Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. The 80th session of the Nevada Legislature will convene on Feb. 4, just about a month from now.
Journalists around the state are gearing up to cover the session and watching with interest as legislators busily submit bill draft requests for the measures they’d like to see passed this session. As of press time, 968 bill draft requests had been filed and were available for review on the Nevada Legislature’s website—and the total number of bills submitted was nearing 200.
Many folks are aware that Nevada recently made history during this election cycle and its aftermath by becoming the first in the nation with a majority female legislature. Fewer know what kinds of bills Nevada legislators—male and female—hope to tackle in the upcoming session. Here are just a few to keep an eye on.
Senate Bill 14 would reclassify appointed executive-level board members as “civil officers,” expanding the governor’s ability to remove them for their posts for misconduct.
Senate Bill 7 would add the distinction of “knowingly” to current law concerning sex trafficking, making the “knowingly sex trafficking a child” a category A felony, punishable by life in prison and up to $20,000 in fines.
Assembly Bill 3 would allow the Department of Taxation to increase the number of marijuana licenses available in a city at the request of that city’s government, basically making it possible for the current limits on the total number of dispensaries in the state to be sidestepped.
Other hot topics this session will include health care, education and prostitution. It’s going to be exciting. Stay tuned for legislative coverage from us—and don’t be afraid to engage on your own. If there’s a bill you care about, go to the legislature and testify on it! Maybe I’ll see you there.