6 bills the Nevada governor could sign — or veto
Gov. Joe Lombardo wasn’t shy about using his veto power in the last legislative session, breaking a record with the most bills vetoed in a single session. Will he break his own record in the coming weeks?
With the session ending June 2, bills have begun to land on the governor’s desk, and the Republican governor has already taken action. He’s vetoed one bill — Assembly Bill 306, which would have expanded access to ballot drop boxes across the state – and he’s signed a couple of bills that authorize local governments to extend existing taxes.
A swath of bills were passed by both houses, though many had amendments and had to be returned to their house of origin for approval before heading to the governor’s desk.
Here’s some notable bills passed by both houses that are either already or are soon to be on the governor’s desk.
1. Database for mass casualty victims
AB 50, which passed unanimously from both houses and is on the governor’s desk, aims to improve the reunification of victims of a mass casualty event and provide them with long-term support.
In the original bill hearing, Clark County Fire Chief Billy Samuels said that after the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting in Las Vegas, he had people calling from all over the world asking where their loved ones were.
“It’s horrible to say, ‘I don’t know.’” Samuels said.
A year after the shooting, the fire department, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency conducted an after-action report and decided victim information management — such as knowing who was deceased, who was injured, who was missing and which hospital they’ve been transported to — needed improvement.
Since then, county emergency departments built their own confidential database called the impacted persons database. The database helps track where patients are and coordinate the identification and reunification of victims with their families.
AB 50 would require hospitals to report into the database and inquire whether victims want to receive long-term support services.
2. No semi-automatic rifles, shotguns for under 21
AB 245 passed both chambers on party lines, but it returned to the Assembly before it heads to the governor.
The bill, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui of Las Vegas — a survivor of the Route 91 shooting, prohibits anyone younger than 21 from purchasing or possessing semiautomatic shotguns and semiautomatic centerfire rifles. It was amended to also include that a person who sells or barters a semiautomatic firearm to someone under 21 is guilty of a category B felony, which would result in 1 to 20 years in prison.
AB 245 mirrors the language of a bill Lombardo vetoed in the last session. He had said a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a similar ban in California and ruled it unconstitutional.
3. No more cleaning products tested by animals
SB 167 would prohibit the importation and sale of household cleaning products tested on animals. The bill includes exemptions for products in which non-animal testing methods are unavailable, and for products that were tested on animals before January 2023.
The bill passed the Senate 17-4, with GOP senators Carrie Buck, Ira Hansen, Jeff Stone and Robin Titus in opposition. It passed the Assembly 34-8, with Republicans Danielle Gallant, Ken Gray, Melissa Hardy, Brian Hibbetts, Heidi Kasama and PK O’Neill joining their Democratic colleagues in approval. It headed back to the Senate on Thursday before heading to the governor’s desk.
4. Sample ballots before mail ballots
AB 148, which passed both chambers unanimously, ensures sample ballots are mailed before the official mail ballots ahead of an election.
Sponsored by both Democratic Speaker Steve Yeager of Las Vegas and Republican Assemblymember Gregory Hafen II of Pahrump, AB 148 requires city and county clerks to mail the sample ballots before the official ballot by changing the mail and sample ballot deadlines.
Hafen said during the bill’s hearing that in Nye County during the 2024 election, people received their mail ballots in September, long before the sample ballots were delivered, causing confusion among people.
The bill aims to eliminate that confusion by setting a time frame for when the ballots can be mailed.
After passing unanimously in the Senate on Friday, the bill moved back to the Assembly to approve an amendment.
5. Protecting reproductive health care providers
AB 235 aims to protect the confidentiality of reproductive health care providers’ personal information. Sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Erica Roth of Reno, the bill allows providers to request a court order to seal their personal records in a confidential manner.
It also allows reproductive health care providers to request that the Department of Motor Vehicles display an alternate address on their driver’s license.
The bill first passed the Assembly 33-9, with Republican assemblymembers Danielle Gallant, Bert Gurr, Heidi Kasama, Gregory Koenig and Toby Yurek joining Democrats in favor. It passed the Senate 14-7, with Republican state Sen. Lori Rogich voting in support.
It was moved back to the Assembly on Friday.
6. Opting out of sex ed
Schools currently are required to provide a parent or guardian of a student with a consent form to allow a student to participate in a sexual education course or unit.
AB 205 would change that to a refusal form, requiring the school district instead to provide a form for the parent to refuse to allow the student to participate in the sex-ed class.
The bill passed down party lines in both chambers, though it headed back to the Assembly for a message from the Senate.
Contact Jessica Hill at [email protected]. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.
