More than thirty bills are dead as a result of the final committee deadline of the 83rd Regular Session of the Nevada Legislature. They join the roughly 300 bills that failed to meet previous deadlines.
That includes legislation to legalize red light cameras, ban plastic water bottle sales around Lake Tahoe, allow bikes to yield at traffic stops, and end daylight saving time in Nevada.
One bill that failed to garner enough support from the Senate Health and Human Services Committee was AB346, which would have legalized medical aid in dying. Lawmakers have considered similar legislation several times in recent sessions, going so far as to send a bill to Republican Governor Joe Lombardo in 2023. He vetoed the measure.
Nevada Public Radio’s Politics Reporter Paul Boger told State of Nevada that this legislative session is different, and lawmakers had to weigh whether it was worth sending the governor a bill they knew he would veto again.
“I don't think there was the political will to move forward and send it back to the governor's desk, especially as lawmakers enter these endgame negotiations on policy and the budget,” said Boger.
Some of the policies that are likely to be hotly debated in the final weeks of the session are Governor Lombardo’s five priority bills focusing on healthcare, education, housing, criminal justice, and economic development.
But with so little time left, it seems unlikely Democrats will move forward with every provision introduced in the legislation. Especially, since some of those ideas are already in other bills, according to The Nevada Independent’s Capitol Bureau Chief Tabitha Mueller.
“I think that what is going to be key here is how much Democrats want to pull out of this bill,” she said. “Because there are already bills that have moved forward or been amended, and how much Democrats are going to leave in the original measure.”
The governor is also introducing an economic development package that would give up to $124 million in tax credits and abatements to child care facilities and businesses related to clean energy development, as well as tech and advanced manufacturing.
KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck said it’s a pricetag that could scare lawmakers who are already concerned about lower-than-expected revenue projections.
“It has a big price tag, and I think everyone asking for money right now is really nervous,” said Starbuck.
Democrats are also considering their own economic development proposals. That includes bills aimed at developing media production studios in southern Nevada, which are still alive but have not yet moved out of committee.
Guests: Lucia Starbuck, politics reporter, KUNR Public Radio; Tabitha Mueller, capitol bureau chief, The Nevada Independent
