Legislative Wrap Up- Week 15

Friday was the second house committee deadline, and over the course of the week, over 120 bills were passed out of committee. The next major deadine is this Friday, May 21st, where bills must pass out of their second house. On Thursday, Governor Sisolak announced that an effort to repeal the state’s death penalty, AB395, had “no path forward” this legislative session. The bill had passed the Assembly on a party line vote, but did not have a hearing in the Senate. 

Bills that Failed to Meet the May 14, 2021 Deadline

Bills exempt from Standing Rules 14, 14.2, and 14.3

Bills and Resolutions “Exempt” from Deadlines

Bill Hearing Highlights

AB186

The Senate Committee on Government Affairs passed out AB186, a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen (D-Las Vegas), which prohibits police agencies in the state from ordering, mandating, or requiring officers to “issue a certain number of traffic citations or make a certain number of arrests over any period.”An amendment to the bill was made to remove a provision which would have also prohibited agencies from considering the number of citations issued, arrests made or amount of fines assessed from citations by any individual police officer during a performance review, a concern that was brought up during a previous hearing of the bill

AB189

AB189, a bill that would aim to reduce pregnancy complications by establishing postpartum care and presumptive eligibility for those in labor, was heard by the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. Committee members were confused on a piece of the legislation regarding the budget account for presumptive care, and asked for additional information before moving this bill forward. Those in support of this measure believe that it will promote women’s health. 

AB194

AB194, a bill that would provide more accountability in the appeals process regarding the suspension and expulsion of students by providing students with a chance to continue their education while a disciplinary hearing is in place, was heard by the Senate Committee on Education. Committee members were interested in what the current appeals process looked like and what the guidelines were for students facing suspension or expulsion with existing law. Those in support of this bill believe that it will greatly benefit students to continue their learning in the least-restrictive way possible while facing disciplinary action or appeals processes. 

AB216

AB216, a bill that would require individuals who are experiencing long-term cognitive impairment to be included in the state plan for Medicaid, was heard by the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. Committee members were interested in who this bill would directly cover if passed. Those in support of this measure urged the Committee’s support for passage and stated that this is vital for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia in our state. 

AB286

AB286, a bill that would prohibit the sale, possession and manufacturing of unfinished firearm pieces, was heard by the Senate Committee on Judiciary. Committee members asked questions about when criminalization would take place and whether this law would impact the rights of hobbyists to put together their own weapons. There was a lot of public testimony on this bill, both in support and opposition. Those in support of this measure believe that banning ghost guns will provide for overall public safety. Those in opposition to this bill believe that gun rights cannot be limited and this would me limiting Constitutional rights. 

AB320

Members of the Assembly Commerce and Labor committee passed out AB320, a measure sponsored by Sen. Dina Neal (D-Las Vegas) that would establish regulations for the relationships between restaurants and delivery platforms. Under the bill, food delivery platforms would need to be transparent about all fees attached to an order, including a disclosure of the commission charged to the restaurant — expressed as a percentage of the food purchase price. Regulations specify that a food delivery service platform provider would need to enter into a written agreement with a food establishment before facilitating an online order and that an establishment may submit a written request to be removed from a platform. 

AB356

AB356, a bill that would prohibit the use of water from the Colorado River to be used on nonfunctional turf, was heard by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. Committee members were interested in whether it would be possible to implement this bill earlier than the 2026 timeline that was proposed. Those in support of this bill believe that this is bold action that is needed in order for Nevada to reach its ambitious state goals of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Those in opposition believe that there should be an implementation date that is sooner and that there should be more aggressive action taken. 

AB400

AB400, a bill that would prohibit THC levels of blood as being used to determine impairment in arrests relating to DUIs, was heard by the Senate Committee on Judiciary. Committee members were interested in whether this bill was the best course of action on this topic and also mentioned their support for continuing research in this area. Those in support of this bill believe that it is vital that we modernize these laws. Those in opposition believe that it will place more burden on the police officers in these situations.

SB212

A police reform bill, SB212, putting additional limits on police use of force, use of restraint chairs and police dispersal techniques during protests passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Friday, largely along party lines with Republicans in opposition. The bill would require police officers to use de-escalation techniques and other alternatives before resorting to higher levels of force to arrest an individual and require police agencies to adopt use of force policies.

SB380

SB380, a bill that would make various changes to the reporting of prices on prescription drugs, was heard by the Senate Committee on Finance. The fiscal note submitted is in relation to the database maintenance cost and the need for additional positions to program computers and maintain that programming in the future. The largest part of the fiscal note is in the transfer of the database. Committee members were interested in whether there was a projection on the workload increase if this bill were to pass and asked about what specific legislation had led to a decrease on prescription drugs. Those in opposition to this bill believe that, since this bill will only capture low-cost drugs, there is no significant positive impact and suggested that the state look at addressing higher priced drugs that are placing more of a burden on the state.

SB390

SB390, a bill that would establish provisions relating to response teams and the 988 number for mental health crises and suicide prevention, was heard by the Senate Committee on Finance. Through the presentation, it was determined that there will be no fiscal impact on the state because. Committee members were interested in the implementation of the 988 federal mandate and were also curious about how the surcharge would be implemented. Those in support of this bill believe that it is vital that we establish these services as soon as possible to save lives in Nevada. Those in opposition to this bill believe that there needs to be a cap on the tax. 

SB430

SB340, a bill that would establish funding and set an enactment date for the Nevada State Infrastructure Bank, was heard by the Senate Committee on Growth and Infrastructure. Committee members asked clarifying questions on the bill to ensure that these infrastructure projects would not limit private industry and would benefit underserved communities in their job search and needs. Those in support of this legislation believe that this is the vital next step to recovery for Nevadans as it will create thousands of jobs and continue to upgrade Nevada for the accessibility of all. 

Bills in the Governor’s Office

Bills Signed by the Governor

Upcoming Deadlines

Second House Passage: May 21st

Budget Bills Introduced and Exempt Bills from Committee: May 26th

Special thanks to the Griffin Company Legislative interns:
Morgan Sollano, Emily Espinosa, Graham Griffin, and Julia Kilroy


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