Assembly Joint Resolution 10*
Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to prospectively increase the required minimum wage paid to employees.
Legislative Summary: The resolution would allow the Legislature to establish by law a minimum wage that an employer must pay to each employee. The resolution would eliminate the $1 healthcare credit that currently exists per the State’s constitution.
The Chamber opposes this resolution because of a variety of concerns including the increased costs to employers and the potential negative impact on job creation, as well as job losses.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor
Position: Oppose
*Carryover from the 2019 session.
Senate Joint Resolution 7
Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to remove the constitutional provisions governing the election and duties of the Board of Regents of the State University and to authorize the Legislature to provide by statute for the governance of the State University and for the auditing of public institutions of higher education in this State.
Legislative Summary: SJR 7 provides greater clarity between the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents and the State Legislature by amending the Nevada State Constitution.
The Chamber believes that the passage of SJR 7 is an important component to reforming the state’s higher education governance structure and its alignment to meeting the needs of today’s students and employers.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 20
Revises provisions relating to transferable tax credits for film and other productions.
Legislative Summary: AB 20 provides technical clarification language relating to the transferable tax credits made available to video production companies by the State of Nevada. This language clarifies precisely what types of companies and video productions are eligible to receive tax credits.
The Chamber has historically supported the offering of transferable tax credits by the State as an economic development and diversification tool and supports AB 20’s clarifying language.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Revenue
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 38
Revises provisions relating to career and technical education and work-based learning.
Legislative Summary: AB 38 provides small changes relating to Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs as part of K-12 education. AB 38 requires an advisory technical skills committee for a CTE program to include a broad representation of businesses and industries in the region. This bill also provides students the ability to earn one or more credits towards the total number of credits required for graduation by completing a requisite number of hours in a work-based learning program.
The Chamber supports CTE programs, which provide students another pathway to achieve academic success and be career-ready or college-ready. CTE’s contribute a significant share to the overall education system and play a vital role in our State's economic and social development.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Education
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 45
Revises provisions relating to insurance.
Legislative Summary: AB 45 relates to the Division of Insurance and the expansion of the powers of the Commissioner of Insurance as it relates to licensees. The bill as originally introduced would have allowed the Commissioner to terminate a license without a hearing. The licensee would be allowed to request a reconsideration on the termination from the Commissioner of Insurance. However, as amended those provisions of the bill have been removed.
The Chamber was originally opposed to the bill because of the lack of due process for a business as it relates to a licensee being terminated at the discretion of the Commissioner of Insurance before a hearing is conducted. However, since those components have now been deleted from the bill, the Chamber is no longer opposed to the bill.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor
Position: Concerns Mitigated, Neutral
Assembly Bill 54
Creates the Advisory Committee on Traffic Safety within the Department of Transportation.
Legislative Summary: AB 54 authorizes the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a committee on traffic safety, the purpose of which is to coordinate with regional transportation entities to gather information and suggest policy to enhance public safety. With the enabling language in AB 54, the DOT would be able to assemble commissions, working groups and task forces as necessary to review, study and make recommendations on reducing deaths and injuries relating to traffic accidents.
The Chamber supports AB 54 as a measure to reduce traffic fatalities in Clark County and Southern Nevada specifically, and Nevada generally.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Growth and Infrastructure
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 66
Revises provisions relating to the abatement of certain taxes.
Legislative Summary: AB 66 is a technical cleanup bill addressing tax abatements and related timelines. This bill provides clarifying language that stipulates actions leading to tax abatements must take place within one year of the acceptance of the application for said tax abatement.
The Vegas Chamber supports this bill as it offers clarity to the sometimes complicated process of tax abatement application.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Revenue
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 68
Revises various provisions relating to education.
Legislative Summary: AB 68 provides clarifying language relating to the State Public Charter School Authority. As per Section 1, State Public Charter School Authority will increase the timeline to consider an application from 60 days to 120 days after receiving the application. Section 4, subsection 6, would allow Charter schools to remain financially viable by allowing the charter schools to eliminate the grade levels or campuses that received the lowest ratings possible. The ratings indicate an underperformance of the charter school and will result in termination of charter contract, restarting the charter school under a new charter contract, eliminating a specific grade level, or eliminating a particular campus.
The Chamber believes this bill continually supports student achievements and the well-being of the Nevada education system.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Education
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 69
Revises provisions governing economic development.
Legislative Summary: AB 69 revises the composition of the Board of Economic Development by adding the Director of the Department of Business and Industry as a non-voting member to the Board. Section 2 of the bill clarifies that quorum for a meeting is based solely on the voting members of the Board. Section 3 renames the Division of Motion Pictures to the Nevada Film Office. Section 4 pertains to the appointment of the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of the Economic Development (GOED) by clarifying that a maximum of three names may be submitted for consideration.
The Chamber supports this bill because of its intent to improve the governance structure and provides clarity to several processes within GOED.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Revenue
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 153
Revises provisions governing performance contracts.
Legislative Summary: AB 153 addresses the use of performance contracts and provides cleanup and clarification language to further enable local governments to take advantage of these opportunities. The use of performance contracts allows local governments such as cities and counties to retrofit or replace existing systems and equipment to save on operating costs for energy, water, waste disposal and similar public services. AB 153 clarifies that these government entities may specifically use savings generated by the new efficiencies to make payments or finance charges required under the performance contract.
The Chamber supports the use of performance contracts as a means to increase government efficiency and save taxpayer dollars in the long term.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assemblywoman Bilbray Axelrod
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 177
Revises provisions relating to prescriptions.
Legislative Summary: AB 177 would require pharmacies to provide if requested by the customer a secondary instruction label in another language to be fixated onto the prescription bottle. This bill would also require pharmacies to post a notice of this service and the list of languages available to customers.
The Chamber had several concerns about AB 177. This includes the costs that would be associated with the requirement to print two labels on each prescription bottle and logistical challenges of implementing such a requirement at the pharmacy level. In the amended revision to the bill, liability protections would be provided to pharmacies that use a third party translation system and the implementation date has been extended for one additional year. While the Chamber still has concerns about the costs, it has removed its opposition to the bill.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson
Position: Concerns mitigated
Assembly Bill 215
Revises provisions governing the eligibility requirements for participation in courses for an adult to earn a high school diploma.
Legislative Summary: AB 215 adopts regulations that would offer courses that meet requirements for an adult to earn their high school diploma. More specifically, must be at least 18 years of age who meet the requirements or who have participated in an education program for incarcerated persons or at least 17 years of age and have attended four high school years. This bill will ease the barriers for adults who want to complete their high school education and increase Nevada’s educated workforce.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assemblywoman Venicia Considine
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 356
Makes various changes relating to the conservation of water.
Legislative Summary: AB 356 codifies a proposal by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to incentivize the removal of non-functional turf as a water conservation measure. The proposal would require the removal of unused turf, informally defined by SNWA representatives as “grass that never gets stepped on except when it’s mowed” most recognizably, turf existing in traffic medians.
While the Chamber was originally neutral on the bill as written, we support the SNWA’s non-functional turf removal proposal as a water conservation measure that will have concrete benefits without causing cost increases on end users. As previous provisions dealing with water rights transfers have been amended to a study, the Chamber is now in support of the bill.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Ways and Means
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 398
Revises provisions relating to sales of residential property.
Legislative Summary: AB 398 addresses the responsibilities of real estate agents in the process of disclosing defects on a property to the buyer, and liability relating to such disclosures. In current law, sellers of property must compile and present a list to the buyer of a property listing defects of which the seller is aware. AB 398 specifies that the agent may not prepare and present this list on the seller’s behalf, while additionally clarifying the liability of an agent for defects that the seller fails to disclose.
AB 398 is a formal codification of current real estate industry best practices and helps to clarify the responsibilities and liabilities born by each party in the process of the buying and selling of properties.
The Chamber is in support of AB 398 because it provides a statutory definition of best practices.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor
Position: Support
Assembly Bill 399
Revises provisions governing the production and sale of eggs and egg products.
Legislative Summary: AB 399 would mandate that all eggs sold commercially in the State of Nevada must be certified cage-free eggs. The bill also sets penalties for establishments not in compliance.
While seven states in the Mountain West have adopted similar legislation, including states from which Nevada imports the bulk of its eggs, these states all have a phase-in process that does not require full compliance until the year 2024. In most cases, states with legislation, or legislative resolutions signaling support for such restrictions, have made provisions allowing for a portion of retail shelf space to be reserved for eggs that are not certified cage-free to provide a budget friendly option for low income individuals. While a phase-in was not originally included in the bill, amendments have been accepted that would mirror neighboring states and allow a longer time frame for adoption.
The Chamber is neutral on AB 399, with the adoption of the amendment allowing an extended timeline until 2024 for implementation.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Natural Resources
Position: Neutral
Assembly Bill 413
Requires the Department of Transportation to establish an Advisory Working Group to Study Certain Issues Related to Transportation during the 2021-2022 interim.
Legislative Summary: AB 413 will continue a study from the last interim to improve public transit by improving efficiencies, while also reducing emissions from the public transportation fleet. With an amendment brought forward by the Chamber, a member of the Nevada Resorts Association and local chambers of commerce will also sit on the advisory working group. The results of this study will be delivered to the director of the LCB prior to the 82nd Legislative Session.
The Vegas Chamber is in support of AB 413 because of its long term support of transportation investment in Southern Nevada.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Assembly Committee on Growth and Infrastructure
Position: Support
Senate Bill 66
Creates a Commission increasing student connectivity.
Legislative Summary: SB 66 will ensure students have access to computers and connectivity, reducing the digital divide in Nevada. SB 66 was rewritten in an amendment by the bill’s sponsor. Rather than creating the commission outlined in section 2, responsibilities of ensuring students have access to computers and internet connectivity would fall on the Nevada Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT). Another change from the original language changes the focus from K-16 to K-12.
The Chamber is in favor of the original K-16 language, as it would bring Nevada’s education system forward comprehensively.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Senate Committee on Education
Position: Support
Senate Bill 128
Directs the State Treasurer to conduct a study concerning publicly funded scholarship and grant programs in this Nevada.
Legislative Summary: SB 128 would require the State Treasurer to contract one or more independent consultants to conduct a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of publicly funded scholarship and grant programs and their recipients. Reviewing the scholarship and grant programs' efficacy is an important benchmark for every program to succeed continually.
The Chamber has been supportive of and will continue to support scholarship and grant programs in Nevada. This bill would optimize financial assistance programs for students within higher education.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Senator Moises Denis
Position: Support
Senate Bill 209
Revises provisions relating to employment.
Legislative Summary: SB 209 pertains to the use of paid leave for private sector employees for COVID-19 vaccinations and conduct a study on the Nevada COVID-19 response and make recommendations for future public health crises. The bill would require private employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to four additional hours of paid leave for employees to use specifically to get their COVID-19 vaccine on a temporary basis.
The Chamber is neutral on the bill as public health officials and employers are promoting vaccine efforts with employees as more groups become eligible through the state’s vaccination plan. Employers are currently working to offer onsite vaccine clinics and greater flexibility with scheduling for their employees so they can receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Senator Fabian Donate
Position: Neutral
Senate Bill 229
Revises provisions relating to the practice of pharmacy.
Legislative Summary: SB 229 would allow for the use of collaborative practice agreements (CPAs) as it relates to a pharmacist. The bill would define the patient care functions that pharmacists can autonomously provide under specified conditions outlined in a CPA. The bill would also remove restrictions of a patient being referred by a practitioner and remove restrictions when patients need to receive care in a medical facility.
The Chamber is in support of the bill as it will help improve access to care, expansion of services, increase efficiencies, and coordination of care as it relates to patients.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Senator Julia Ratti
Position: Support
Senate Bill 260
Revises provisions relating to businesses engaged in the development of emerging technologies.
Legislative Summary: SB 260 relates to Nevada’s data privacy laws and website operators. The bill as introduced provides for a definition of a “data broker” and changes the time that a business had to correct an issue from 30 days to 10 days.
The Chamber had concerns with the bill as introduced because of the broadness of what constituted a “data broker” and reducing the amount of time that a business had to address an issue. However, the Chamber’s concerns were removed based on an amendment that would narrow the definition of a “data broker” and restore the time period to 30 days.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Senator Nicole Cannizzaro
Position: Concerns Mitigated, Support
Senate Bill 293
Revises provisions relating to the wages and working conditions of certain employees.
Legislative Summary: SB 293 would codify a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court Rizo vs. Yovino as it relates to wage history and pay inequity based on gender. The bill would prohibit employers from asking about wage history from prospective employees as part of the application process.
The Chamber supports the principle that there should be equal pay between employees for equal work regardless of gender. The Chamber had no concerns with the bill as revised as it does not place additional burdens on employees or egregious legal action against employers.
Primary Bill Sponsor: Senator Nicole Cannizzaro
Position: Neutral
