The bills that may not survive the Legislature’s first major deadline
In today’s edition:
- A bill tracker!
- What we’re watching on deadline day
- Lombardo says “f— you” to critics
From the Capital Bureau Chief:
The Legislature’s first committee passage deadline is tomorrow, and to help you navigate the shenanigans marathon of bill hearings coming our way, The Nevada Independent is releasing a version of our internal bill tracker.
The tracker, created and maintained by our legislative team, including Eric Neugeboren, Isabella Aldrete and Lizzie Ramirez, contains information on the status of each bill, whether a measure has been exempted and an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated summary of each piece of legislation.
A couple of caveats:
- We will update the bill tracker as quickly as possible in the next few days, but there might be some delays.
- The AI-generated summary is based on the bill’s digest when it was introduced and may not reflect amendments. We’ll try and get that updated after the first house passage deadline, but we’re humans, so no promises.
- Notice an error? Please reach out to me ([email protected]), and we’ll try to get that resolved as soon as possible.
Keep an eye out for a super special Saturday edition of Behind the Bar (because the editors don’t understand the need for sleep). [Editor’s Note: Sleep is for the weak.]
With that said, let the bill culling commence, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
As always, please send us your questions, thoughts and suggestions. You can reach me at [email protected].
Bills we’re watching on deadline day
There’s one day until the first major culling of bills and as of Wednesday evening, there are hundreds of measures without an exemption that haven't passed out of their committees.
Though the first committee passage deadline in 2023 saw 240 casualties, it’s worth noting that no bill is truly dead until the session is over — some bills get resurrected as an amendment.
Here’s what we’re watching:
- It’s not looking good for AB33, a proposal from Republican State Controller Andy Matthews to create an Office of Inspector General within his office. Similar efforts have failed in the past five sessions; AB33 — nicknamed the DOGE bill by some — was heard in March but has not yet been put up for a committee vote.
- Heavy opposition came out during a four-hour hearing Monday for SB78, the proposal from the Department of Business and Industry to consolidate the state’s boards and commissions. It has not yet passed out of committee.
- Sen. Roberta Lange’s (D-Las Vegas) film tax credit bill SB220 hasn’t passed out of committee, but it is scheduled for its first hearing Thursday.
- Assm. Selena La Rue Hatch’s (D-Reno) proposal to vastly expand paid family and medical leave in the public and private sectors — to the chagrin of many business groups — also has not received a committee vote.
- The expansive AI regulation bill — which seeks to outlaw AI use in determining rents and developing police reports, among other ways — from Sen. Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas) has not been voted out of committee after it was heard last week.
- A medical-aid-in-dying legalization effort and a daily room cleaning mandate — the two bills Gov. Joe Lombardo has said he’ll veto — haven’t passed out of either of their committees.
- And one we’re not watching anymore — AB364, a bill from Assm. Natha Anderson (D-Reno) that would have placed restrictions on donations for the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program. Anderson told The Indy on Wednesday that she pulled it from a hearing, and that it is dead.
- One aspect of the deadline day to watch: amendments. It’s common for legislators to change entire bills or narrow them down to get them across the first hurdle.
— Eric Neugeboren, Tabitha Mueller
What we’re reading and writing
Why are Canadians staying away from Las Vegas? ‘Friends shouldn’t be treated like this’ by Howard Stutz
The Economic Forum is going to be fun.
Lombardo promises changes to major crime bill amid big price tag from state prison system by Isabella Aldrete
This is a mo’ money, mo’ problems kind of thing.
Two bills seek to address growing issue of home insurance cancellations over wildfire risk by April Corbin Girnus and Jeniffer Solis, Nevada Current
Lawmakers take on big insurance.
Lombardo says “F*** you”
Gov. Joe Lombardo suggested attendees of anti-Trump protests that took place this Saturday in Nevada and nationwide, known as the “Hands Off” movement, were paid protesters.
“That momentum and those crowd sizes isn’t because they're pissed, because they want to make a difference. It’s because they're getting paid. So don’t lose sight of that,” he said in audio from an April 5 Lincoln Day dinner in Carson City obtained by the progressive media organization MeidasTouch.
Lombardo also said his message to individuals on social media who have criticized him and Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony, who has pushed to ban trans athletes from girls sports, is “fuck you.”
Lombardo declined to comment.
— Isabella Aldrete
Bill Spotlight: Simplifying credit card payments
When a customer in Nevada swipes a credit card, the transaction is touched by six different entities — a process that critics say opens the door for more fees, delays and risk.
But that could change through a bill sponsored by Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas).
AB500, which passed out of the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor on Wednesday, would cut down the number of middlemen in financial transactions, while also creating a new fee structure that could provide the state with more revenue.
Here’s what to know.
- The bill creates the Nevada Payments Bank, which would act differently from other banks in that it would not provide loans but would act as a payment processor, allowing companies to seek direct access to payment systems, such as ACH and FedWire.
- It would also be subject to the same oversight as existing financial institutions in Nevada, and a 0.0025 percent fee for each transaction would be made out to the state’s Commissioner of Financial Institutions, which can in turn be used as a revenue source for the state.
- Proponents of the bill — including the Retail Association of Nevada, which helped present the bill, and officials from payment groups, such as money transfer company Viamericas — said cutting out the middleman would mean lower processing costs, less risk and faster payments.
- The Nevada Banking Association opposed the bill, saying the existing payment system “is a long-standing and trusted process that works efficiently and safely for consumers, businesses and communities.”
— Eric Neugeboren
Keeping Tabs
💲A better way to deal with campaign finance violations? — An amendment to AB79, the secretary of state’s campaign finance bill, would give the office more explicit authority to reduce fines associated with campaign finance violations, such as failing to file a report on campaign fundraising activities. It would also empower an independent hearing officer to adjudicate cases related to campaign finance violations, rather than requiring that the case be heard in district court, a resource-intensive process that is currently the only way to force violators to pay their fines.
- Context: The Indy reported earlier this year that almost all fines associated with campaign finance violations are not paid in full, and that the secretary of state’s office was looking to reform the process. In the 2020 election cycle, only about $21,000 in fines were paid in full out of more than $2 million assessed.
💀 Graduate student union bill on chopping block? — Members of the Nevada Graduate Student Workers Union are worried about the future of AB191, even though it passed its first committee. The measure would require the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents to recognize and bargain with the union.
Despite the graduate students’ fears, Assm. Natha Anderson (D-Sparks) told The Nevada Independent she believes a majority of lawmakers “are aware of how important it is that hardworking Nevadans are being listened to and being considered.”
In a statement, the Board of Regents told The Indy they are working outside the union process to respond to concerns related to working conditions and grievance procedures.
🤔 An audit of Vegas PBS? — Assm. Duy Nguyen (D-Las Vegas) proposed AB327, a measure requiring an audit of the publicly funded Vegas PBS’ financial and employment management practices. Though Nguyen knows and received $400 in campaign donations from Terry Chi, a former Vegas PBS employee who filed a lawsuit against the company alleging racial discrimination and financial impropriety, he said the measure is not related to the lawsuit.
He said the intent of the legislation was to understand the news organization’s ties to the Clark County School District, which helps fund the station, and policies that place a probationary period on Vegas PBS employees because they are technically considered school district employees.
“Northern Nevada’s version is not that way,” Nguyen said. “It’s probably coincidental that it came at the same time [as the lawsuit], but no, it has nothing to do with the lawsuit.”
- Context: The bill has not yet received a hearing and does not have an exemption. Nguyen said audits cost money and that’s why the bill is likely not moving past Friday’s deadline.
— Tabitha Mueller, Lizzie Ramirez, Eric Neugeboren
Looking Ahead
- Thursday, April 10: Sen. Roberta Lange’s (D-Las Vegas) film tax credit bill SB220 is getting a hearing at 1 p.m. in the Senate Committee on Revenue.
- Friday, April 11: First committee passage deadline and the deadline for Assm. Duy Nguyen’s (D-Las Vegas) art contest (be sure to head up to his office on the third floor and cast your vote!).
Days until:
- First committee passage deadline: 1
- First house passage deadline: 12
- Sine die: 53
And to ease you into the weekend, a few social media posts that caught our eye:
- X: Spicy.
- X: There’s a new science show on the block.
- BSky: Is Little League the Legislature?
We’ll see you Saturday.