5 topics that could dominate 2025 Legislature in Nevada

The 2025 Legislative session is fast approaching, where public officials will meet in Carson City to draft laws and discuss the biggest issues facing Nevadans.

Everything’s on the table this year, from film tax credits to traffic cameras to animal cruelty penalties.

What gets accomplished in the 120-day biennial session, all depends on how well the political parties work together. Democrats maintained majorities in both chambers of Nevada’s Legislature after the November election, though they failed to achieve supermajorities that would render Gov. Joe Lombardo’s veto power moot.

In order to pass bills, Democrats must work with legislative Republicans to put forward bills the governor won’t veto — a power Lombardo exercised greatly in the 2023 session, vetoing a record 75 bills in a single session.

Leaders in both parties both hope to have a productive session.

“What we hope to avoid, is a stagnant legislature,” said Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus, R-Wellington, in an email. “I hope that we can work together to pass some much-needed legislation to support health care, education reform, public safety and election reform.”

“I’m hopeful that we can have a productive session and get some things done for Nevadans who sent us there to do these things,” said Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas. “And so we’ll work hard to try to do that, and obviously, hope we have a willing dance partner on the other side.”

Here’s what you can expect to be some of the biggest topics of discussion in Nevada’s capital — and specific bills that could make their way through the legislative process.

1. Education

Both parties have goals to address the state’s education system, which has historically ranked among the lowest in the country, and Nevadans could expect to see some bipartisan work — and differences in opinions — to improve the system.

Yeager said one priority is to continue to work on funding, accountability and transparency with public schools.

Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, announced about a month ago her plans to introduce a sweeping education bill that includes proposals to retain previous teacher raises, create universal pre-K programs and expand accountability measures for public and private schools.

Cannizzaro did not return interview requests, but previously said in a statement about the bill that the goal is to help hire and retain teachers, as well as improve educational outcomes for students.

Hiring more teachers is also a goal for Republicans. Assembly Minority Leader Gregory Hafen II, R-Pahrump, said he wants to grow teacher pipeline programs.

He also resubmitted a bill to fund Opportunity Scholarships, need-based scholarships for students to use for private schools.

“I’m not asking for more,” Hafen said. “I’m just wanting to restore the scholarship money that was previously there to the levels that they were at.”

The scholarships are a key priority for legislative Republicans, as well as Lombardo, who in 2023 unsuccessfully proposed using unallocated federal COVID-19 funds to cover the scholarships. The governor’s office was able to partner with the AAA Scholarship Foundation to provide money for scholarships for one year.

Nevadans can also expect Lombardo to make education a Legislative priority. He fought to protect his veto power and hand-picked Republican candidates to run to prevent a Democratic supermajority in both chambers.

The governor, who declined interview requests for the story, focused on opportunity scholarships in the last Legislative session and campaigned on being the state’s next “education governor.”

He will hold his State of the State Address on Wednesday, where he is expected to detail his legislative priorities.

Like last session, Republicans might have a hard time pushing for Opportunity Scholarships.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any appetite on our side,” Yeager said, adding Democrats are open to discussing if there is a way to amplify existing public school choice programs. “I think we’re pretty much where we were last cycle on that.”

2. Health care

Hafen said the Assembly plans to focus on expanding health care, and he is having conversations with Democratic Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola about various interstate compacts to expand the number of providers available to Nevadans.

“We’re really trying to work out the details, because we know we need more healthcare providers throughout the state — and especially in the mental health aspect,” he said.

Democrats intend to bring back Assembly Bill 250 that Lombardo vetoed in a previous session. It aimed to cut the costs of prescription drugs and put a cap on some life-saving prescription drugs, according to Yeager.

From the access side of health care, Yeager said one priority is to remove barriers for doctors to practice in Nevada. The Assembly will also look at Medicaid reimbursement rates, he said.

3. Housing

Democrats plan to reintroduce a slate of housing-related bills Lombardo had rejected, including limiting rent increases for the elderly, summary eviction reform and rental fee disclosures, according to Yeager.

“We’ll of course take into account the governor’s veto message and where we’re able to address some of those concerns,” Yeager said. We’ll continue to have those conversations to try to convince the governor that these are good policies.”

Sen. Dina Neal, D-North Las Vegas, will introduce legislation aiming to crack down on corporate home buyers by prohibiting a person or entity from purchasing more than 100 single family homes in a calendar year.

4. Elections

Hafen and other Republicans want to focus on election-related legislation, such as changing the mail ballot deadline, though they could be met with resistance from Democrats.

“I think we want to keep our process like it is now, in terms of the ability to mail in ballots,” Yeager said.

Hafen wants to specify when mail ballots can go out. He said in Nye County, residents received mail ballots in September, which caused some confusion because sample ballots came after the mail ballots.

“I’ve been talking with the Secretary of State’s office about trying to coordinate it so the mail ballots don’t go out before the sample ballots, or they go out at the same time, so people are receiving them either together or the actual ballot is after the sample ballot, so there’s not as much confusion with what people receive,” he said.

Hafen also resubmitted his voter ID bill from the last session. Voter ID was on the ballot in November, and it passed with overwhelming support, but it must come before voters again in 2026 and pass again in order to take effect.

“I’m hopeful that we can actually establish some of the statutory regulations that need to be put in place, because I’m very confident that it will pass on the ballot again and be in the Constitution,” Hafen said.

Republicans would have to get the Democratic majority’s support on that, and there is not much demonstration of support for it so far from Democratic legislators.

Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar is proposing a couple of election-related bills, including one that aims to streamline the ballot-counting process for counties, as well as Senate Bill 74, which would make it more accessible for people with disabilities or physical barriers to vote online using the state’s EASE program.

5. Artificial intelligence

Legislators and public officials on both sides of the aisle are looking to increase regulations on the burgeoning world of artificial intelligence.

Aguilar’s office filed Assembly Bill 73, which would require campaign-related communications, such as an advertisement or a request for donation, to disclose whether it has been manipulated with artificial intelligence.

Freshman Assemblyman Joe Dalia, D-Henderson, put forward a bill draft request that addresses AI-generated pornography. He hopes to close loopholes and ensure that people who distribute porn made with AI aren’t exempt from criminal punishment.

About a year ago, fake images of singer Taylor Swift made with artificial intelligence were circulated, and Dalia worries that something similar could happen to others in which fake explicit images are generated and circulated.

“I think a lot of people have seen that ChatGPT and some of these other services can generate some pretty compelling images that look pretty realistic,” Dalia said.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.