Formerly incarcerated people are backing a bill to rein in landlords running background checks on prospective tenants, telling lawmakers that rejection of their rental applications were major roadblocks to their reintegration into society.

A new report indicates that rental costs are outstripping most workers’ income, and about a quarter of Reno and Las Vegas’ workforces cannot afford the mortgage payment on a median-priced home in those areas.

Ahead of a September deadline for federal rental assistance disbursement, Nevada is among the top-ranked states for getting aid out the door.

Spurred by supply chain constraints, historically low interest rates, housing inventory shortages and migration changes influenced by the pandemic, Nevada's housing prices skyrocketed to record highs in 2021.

As the federal government threatens to sweep unused rental assistance funding from states that have not gotten enough dollars out the door, Nevada officials think they are safe from redistribution.

An increasing number of cash purchasers are driving up the pressure and squeezing out would-be purchasers reliant on loans and mortgages.  

Supporting housing acquisition for formerly incarcerated people is essential for preventing recidivism and establishing re-entry into the community, Neal said during the bill’s first hearing in late March. She added that the housing protections will also combat the disproportionate effect of mass incarceration on communities and families of color.

Legislators in both houses introduced a combined 91 bills during an initial round of floor sessions Monday — nominally the deadline for committee introduction of bills, but a deadline largely postponed or ignored amid a move last week to suspend a rule on bill introductions.

Advocates, real estate agents and developers have turned their eyes to Carson City, with representatives for each group saying that lawmakers’ decisions this session will have long-term implications for the future of Nevada’s housing market.