With just two weeks left in the legislative session, Nevada lawmakers are working to move hundreds of bills through the process.
According to the Nevada Independent, several bills are being addressed Monday.
Assembly Bill 303 would limit the Department of Corrections ability to contract with private prisons.
Originally, the bill would have banned the state from using or outsourcing to private prisons and jails.
Now, under an amended version of the bill, state prison authorities can keep private prison contracts until 2022. Within in that time frame, prison officials must address overcrowding and create minimum criteria for inmate housing.
Senate Bill 315 goes before a budget panel Monday. The measure would increase Washoe and Clark Counties’ required recycling levels and eliminate conditions that support monopolies in waste management.
Under provisions of the bill, the state environmental commission would also be tasked with appraising and recommending changes to waste management contracts, including the elimination of exclusive agreements.
And a bill to increase the state’s minimum wage is still alive.
Senate Bill 106 would raise the minimum wage by 75 cents per year over five years until it hits $11 per hour if an employer offers health care or $12 per hour if health care is not offered.
This is not the only wage-related measure being considered this session – one would change the state Constitution to raise wages, while another would set minimum standards for employer-provided health insurance for the lower minimum wage level.