WEEK FOURTEEN UPDATE

The end of week fourteen of Nevada’s 83^rd Session brought us less than four weeks away from the close of Session. With deadlines quickly approaching, including the Second House Committee deadline next Friday, the pace of hearings and votes is picking up. UNLV is closely monitoring bills of interest, including those containing fiscal notes, and continues to advocate for the university.

On Monday, UNLV testified in support of AB28 during the Senate Government Affairs Committee meeting. This bill would increase investments in the RTC, which UNLV is in support

of. At Friday’s Assembly Ways and Means Committee hearing, UNLV testified in support of AB238 which would enact the Nevada Studio Jobs and Workforce Training Act and provide many opportunities for UNLV students. Later in the day, Dr. Sara Hunt, Executive Director of BeHERE Nevada, helped present AB269, which expands the definition of a "provider of healthcare" to include behavioral health professions, such as marriage and family language therapists and behavior analysts, so they are eligible for student loan repayment assistance through the Nevada HEAL program.

5/5/25– AB121 (Support), Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, Ariana McConnell, third-year student in UNLV’s Boyd School of Law and student-attorney with the Tenant’s Rights legal residency in partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, testified in support of AB121, a bill aiming to strengthen tenant protections in Nevada, and highlighted the nature of the predatory and opaque trade practices that the bill is designed to address.

5/5/25– AB121 (Support), Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, Kacee Atherton, third-year student in UNLV’s Boyd School of Law and advanced clinic student with the Tenant’s Rights legal residency in partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, testified in support of AB121, a bill aiming to strengthen tenant protections in Nevada, and emphasized the importance of bringing fairness and accountability to bad-faith corporate landlord trade practices.

5/5/25– AB121 (Support), Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, Alice Samberg, third-year student in UNLV’s Boyd School of Law and advanced clinic student with the Tenant’s Rights legal residency in partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, testified in support of AB121, a bill aiming to strengthen tenant protections in Nevada, and underscored the criticality of supporting and protecting Nevada tenants, particularly regarding payment options and transparent fees.

5/5/25– AB223 (Presentation), Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, Kacee Atherton, third-year student in the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law and advanced clinic student with the Tenant’s Rights legal residency in partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, presented AB223, a bill which would expand renter protections related to habitability, payment method, remediation options, and termination of rental agreements, and emphasized the social costs of failure to provide Nevada tenants with access to justice and the court system.

5/5/25– AB223 (Presentation), Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, Alice Samberg, third-year student in the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law and advanced clinic student with the Tenant’s Rights legal residency in partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, presented AB223, a bill which would expand renter protections related to habitability, payment method, remediation options, and termination of rental agreements, and highlighted the social and economic benefits of strengthening protections to Nevada renters.

5/5/25– AB223 (Support), Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, Constantine Arhontas, third-year student in the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law, testified in support of AB223, a bill which would expand renter protections related to habitability, payment method, remediation options, and termination of rental agreements, and underscored the legal challenges and access difficulties faced by many Nevadan tenants.

5/5/25– AB205 (Support), Senate Committee on Education, Eileen Enriquez, student at the UNLV Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, testified in support of AB205, a bill aiming to expand access to sexual health education and outreach, and emphasized the importance of addressing preventable negative health outcomes affecting Nevada students and youth.

5/5/25– AB28 (Support), Leonardo Benavides, UNLV Director of State Government Affairs, testified on behalf of UNLV in support of AB28, a bill aiming to increase investment in Nevada public transportation, and emphasized the many students, staff, and faculty that use and depend on public transportation every day and the improved social cohesion and access to education that improved public transit can provide.

5/7/25 – Vice President of Government and Community Engagement Constance Brooks shared a moment with Regent Pete Goicoechea to celebrate his induction into the Nevada Senate Hall of Fame.

5/7/25 – UNLV College of Education Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Initiatives Kenny Varner, and Vice President of Government and Community Engagement Constance Brooks celebrated Senator Joyce Woodhouse’s induction into the Nevada Senate Hall of Fame, and presented Senator Woodhouse, a UNLV alumna, with a proclamation for her support of UNLV. 

5/9/25 – AB238 (Support), Assembly Committee on Ways and Means, NSHE Interim Chancellor Patty Charleton tesitified in support of the Nevada Studio Infrastructure Jobs and Workforce Training Act which would benefit several NSHE institutions by providing opportunities to advance student learning and outcomes. 

5/9/25 – AB238 (Support), Assembly Committee on Ways and Means, Dr. Constance Brooks, Vice President of Government and Community Engagement at UNLV, testified in support of AB238, a bill that enacts the Nevada Studio Infrastructure Jobs and Workforce Training in Nevada, and highlighted the many benefits the bill would afford UNLV students and programs. 

5/9/25 - AB269 (Support), Senate Government Affairs Committee, Dr. Sara Hunt, Executive Director of BeHERE Nevada, testified in support of AB269 which expands the definition of a "provider of healthcare" to include behavioral health professions, such as marriage and family language therapists and behavior analysts, so they are eligible for student loan repayment assistance through the Nevada HEAL program.

5/9/25 - AB269 (Support), Senate Government Affairs Committee, Leonardo Benavides, Director of State Government Affairs at UNLV, testified in support of the bill which would revise provisions of an existing student loan repayment program for medical providers so additional classifications of these professionals would be included in the program. The bill would support Nevada’s efforts to retain behavioral health professionals in order to address the State’s shortage of these practitioners. 

THE WEEK AHEAD

May 12 - 16, 2025

5/12/25 - ACLU Day at the Legislature

5/12/25 - 1:00pm, AB464, Senate Committee on Education - A bill that prevents adverse action against public employees for certain activities.

5/14/25 – PBS Day at the Legislature

5/12/25 - 3:30pm, AB325, Senate Committee on Government Affairs- A bill that defines "artificial intelligence" within the context of emergency management and ensures that government agencies don't use AI for final decisions on emergency management. 

5/14/25 - 1:00pm, SB460, Senate Committee on Education - The EDUCATE bill that is comprehensive and includes support for apprenticeships.

5/16/25 - Second Committee Passage

SAVE THE DATE

• May 19 – AANHPI Heritage Day at the Legislature
• May 20 – Nurses Day at the Legislature
• May 23 – Second House Passage