UPDATE (2:34 p.m.)
Several bills that were pending as of this morning have received committee approval. But one major proposal — a state lottery —appears to be dead.
A resolution to amend the state constitution to remove a statehood-era prohibition on lotteries passed in 2023, but needed approval this year in order to go before voters in 2026. But the Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections Committee adjourned without taking the matter up Friday morning.
The measure was sought by the Culinary Union Local 226 as a way to raise money for mental health programs in the state. It marks the farthest the idea has ever come, but despite more than two dozen attempts over decades, opposition to the idea from the state's casino industry has not been overcome.
Other bills receiving approval on Friday include:
- Assembly Bill 79, which would require greater disclosure from political action committees, but would also allow candidates to spend campaign donations for "ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in connection with the recipient's duties as a candidate for or holder of office." (The original version authorized spending money for elderly or child care, for example, in order to make it easier for parents or people caring for elderly family members to run for office.)
- Assembly Bill 111, which would make driving on the wrong side of a divided highway a misdemeanor, a step back from the decriminalization of traffic offenses that the Legislature has seen in recent years.
- Assembly Bill 162, which would create a statewide database of the perpetrators of domestic violence.
- Assembly Bill 245, which would prohibit anyone younger than 21 from possessing a semi-automatic rifle. (The age to own a handgun in Nevada is 21, but currently people 18 years old and older can own rifles.) A similar bill was vetoed by Gov. Joe Lombardo in 2023, but amendments made to this measure for hunting, target shooting and similar activities brought some previous opponents on board.
- Assembly Bill 451, which would allow people to voluntarily surrender their firearms to a gun dealer or a police department if they are concerned about their mental health. The surrender would last for a minimum of 21 days.
- Assembly Bill 503, which aims to crack down on the theft of copper wire.
The fate of hundreds of bills pending before the 2025 Legislature will be decided on Friday, as lawmakers face the first big deadline of the session.
By midnight, bills must pass out of the committee to which they were originally referred, or they will be considered dead for the rest of the session.
Our Senior Political Reporter Steve Sebelius is in Carson City to preview the busy day ahead for state lawmakers.
The deadline doesn't apply to spending matters or bills that have received an exemption.
Still, scores of bills are on the chopping block, everything from regulations of sidewalk vendors to the use of automated cameras to catch speeders and red-light runners to regulations governing how elections are run.
Committees have long agendas full of so-called work sessions, where bills that were previously heard are called up and quickly passed, some with amendments.
On Thursday, the last day before the deadline, about 100 bills were passed out of committee.
Some bills won't advance, irrespective of the deadline.
They include a bill sought by state Controller Andy Matthews to create a state inspector general to investigate waste and fraud in government. That bill, which has been proposed for years by both Republicans and Democrats, will not advance beyond the deadline, Matthews acknowledged Thursday.
A bill by Republican state Sen. Lori Rogich of Clark County to require daily room cleaning in hotels won't advance, after Gov. Joe Lombardo pledged he would veto it. Lombado also said he would not sign a bill to allow for medical aid in dying, which some call assisted suicide, for patients with terminal illnesses.
Other bills pending as of the deadline on Friday include:
- Assembly Bill 61, a bill to authorize a toll road demonstration project in Washoe County.
- Assembly Bill 73 would require the disclosure of the use of any artificial intelligence in political campaign ads.
- Assembly Bill 162 would create a statewide database of domestic violence convictions.
- Assembly Bill 375 would allow food delivery services to fulfill orders for alcoholic beverages.
- Assembly Bill 491 would require public officials to be registered voters and certify they live within the districts they seek to represent.
- Assembly Bill 547 seeks to hire laid-off federal government employees into state jobs, crediting their previous work experience, and eliminating the requirement of a college degree for some jobs.
- Senate Bill 51 to allow the state to reimburse local governments for waiving development fees to get more affordable homes built.
- Senate Bill 155 would allow people in the country illegally to be hired as peace officers in the state.
- Senate Bill 242 would prohibit a corporation from purchasing a house until it's been on the market for at least 30 days.
- Senate Bill 296 would prevent government agencies from requiring employees to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Committees are expected to meet throughout the day today and into the early evening to beat the midnight deadline.
After Friday, the next big deadline comes April 22, when all Assembly bills must pass to the state Senate, and vice versa.
