WEEK NINE UPDATE

Halfway There! We have officially reached the halfway point of the 83rd Session! What has been a fast-paced Session will now get even faster with the First Committee Deadline coming up in a week. This point in time also means deadlines are getting shorter as we get closer to the Session’s conclusion. Other highlights this week included Governor Joe Lombardo's first big bill hearing of this Session, a housing bill, which he presented on Wednesday night to the Assembly Government Affairs Committee. We are still looking forward to the introductions of his Education and Healthcare Bills in the coming weeks, as these bills are expected to impact UNLV in...(more) 

3/31/25 – SB400 (Support), Senate Committee on Education, Leonardo Benavides, UNLV Director of State Government Affairs, testified on behalf of UNLV in support of SB 400, a bill aiming to strengthen music and arts education in Nevada, and emphasized the important relationship between the University’s music education degree program and primary education in Nevada.

3/31/25 – AB155 (Support), Assembly Committee on Government Affairs, Pio Rejas, UNLV Political Science student, testified in support of AB 155, a bill which would expand eligibility to serve as a peace officer to all individuals legally authorized to work in the United States, highlighting the many qualified Nevada residents who desire to serve and protect their communities.

4/1/25 – SB96 (Support), Assembly Committee on Government Affairs, Leonardo Benavides, UNLV Director of State Government Affairs, testified on behalf of UNLV in support of SB 96, a bill which would designate January 27 as “International Holocaust Remembrance Day” in Nevada, and recognized the Jewish faculty, staff, and students of UNLV, and the University’s support for spreading awareness and understanding of history.

4/1/25 – AB533 (Support), Assembly Committee on Education, Elisa Martinez, UNLV student of Political Science and Government, testified in support of AB 533, a bill which would amend school zoning restrictions and implement open enrollment in Nevada school districts, allowing greater access to education for lower-income families, and emphasized the improved educational outcomes gained by allowing Nevada students and families control over their enrollment.

4/1/25 – AB533 (Support), Assembly Committee on Education, Sylvia Lazos, Emerita Professor of Law with UNLV's Boyd School of Law, testified in support of AB 533, a bill which would amend school zoning restrictions and implement open enrollment in Nevada school districts, and illustrated the powerful impact on childhood educational outcomes that comes from wider choice and access in primary education.

4/1/25 – AB335 (Support), Assembly Committee on Education, Dr. Kenneth Varner, Associate Dean of the UNLV College of Education, testified on behalf of UNLV in support of AB 335, a bill which would strengthen support for English language acquisition in Nevada schools, and highlighted the importance of increased instructor training with regard to improved educational outcomes for English language learners.

4/1/25 – SB269 (Support), Senate Committee on Revenue and Economic Development, Jordyn Griffin, third-year law student at UNLV's Boyd School of Law and legislative extern with Rowe Law Group, testified on behalf of UNLV in support of SB 269, a bill which would strengthen the healthcare workforce in Nevada by incentivizing funding for graduate medical education.

4/1/25 – SB234 (Presentation), Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, Leticia Delgado, UNLV student and legislative intern with State Senator Fabian Doñate, presented SB 234, a bill which aims to expand certain Medicaid coverage in Nevada to individuals otherwise ineligible due to immigration status where critical or urgent circumstances are present, and emphasized the necessity of timely care for positive health outcomes.

4/2/25 – AB388 (Opposition), Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor, Yoana Ontiveros, second-year law student at UNLV's Boyd School of Law, testified on behalf of the Mechanical Contracts Association of Nevada in opposition to AB 388, a bill which would require expansion of employment benefits, highlighting the concerns of small businesses and their capability to comply with the requirement of the bill.

4/2/25 – AB388 (Opposition), Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor, Drianna Dimatulac, second-year law student at UNLV's Boyd School of Law, testified on behalf of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in opposition to AB 388, a bill which would require expansion of employment benefits, highlighting the concerns of small businesses and their capability to comply with the requirement of the bill.

4/3/25 - AB462 (Support), Assembly Revenue Committee, Leonardo Benavides, UNLV Director of State Government Affairs, testified in support of this bill which revises provisions relating to economic development, impacting workforce development and the teacher pipeline in the state.

4/4/25 – SB173, Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine student Joshua Khorsandi testified in support of an amendment to the bill in order to eliminate the use of plastic cutting boards in restaurants due to associated health impacts.  

THE WEEK AHEAD

April 7 - 12, 2025

4/7/25 - 8:00am, Work Session, Joint Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance Subcommittees on K-12/Higher Education/CIP – Work Session will include the Nevada System of Higher Education Funding Formula

4/8/25, 3:30pm, SB408, Senate Health and Human Services - A bill that revises provisions relating to county hospitals and county hospital districts.

4/9/25 - UNLV Day at the Legislature

4/9/25, 8:00am, SB429, Senate Commerce and Labor - A bill that revises provisions relating to social work.

4/10/25 - UNLV College of Fine Arts Day at the Legislature

4/10/25 - TRIO Upward Bound Legislative Action Day at the Legislature

4/12/25, 8:00am, Joint Meeting, Senate Committee on Finance and Assembly Committee on Ways and Means - Public Employees' Retirement System Budget Closing (yes, our first Saturday meeting!) 

SAVE THE DATE

• April 16 – Equality "Lobby" Day at the Legislature
• April 28 – Deaf Day at the Legislature
• April 28 – Clark County Black Student Union Day
• May 5 – Cinco de Mayo Day at the Legislature
• May 12 – ACLU Day at the Legislature
• May 14 – PBS Day at the Legislature
• May 19 – AANHPI Heritage Day at the Legislature
• May 20 – Nurses Day at the Legislature