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Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nevada Legislature: Another deadline passes, another update on bills the Current is watching
Nevada Assembly Chambers in 2023 (Photo by Trevor Bexon / Nevada Current) Tuesday marked the 79th day of the 120-day Nevada State Legislative session. It was also the deadline by which non-exempt bills needed to pass the full Senate or full Assembly or be declared dead. For the small but mighty staff of the Nevada Current, it was a relatively quiet day. None of the dozens of bills we are watching met their demise. That's not wholly unsurprising. About half the bills we've written about have been exempted by the Legislature from standard deadlines because they come with fiscal notes and have been sent to the Legislature's money committees for consideration. Speaking of: The next major big day in Carson City is Thursday, May 1. That's when the Economic Forum will meet and potentially adjust the state's revenue forecast up or down. As we've noted throughout this session, there is reason to be concerned that the outlook won't be rosy. But as of right now, there's still hope. Here's a status check on all the bills we've written about (so far). We've included links to the bills themselves, as well as our prior coverage, so you can learn more about them. * 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. Senate Bill 391* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish a corporate landlord registry and cap purchasing power for corporate owners. Status: Referred to Senate Judiciary, no hearing scheduled. 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 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 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 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 Assembly on party lines, 27 yeas 15 nays. Assembly Bill 280 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) proposes rent stabilization for seniors. Status: Passed Assembly on party lines, 27 yeas 15 nays. Assembly Bill 283 (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would restructure the eviction process. Status: Passed Assembly on party lines, 27 yeas 15 nays. Assembly Bill 437 (Assemblymember Jill Dickman, R) would establish a Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plan. Status: Placed on Chief Clerk's desk. Assembly Bill 475* would provide funding for eviction diversion programs in Clark and Washoe counties. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on April 4, no action taken since. Assembly Bill 540* (Gov. Joe Lombardo, R) would allocate $250 million to build more housing and expand the definition of affordable housing to include people with higher incomes. Status: Heard by Assembly Commerce and Labor on April 2, no action taken. Senate Bill 218 (State Sen. James Ohrenschall, D) would adopt 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. Status: Passed Senate on party lines; 12 yeas, 8 nays. Senate Bill 316* (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would curb how much profit pharmacy benefit managers can make. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. Senate Bill 442 mandates utilities report the number of disconnections due to non-payment. Status: Passed Senate with 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 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 home, or garnish wages. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. 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. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. 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. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. Senate Bill 353* (State Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, D) would increase Medicaid reimbursement for mental health providers. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. Senate Bill 217* (State Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, D) would establish the right to assisted reproduction treatment, including in vitro fertilization. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. 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 Assembly unanimously. 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 Assembly; 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 Assembly; 26 yeas, 15 nays, 1 excused. Senate Bill 172* (Sen. Edgar Flores, D) seeks to bolster protections for farm workers and amend overtime pay laws to include agriculture workers. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. 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. 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 Assembly; 29 yeas, 13 nays. Two Republicans voted with Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 191* (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would give graduate assistants the right to collectively bargain for better pay and conditions. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. 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. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Assembly Bill 502* would boost the state's ability to investigate and enforce prevailing wage violations. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Senate Bill 431* would apply the state's live entertainment tax to tickets resold by third-party vendors and dedicate some funding to transit. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. 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: Passed 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 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 Assembly unanimously. Assembly Bill 276* (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would adjust the commerce tax threshold to inflation. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Assembly Bill 277 (Assemblymember Rich DeLong, R) would make the Net Proceeds of Minerals Bulletin public again. Status: Passed Assembly unanimously.. Assembly Bill 530 would allow the Clark County Commission to extend fuel revenue indexing (FRI) an additional decade beyond its current sunset date. Status: Passed Assembly with bipartisan support; 39 yeas, 3 nays. Republicans Jill Dickman, Danielle Gallant, and Gregory Hafen were 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 Senate with bipartisan support; 17 yeas, 4 nays. Four Republicans opposed. Assembly Bill 185 (Assemblymember Natha Anderson) would bar most HOAs from prohibiting licensed home-based childcare operations within their communities. Status: 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: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Senate Bill 220* (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) is known as the Nevada Film Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Education and Economic Diversification Act. It massively expands the state's film tax credit program to support a production studio in southwest Las Vegas. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. 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. Assembly Bill 457* (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) seeks to close a potential loophole that can be used by corporate landlords to avoid paying the state's commerce tax. Status: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas 15 nays. Assembly Bill 487 would ban retail pet sales statewide. Status: 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: Referred to Senate Finance. 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 Assembly; 31 yeas, 11 nays. Four Republicans joined Democrats in support. 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. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Assembly Bill 441 (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would change how Opportunity Scholarships are administered. Status: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas 15 nays. Senate Bill 88* would discharge medical debt from those incarcerated once they leave prison. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. 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: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Assembly Bill 111 (Assemblymember Brian Hibbetts, R) would make driving the wrong way a misdemeanor crime. Status: Passed Assembly unanimously. Assembly Bill 119 (Assemblymember Steve Yeager, D) seeks to crack down on paramilitary organizing and activities. Status: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas 15 nays. Assembly Bill 320* (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) seeks to stop judges from using dress codes to turn away defendants. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Assembly Bill 381* (Assemblymember Melissa Hardy, R) is known as Reba's Law and mandates prison time for killing a domestic animal. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary. Assembly Bill 402* (Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, D) would authorize traffic monitoring cameras in construction work zones when workers are present. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Senate Bill 457 (Gov. Joe Lombardo, R) is known as the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act. Status: Referred to Senate Judiciary, no hearing scheduled. Senate Bill 199* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) — would establish guardrails around artificial intelligence. Status: Referred to Senate Finance. 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 Assembly; 29 yeas, 13 nays. Republicans Gregory Koenig and Toby Yurek voted with Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 460* (Assemblymember Cecelia González) streamlines the process for selecting a temporary guardian for minors prior to any immigration action. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Too busy fretting over you-know-who to follow the NV Legislature? The Current's got you covered.
(Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) The Nevada Current's small but mighty staff of five has so far covered dozens of bills introduced into the 2025 Legislative Session. If you've missed a story or two (or dozen) of them, we understand. (There. Is. A. Lot. Going. On.) Here's a look at the bills that caught our eye and where they are, complete with links to our prior coverage. The next major legislative deadline is Tuesday, April 22. By that date, non-exempt bills need to be voted on by either the full Senate or the full Assembly. * Notes: Bills exempt from legislative deadlines are marked with an asterisk. Lead sponsors are listed in parentheses. Bills with no lead sponsor listed are sponsored by interim committees. (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish a corporate landlord registry and cap purchasing power for corporate owners. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary. 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 free way for tenants to pay rent. Status: Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor. Assembly Bill 201 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) would expand efforts to automatically seal eviction records. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary. (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would allow a third party to take over the property until repairs are made and living conditions improved. Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor. Assembly Bill 223 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would give tenants more power to hold landlords accountable for failing to provide livable conditions. Status: Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor. Assembly Bill 280 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) proposes rent stabilization for seniors. Status: Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor. (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would restructure the eviction process. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary. Assembly Bill 437 (Assemblymember Jill Dickman, R) would establish a Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plan. Status: Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor. Assembly Bill 475* would provide funding for eviction diversion programs in Clark and Washoe counties. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means, no action taken. * (Gov. Joe Lombardo, R) would allocate $250 million to build more housing and expand the definition of affordable housing to include people with higher incomes. Status: Heard by Assembly Commerce and Labor, no action taken. Senate Bill 218 (State Sen. James Ohrenschall, D) would adopt 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. Passed Senate Commerce and Labor. (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would curb how much profit pharmacy benefit managers can make. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor. mandates utilities report the number of disconnections due to non-payment. Status: Passed Senate Growth and Infrastructure. Assembly Bill 44 (Attorney General Aaron Ford, D) seeks to crack down on 'knowingly deceptive' price fixing. Status: Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor. 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 home, or garnish wages. Status: Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor. 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. Passed Senate Health and Human Services. 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. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services, referred to Senate Finance. Senate Bill 353* (State Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, D) would increase Medicaid reimbursement for mental health providers. Passed Senate Commerce. * (State Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, D) would establish the right to assisted reproduction treatment, including in vitro fertilization. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services. (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 Assembly Health and Human Services. 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 Assembly Government Affairs. (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 Assembly Health and Human Services. Initiative Petition 1, the Clark County Education Association-backed ballot measure that would give Nevada teachers the right to strike, passed the deadline for consideration by the Nevada State Legislature. That deadline was in mid-March but came and went with no fanfare because CCEA leadership has made it clear they are using it as a bargaining chip for their other legislative priorities. The 'A Teacher In Every Classroom' question is now slated to appear on next year's general election ballot unless the union voluntarily withdraws it. Senate Bill 172 (Senator Edgar Flores, D) seeks to bolster protections for farm workers and amend overtime pay laws to include agriculture workers. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor. 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 Assembly Commerce and Labor. * (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) — give graduate assistants the right to collectively bargain for better pay and conditions. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs, referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Assembly Bill 388* (Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch, D) — requires private employers with more than 50 workers, as well as all public employers, to provide paid family and medical leave. Status: Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor, referred to Assembly Ways and Means. 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: Passed Assembly Revenue. 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: Heard by Assembly Judiciary, then withdrawn and put on the Chief Clerk's desk. On Monday, taken off the Chief Clerk's desk and amended. 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. Passed Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections. (Assemblymember Rich DeLong, D) would make the Net Proceeds of Minerals Bulletin public again. Status: Passed Assembly Revenue. would allow the Clark County Commission to extend fuel revenue indexing (FRI) an additional decade beyond its current sunset date. Status: Passed Assembly Growth and Infrastructure. (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 Senate Revenue and Economic Development. (Assemblymember Natha Anderson) would bar most HOAs from prohibiting licensed home-based childcare operations within their communities. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs. 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 Revenue, referred to Assembly Ways and Means. Senate Bill 220* (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) is known as the Nevada Film Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Education and Economic Diversification Act. It massively expands the state's film tax credit program to support a production studio in southwest Las Vegas. Status: Heard by Senate Revenue and Economic Development, referred to Senate Finance. Assembly Bill 376* (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would create a 'regulatory sandbox' for the insurance industry. Passed Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee. * (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) seeks to close a potential loophole that can be used by corporate landlords to avoid paying the state's commerce tax. Status: Passed Assembly Revenue. Assembly Bill 487 would ban retail pet sales statewide. Status: Passed Assembly Natural Resources. Senate Bill 318 (State Sen. Skip Daly, D) would ban charter schools from contracting with for-profit education management organizations. Status: Passed Senate Education. * (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. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs, referred to Assembly Ways and Means. (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would change how Opportunity Scholarships are administered. Status: Passed Assembly Revenue. Senate Bill 88* would discharge medical debt from those incarcerated once they leave prison. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary Committee, referred to Senate Finance. (Assemblymember Brian Hibbetts, R) would make driving the wrong way a misdemeanor crime. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary. Assembly Bill 119 (Assemblymember Steve Yeager, D) seeks to crack down on paramilitary organizing and activities. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary. Assembly Bill 320* (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) seeks to stop judges from using dress codes to turn away defendants. Passed Assembly Judiciary. Senate Bill 457 (Gov. Joe Lombardo, R) is known as the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act. Status: Referred to Senate Judiciary, no hearing scheduled. Senate Bill 199* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) — would establish guardrails around artificial intelligence. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor. would mandate that cities and counties with populations exceeding 100,000 people include 'heat mitigation' as part of their master plans. Status: Passed Government Affairs.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘What the landlord wants, the landlord gets,' effort to change Nevada state law for tenants
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Nevada state lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow tenants to take a property owner to court for failing to make timely repairs before the property owner may try to evict them. Assembly Bill 223, introduced Monday at the Committee on Commerce and Labor by Assembly Member Venicia Considine, would allow tenants to pay reduced rent and file a verified complaint for unhabitable conditions. Renters' rights and 13 more bills to watch at the 2025 Nevada Legislature Tenants can currently withhold rent in Nevada for unhabitable conditions, but they must deposit the money with the justice court. That rarely happens, according to supporters of the bill, and the end result is eviction. 'What you often see is how habitability presents itself as a tenant Is there on the eviction,' Jonathan Norman of Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada told legislators. 'They have their phone and they say, 'Judge, I have pictures,' and it can be, you know, sewage backing up in their bathtub. It can be, you know, really horrific stuff, and the judge looks at them and then asks if they escrowed the rent, and the answer is almost always no because people don't understand how they're supposed to do that, how they can take advantage of that and then the judicial officer orders the eviction.' Assembly Bill 223 would allow the tenant to turn to court first. Numerous groups and individuals testified in support of the bill. 'I have stared into the eyes of cockroaches. I have sweated in the broken air conditioner night. I have breathed the dangerous poles of mold. I have felt trapped. I have felt meaningless. I have felt like I did not matter,' Noah Cicero testified. 'I have felt like that I too have become a cockroach, a pest that doesn't matter to anyone. Cockroaches can be evicted just as quickly as I can in the state of Nevada. What the landlord wants, the landlord gets.' Opponents of the bill, including the Nevada Realtors Legislative Committee, testified laws are already in place to address landlord and tenant issues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nevada lawmakers target ‘resort fee'-style rent practices, age for gun ownership
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Hidden fees are so out-of-hand that it now costs money just to pay the rent. And it's a good bet that tenants aren't told that until they have signed the lease. Assembly Bill 121 (AB121) in the Nevada Legislature seeks an end to 'resort fee'-style rental practices by requiring landlords to be upfront with renters about how much the monthly rent is going to be — all mandatory fees included. This session, the Legislature is also looking at bills about age limits on gun ownership, apps that deliver restaurant food, foam containers in restaurants and tax breaks for survivors of military members killed in the line of duty. Here's a deeper look at AB121, along with quick summaries of the other bills: RENT FAIRNESS: AB121 puts a target on hidden fees, whether it's a requirement to use an app with a surcharge when you pay the rent, required smart home technology, utility management fees, air filter delivery, internet packages or other costs. 'AB121 ensures certainty for tenants when budgeting for monthly bills by ensuring the rental amount quoted is the actual amount of the monthly rent because it includes all mandatory costs. It also ensures fair competition between landlords because it stops hidden mandatory fees,' according to Democratic Assemblymember Venicia Considine, the bill's sponsor. The bill would require landlords to do a short list of things: Provide a free way to pay rent. Recent conversions to payment apps that carry a surcharge constitute a hidden fee. Landlords who can't provide a free app would have to accept a check, a money order, or some other free method. Additionally, a landlord cannot profit from the rent payment option. Any fee charged must be identified clearly in the rental agreement. State the rent as a single price. When the rental cost is listed, it must include all fees that are not optional. No 'resort fee'-style listing of required costs would be allowed. Civil liability. A landlord who does not conform to stating the single price to tenants, or continues to charge other hidden fees would be subject to civil penalties. Chance to review the lease. This provision allows the tenant to read a boilerplate lease before putting down any deposit. The landlord would have to either provide a copy for review or post the lease online so the prospective tenant has time to review it thoroughly. Considine authored a similar bill in 2023, and it was vetoed by Gov. Joe Lombardo. Why is she trying again? She has added language to make it clear that existing leases don't have to be amended. Typically, rental leases are renewed each year, and when it comes time to renew, the update would come at that time, she said. She also cited two lawsuits filed by the Federal Trade Commission against Greystar and Invitation Homes, which operate nationally. Invitation Homes has agreed to a $48 million settlement, but Greystar — the country's biggest property manager — indicated in January it would fight the FTC. Republican Assemblymember Heidi Kasama said she has concerns about the bill because it fails to take into account bills that vary like electricity, gas and electricity, which could leave landlords on the hook. Considine said the bill would encourage landlords to have utility bills go to tenants rather than landlords, and emphasized that it could help level the playing field for businesses. The Nevada State Apartment Association spoke against the bill as it was presented to the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor, saying it doesn't do enough to protect small landlords who might not understand the burdens they might face if the requirements went into place. 'We think there needs to be some wiggle room,' John Sandee told the committee. GUN OWNERSHIP: AB 245 would ban anyone under the age of 21 from owning a semi-automatic shotgun or center-fire rifle. A violation would constitute a gross misdemeanor under Nevada law, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. The bill also criminalizes letting someone under 21 handle those types of weapons. Democratic Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui sponsored the bill, similar to legislation Lombardo vetoed in 2023. RESTAURANT IMPOSTERS: AB116 takes aim at restaurant delivery apps such as Uber, DoorDash and GrubHub after complaints from restaurant owners that 'ghost kitchens' are posing as their brands, charging customers for food that doesn't meet the high standards held by the restaurant's rightful owners. Manizza's Pizza owner Christina Martin, who exposed the problem in an 8 News Now story almost a year ago, joined owner/chef James Trees of the famed Esther's Kitchen to tell lawmakers about the problem. Democratic Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett is the bill's sponsor. TO-GO CONTAINERS: AB244 would ban restaurants from using polystyrene foam containers. The ban would only apply to restaurants with 10 or more locations in Nevada. The penalty for a violation would be a $1,000 fine. The bill is sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Venicia Considine. FOR SURVIVORS: AB 243 would give property tax breaks to surviving spouses of someone killed in the line of duty in the military. It would also provide vehicle registration tax breaks. The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Assemblymembers Brian Hibbetts, a Republican, and Reuben D'Silva, a Democrat. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Legislation would allow third party control of properties if landlords refuse to meet safety codes
The legislation is modeled off similar legislation in 20 other states, said bill sponsor Assemblymember Venicia Considine. (Photo: Richard Bednarski/Nevada Current) Clark county officials told state lawmakers Wednesday of numerous occasions of landlords refusing to fix substandard and dangerous living conditions throughout apartment complexes that put the health and safety of tenants at risk. The legal remedy at the county's disposal is to fine the property owners or shut down apartments altogether, which would leave hundreds of tenants without a place to live amid a severe housing shortage. Assembly Bill 211, which got a first hearing this week at the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee, would allow another option: allow a third party to take over the property until the repairs are made and living conditions improved. Democratic Assemblymember Venicia Considine, the sponsor of the legislation, said the bill 'provides a solution to the extreme situation when a property is significantly substandard and all attempts to bring the property to standard are rebuffed and ignored.' 'These are situations where seniors are crawling up the stairs or are trapped in their unit because an elevator has been inoperable for months,' Considine said. While the current law requires landlords to maintain habitable conditions, in some instances property owners 'have determined that paying a fine is more acceptable than the option of fixing the property,' she said. The bill is modeled off similar legislation in 20 other states, Considine said. AB 211 outlines a process for counties and cities to notify landlords of violations and safety hazards, and provide a deadline for bringing properties up to code. If property owners don't comply, municipalities could obtain a court order after giving owners a 30-day notice. The district court would then determine if a property is in substandard conditions and could appoint a third-party 'receiver' to take it over. 'I just want to be clear that this is after the enforcement agency, or code enforcement has gone out multiple times and have reached out to folks,' Considine said. 'This is already after months of trying to work to fix the property.' The district court must find that failure to meet fire safety standards or other codes that endanger the health and safety of residents, according to the bill. The court can determine if there are reasonable costs for the owner to pay to temporarily relocate tenants if they can't remain at the complex while issues are being fixed. The court would also have the discretion to award attorney fees. Clark County Chair Tick Segerblom told state lawmakers of a previous case in which the county unsuccessfully tried to work with apartment complexes with 200 units to try to fix hazardous conditions. Segerblom said these tenants with lower incomes rely on these units and there isn't any other place to house them. 'I have 200 people in a building that actually can be fixed, and the landlord refuses to fix it and refuses to do anything,' Segerblom said. The legislation 'gives us the tool. It's the final resort. Hopefully it will be a lever we would never have to use, but at the end of the day, we don't want to put 200 people on the street.' During an August commission meeting, Segerblom singled out Apex Apartments on Twain Avenue and Cambridge Street as one property that deteriorated due to neglect from the property owner. Joanna Jacob, the government affairs manager Clark County, said on Thursday that she recently spoke to another commissioner who was dealing with similar complexes in disrepair. She didn't name the complex but indicated it was a 400-unit facility that had received frequent visits by the Southern Nevada Health District and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. 'I don't want to be disgusting, but they found a pool that had been improperly covered,' she said. 'Feral cats got underneath, and they found hundreds of dead cats that were in the pool. There's been homicides at that property. We are trying to engage and trying to figure out how to improve the conditions for the tenants.' Attempts to work with the landlord to address safety concerns were ignored. 'When we have units of that size, buildings of that size, that we might have to relocate tenants,' she said. 'It is a challenge for us' Jonathan Norman, the Statewide Advocacy, Outreach and Policy Director for the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers, said the bill is about going after 'egregious landlords who are extracting wealth from our community without investing into their property.' When landlords refused to fix substandard living conditions in complexes, 'it puts the county and local governments in a place where they have to house 300, 400 families,' he said, testifying in support of the bill. 'For an out of state, unresponsive landlord to just expect they can come to Nevada, not put any resources in and extract money is not fair,' Norman said. The Nevada State Apartment Association opposed the bill. John Sande, a lobbyist for the association, said cities and counties need to 'explicitly enumerate the process that the landlords will be subjected to prior to this bill' being implemented. 'We want to ensure landlords have clear, due process protections and reasonable opportunity to correct these violations,' he said. 'I think that's the bill sponsor's objective.' The committee took no action on the bill.
