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In spite of the benefits to absorbent young minds, Nevada lawmakers largely maintained the status quo rather than broadening a state-run pre-K program that is currently serving only 11 percent of eligible, low-income 4-year-olds.

Ford’s office is planning a “multi-pronged” public information campaign to educate Nevadans regarding the changes in AB431, a bill by Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson that automatically restores the right to vote to any Nevadan previously incarcerated without requiring any court approval. The bill, which takes effect on July 1, passed the Legislature on a mostly party-line vote and was signed into law by Sisolak on May 29.

Between casting votes and attending committee meetings, GOP state Sen. Scott Hammond offered his perspective as a member of the Republican minority — and the reason for his staunch opposition to extending the payroll tax rate. As the sponsor of the bill in 2015 that created the Education Savings Account, he also discussed his support of the Opportunity Scholarship program — another school choice initiative — and other topics.

For the first time in a decade, Nevada’s minimum wage will increase; state workers will soon have the right to collectively bargain; oversight boards of legal marijuana and health care have been established; funds for teacher raises were secured, and the state is closer than ever to updating its long-criticized 52-year-old funding formula for K-12 education.

The fact that the Nevada System of Higher Education had a shortfall in the money needed to enact raises promised to state employees by Gov. Steve Sisolak came to light on the final night of the legislative session, but it was never addressed.

A lack of understanding within both parties on issues surrounding immigration and concerns that they could affect lawmakers’ political futures played a decisive role in the fate of some bills during the Legislature, a key proponent of the measures argued in an exclusive interview.

The bill, SB528, allocates nearly $55 million to a variety of projects including the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s College of Engineering building, office space for state employees displaced by the Grant Sawyer Office Building remodel and the School Safety Account.

By and large, the changes that the Legislature pursued this year to improve health care in the state weren’t big or flashy. Instead, lawmakers passed a number of incremental changes that experts say will slowly begin to move the needle on health care.

Gov. Steve Sisolak said Friday he was not given advance notice of the Clark County School District’s decision to cut nearly 200 middle and high school dean positions in an effort to cover a $17 million budget shortfall — a statement that was immediately walked back by his office.

In a memo dated June 12, state officials offered clarity on the future of the program, which offers businesses tax credits for donating to scholarships that help K-12 students attend private schools. An amended SB551 added $9.5 million to the program over the next two years and prevents what advocates feared most: hundreds of current recipients kicked off the rolls.

An education town hall Wednesday night drew emotional commentary about the Clark County School District’s decision to eliminate 170 dean positions, triggering an apology from Superintendent Jesus Jara. The event brought together state lawmakers, education advocates, union leaders and the superintendent for a post-legislative session discussion about education.

Fulfilling some of his major campaign promises, Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed into law a half-dozen bills implementing progressive priorities including a minimum wage hike, mandatory paid sick leave and collective bargaining for state employees.

Third-party document preparation businesses that help customers complete certain DMV transactions — and were affected by a policy change the agency made last year — will again have certainty about their business operations after a bill became law earlier this month.

The amendment, proposed by Democratic state Sen. Yvanna Cancela, allows county commissions to raise the sales tax by one quarter of one percent to fund “joint labor-management programs of workforce training in the hospitality industry,” including those run by the Culinary Union.

“I’m sure people will say it was great and that we got a lot accomplished because there were lots of bills. And there were lots of bills, but they do lots of little steps and lots of little things,” said lobbyist Kimberly Mull.

Those electoral changes are the result of AB50, a bill backed by Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske’s office that would require the eight Nevada cities that currently hold municipal elections in odd-numbered years to move their election schedules to even-numbered years starting in 2022.

With the halls of the legislative building cleared out and most lawmakers back home, The Nevada Independent’s Carson City team recaps all the action leading up to sine die in this week’s episode of the IndyMatters podcast.

The complaints were filed Thursday by the party against Democratic Sens. Pat Spearman and Melanie Schieble through the Nevada Commission on Ethics, the state body charged with overseeing and enforcing state ethics law.