in taxable value of owner-occupied property. Semmler said that tax levies would have to be increased to make up the difference and those higher levies would hit harder on people who didn't own their current residences prior to 2021. SB 191 came out of the Senate 35-0 but barely got out of the House State Affairs Committee 7-6 Wednesday night. In addition to Revenue being against it, opposition also came from South Dakota Retailers, South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, several county directors of equalization, South Dakota Farm Bureau and every other South Dakota agricultural group, South Dakota Association of County Commissioners, South Dakota Towns and Townships and a company official from a financial services firm that advises many local governments on debt issues, who warned it could endanger state government's AAA bond rating. 'You got four days,' Republican Rep. Spencer Gosch told Hulse. 'You'll have the weekend to work with some of the opponents and maybe pull a rabbit out of the hat.' Republican Rep. Marty Overweg, an agricultural businessman and farmer, voted against both the governor-task force bill and the Hulse-Kolbeck bill because he doesn't trust either one won't push tax burden onto agricultural property. 'I think it's dangerous. I really do think it's dangerous,' Overweg said. 'You want corporate farming in South Dakota, just let taxes go crazy on the property.' On the other hand the committee's chair, Republican Rep. Scott Odenbach, voted for both. 'I hope one of these measures, the best measure for relief, can make it out of the House,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
