Opening remarks
Hello from Carson City!
It’s been a fun and busy first twelve days of the 82nd Session. We are still in the beginning stages of the Session where a lot of issues have been discussed but what will become an actual piece of legislation is still nebulous. Though the hallmark policies that will define this Session are still taking shape, I thought I’d share some interesting statistics about the Session so far:
63 legislators, many of them are brand new.
We maintained our status as the first legislature in the nation that has a majority of women, Republican and Democrat combined.
There are 781 registered lobbyists, 457 of those being “paid.” That averages out to 12.39 lobbyists per legislator.
To date, 972 Bill Draft Requests (BDR’s) have been submitted.
Deadlines
The deadline has passed for legislators to reserve their BDRs.
The next deadline we have is those bills getting introduced as, well, bills. We have until March 20 to make that happen, or not happen.
The surviving bills must be heard, amended and passed out of committee by April 14th.
Passed out of the House of Origin by March 25th. That’s the big one.
Then the process starts all over again.
Bills will be amended; a lot of bills will die.
Important Dates
| Last Day for Bill Introductions | March 27 |
| First House Passage Deadline | April 25 |
| Second House Passage Deadline | May 26 |
| Last Day of the 82nd Session (sine die) | June 5 |
ICYMI
Oakland A’s tap Nevada legislative lobbying firms as Vegas relocation efforts intensify
Poll: Plurality of Nevada voters approve of Lombardo, majority support voter ID
State's Democratic officers outline top priorities
Legislature’s Democrats take aim at state party leader as political battle escalates
#NVLEG
The Nevada Independent has a fantastic one-stop-shop resource webpage for the Nevada Legislature. Check it out.
Learn more about our newest legislators with the Nevada Independent's Freshman Orientation series. The latest profile is on Assemblyman Rich DeLong.
Snaps and claps for Tabitha Mueller and Kristyn Leonerd for putting together this comprehensive Indy Resource Guide: Participating in the legislative session.
KUNR has a new podcast covering the Legislature called Purple Politics Nevada, created by Lucia Starbuck! There is a new episode every Friday- listen to her latest episode about teacher pay and class sizes here.
ECONOMY
Las Vegas airport reports record passenger volume in 2022
Harry Reid International Airport handled a record 52.7 million passengers in 2022, up more than 2% from the previous record set in 2019, according to a year-end report made public Feb. 6.
“We are no longer talking about an air travel recovery,” Rosemary Vassiliadis, airport chief and Clark County Director of Aviation, said in a statement. “The trajectory of Las Vegas air travel throughout 2022 was nothing short of remarkable.”
Nevada's rainy-day fund now over $900 million, highest balance in history
Nevada's rainy-day fund has now surpassed $900 million, the highest balance in its history and more than double what it was in early 2020, according to the state treasurer's office. The balance gained $516 million after a transfer from the state's general fund last week, Treasurer Zach Conine announced Thursday.
EDUCATION
Jara seeks $270 million to push Nevada to ‘optimum’ school funding
School leaders took their requests to the 2023 Nevada Legislature in Carson City this week, presenting a request for an increase of $270.8 million in per-pupil funding. The money is for fiscal year 2024, and keeps the Nevada on track for a 10-year incremental increase to “optimal” funding — a play to push funding past efforts that leaders say have been aiming too low.
ENVIRONMENT
2023 could be 'session of water bills' in the Legislature
This “is going to be the session of water bills” — or so Sen. Pete Goicoechea (R-Eureka) predicted at a conference in Reno last week. “Again, we’re talking 23 bills,” he added. “There’ll be 30 or 40 different twists in this.” Most of the bills are proposals and have not been formally introduced.
The legislation tackles developing issues across the state: Managing Humboldt River where groundwater pumping is connected to the flows of the river; How to share water in the Lower White River Flow System, a collection of groundwater basins outside of Las Vegas; Reducing use in aquifers where there are more rights to water than there is water to go around.
ENERGY
Redwood Materials wins $2 billion loan from Energy Dept.
Redwood Materials, a Nevada company that recycles batteries for electric vehicles and was founded by Tesla's former chief technology officer, has won a $2 billion green energy loan from the Biden administration. The company secured the conditional loan from the Energy Department's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, announced Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm this Thursday to dozens of employees at Redwood's facility in Nevada with Gov. Joe Lombardo.
HEALTH CARE
Lawmakers mull loan forgiveness for mental health professionals
Under a bill heard in the Assembly Education Committee on Thursday, an already-existing loan forgiveness program would be expanded to include mental health professionals who commit to practicing in the state for two years in a hospital, outpatient facility, as a faculty member training behavioral health practitioners, or as a provider in a K-12 public school. “We need an infusion of behavioral health professionals now,” said Julia Ratti, the board chair of the Washoe County Regional Behavior Health Policy Board and former state senator.
Nevada Attorney General Joins Multistate Coalition in Support of Medication Abortion at CVS, Walgreens Stores
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced yesterday that the AG's office has joined a multistate coalition of 23 attorneys general in support of abortion pills at CVS and Walgreens stores. The other states include California, Oregon, Maine, North Carolina and Vermont. “In the current climate, when there is a concentrated effort to roll back the rights we have been accustomed to for generations, we welcome this decision from CVS and Walgreens,” Ford said.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Senator Cortez Masto says Nevada will receive over $3.5 million to help road safety
U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that Southern Nevada will receive $3,539,000 through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program to support projects that will improve road safety and prevent roadway deaths across the Las Vegas valley. Senator Cortez Masto funded this program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
2023 Legislative Session Resources
Click here to view a list of Bills of the 2023 Legislative Session.
Click here to view the list of upcoming committee meetings.
Click here to view the 120-Day Legislative Calendar.