2-Minute Preview: Lawmakers slated to hear bills allowing pharmacist-prescribed birth control, creating sexual assault survivor bill of rights
One week out from the deadline for bills to move out of their first committee, lawmakers face another marathon day of hearings on Friday.
Bills up for hearings include those that would create a sexual assault survivors’ bill of rights, allow for pharmacist-prescribed birth control and make changes to golf course redevelopment.
Lawmakers are also slated to pass several bills out of committee, including measures to provide compensation to people who were wrongfully convicted and more tightly regulate the middlemen in the drug pricing process, known as pharmacy benefit managers.
For more information on the status of bills working their way through the Legislature, check out The Nevada Independent’s bill tracker. And for the bills in committee today, check out the Legislature’s website for committee times and links to watch live committee meetings and floor sessions.
Here’s what to watch for on Friday at the Legislature:
AB176: Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights
Proposed by Democratic Assemblyman Steve Yeager, this bill would create a Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights in state law, giving victims certain rights of notification and privledges prior to foresnic medical examinations.
The bill also would create various courtroom protections for sexual assault survivors, including being protected from the defendant and to ask a judge to clear a courtroom before providing testimony. It also authorizes the attorney general to commence a civil action against a public officer or employee who violates the law.
It’ll be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee at 8 a.m.
AB267: Compensation for people wrongfully convicted
Up for a committee vote, AB267 would allow individuals found to be wrongfully convicted to receive compensation from the state based on time served. Compensation is based on number of years served, and requires the state to seal any original charges and to pay for non-monetary costs like counseling or tuition.
It’ll be voted on during the Assembly Judiciary Committee at 8 a.m.
AB431: Automatic voting rights restoration
Members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee are set to vote on a bill from Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson that would automatically restore the right to vote to any person released from prison without having to petition a court.
It’ll be up for a vote at the 8 a.m. meeting.
AB399: State-backed retirement system for state employees
Touted on the campaign trail by Lieutenant Governor Kate Marshall and sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel, AB399 would create a state-backed retirement program for private-sector employees.
The bill would create a Nevada Employee Savings Trust board, which would be charged with overseeing and regulating a program for individual private workers to establish retirement accounts.
It’ll be heard in the Assembly Government Affairs Committee at 8:30 a.m.
AB428: Study on discrimination in contracts
This bill would require the state’s Department of Business and Industry to conduct a study as to whether and to what extent disparities and unlawful discrimation based on race or gender exist in the awarding of contracts by the state or local governments.
It’s scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly Government Affairs Committee at 8:30 a.m.
SB350: Worksession on Promise Scholarships
This bill, sponsored by state Sen. Mo Denis, proposes reducing the existing community service requirement for the Nevada Promise Scholarship from 20 to eight hours and reduces the number of mandatory pre-scholarship meetings from two to one. The scholarships aim to help recent high school graduates attend community college for free.
The bill will be voted on during a meeting of the Senate Education Committee, which will convene 20 minutes after the adjournment of the Senate floor session at 11 a.m.
AB141: Worksession on bill regulating pharmacy benefit managers
This bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy, adds additional restrictions on the gag measures that pharmacy benefit managers put into their contracts with pharmacies, essentially allowing pharmacists to share additional information with patients about the most cost effective way of acquiring a drug.
The measure is up for a vote in the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee at 12:30 p.m.
SB361: Pharmacist-prescribed birth control bills
This bill, introduced by state Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, proposes to allow pharmacists to prescribe, order, and dispense contraception to patients without a prescription from a primary care provider. If the law passes, Nevada would join 12 other states that allow for pharmacist-prescribed birth control pills.
The bill will be heard in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee at 1 p.m.
SB251: Golf courses
The long-running battle over redevelopment of the Badlands golf course will make its way to the Legislature under SB251, a bill backed by Democratic Sen. Joyce Woodhouse.
The bill requires public meetings, an environmental impact study, a minimum amount of open space and requires that golf course owners prove to a governing body that the golf course is no longer “financially viable” before any redevelopment is approved. It also requires any structures built on the converted land to be set back at least 100 feet from any previously existing building, and to continue to maintain the property if it discontinues daily operation.
The bill will be heard by the Senate Committee on Government Affairs at 1 p.m.
AB287: Ensuring Medicaid increases are passed along to employees of applied behavioral analysis providers
This bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel, would require applied behavioral analysis providers to pass along any increases they receive in Medicaid reimbursement rates to their employees — including behavioral analysts, assistant behavioral analysts, state certified behavior interventionists, and registered behavior technicians — as an increase in pay equal in percentage to the percentage increase received by Medicaid.
The bill will be heard in Assembly Health and Human Services at 12:30 p.m.
SB425: Tenancy support services in Medicaid
Sponsored by Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, this bill would require Medicaid to provide additional home and community-based services, including tenancy support services, to the extent allowed by the federal government. Under federal law, states are allowed to implement tenancy support services for people who are elderly or disabled.
The bill will be heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee at 4 p.m.