As the sun broke through the gloomy overcast sky above Nevada’s Capitol building on Monday, legislators and lobbyists trudged through slush to kick off the 80th session of the Nevada Legislature before the governor shut down work for the day.
2019 Legislature
Monday marked a historic day in Nevada as the first female-majority Legislature in the history of the U.S. was sworn into office to kick of the 80th meeting of the Legislature.
Republicans enter the 2019 Nevada legislative session at a distinct advantage against Democrats, focused as much on steps needed to rebuild their numbers and make the case for a return to strength while not raising a white flag of surrender for the session entirely.
With a near-supermajority in Legislature and control of the governor’s office, Democrats hold nearly all the cards as the 2019 Legislative session begins Monday.
With nearly $1 billion more at their disposal over the next two years, Nevada lawmakers are likely to devote much of the next four months looking at how to allocate that windfall to the two largest categories of state government spending: education and health care.
Nevada should be spending $9,238 per student, according to a 2018 study commissioned by the Legislature. That’s more than the $6,052 per-pupil amount for 2020 proposed in Gov. Steve Sisolak’s budget and the current average of $5,897 per pupil.
Assemblyman Michael Sprinkle, D-Sparks, plans to introduce a bill this legislative session that would create a Medicaid buy-in option for all Nevadans, after a similar proposal passed in the state Assembly and Senate but fell at the hands of former Gov. Brian Sandoval in 2017.
Gov. Steve Sisolak named an advisory panel Friday that will write rules and procedures for a new compliance board to regulate Nevada’s exploding cannabis industry.
Nevada’s behavioral health policy leaders are looking to improve crisis intervention and gather data in the 2019 legislative session.
Lawmakers are set to get their first real crack at tweaking Nevada’s new marijuana laws when the legislative session kicks off next month.
The controversial school voucher-like program that created chaos at the end of the 2017 legislative session likely won’t see the light of day this year, with Democrats in control of both legislative chambers and Gov. Steve Sisolak opposed.
The Clark County Commission on Tuesday appointed two women to fill vacant seats in the state Assembly, making Nevada the first state in the country with a female-majority Legislature.
The Clark County Commission is expected on Tuesday to appoint two candidates to fill vacant Assembly seats in districts 10 and 11, emptied after incumbents left to pursue different offices.
With three post-election vacancies filled last week, Nevada’s Legislature remains two short of a full complement for the coming legislative session.
Fourteen legislators ran uncontested in the Nov. 6 election, in addition to the five appointments. That means voters didn’t have a choice to pick 19 lawmakers in the general election.