[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6575204,"mediaKeyId","3127334-222e5cb4f53a8663633c8c776cd23e7b","parentId",3127334,"title","Committee hears bill to allow U.S. Treasury listing for contractor surety bonds; contractors board opposes change","audioSeconds",1136,"startMs",1320000,"endMs",2456000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3127334-222e5cb4f53a8663633c8c776cd23e7b&start=1320&end=2456","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3127334-222e5cb4f53a8663633c8c776cd23e7b/thumbnail_1320000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6575204/Nevada/Committee-hears-bill-to-allow-US-Treasury-listing-for-contractor-surety-bonds-contractors-board-opposes-change","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575204-6fb4cff2188aa6a128b6ad19343e15d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771140780&Signature=bb4teSF7KX49JzM3fNU8O2OpLx8PRUYlJnA3D4~hBSMSNj9f8XyEq0e4opqO99jVC7DA8iFJBB7L0OHjyUrW0AGbEXHhqdk7D5IIlMVZ1hl-9ciX1ciVElslxO0cJdC3HXp-IFX8c5tjLOia2-jdWi6tGZSGC7Bl1qrj2vIjMFqxz2r81B~agpxSpKfWNQpAvJuXBVyWmQZIDeP3eCuxkNelvcudl1Tuk8wD7CkkmqH01f8UNHtIAV8ncWlAUMKJkSAtz4x1NQCeZyHIXjwXx3meqEgRXB2GUzBPmZWho50ORglNNkiCxVZzpN5Lho1b8TfmwadRRB-aI09DsuHgNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada Legislature","date","2025-04-25T20:06:35.477Z","article","Carson City — The Nevada Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor heard testimony on Senate Bill 327 on whether Nevada should accept a U.S. Treasury listing (\"T listing\") as an alternative to the current long‑standing requirement that surety companies writing contractor bonds hold an AM Best rating of A or better.

Sen. Shelley Cruz Crawford, sponsor of SB327, told the committee she introduced the bill after conversations with small contractors and industry representatives. \"Last year, there was a surety bond company whose rating was downgraded from A to A-. And under, Nevada law, all of the contractors who had bonds with this company had to get new bonds, even though it didn't appear that there was any solvency concern about the bonds,\" said Adam Brackmeyer, vice president of government affairs for the Surety and Fidelity Association of America, who presented details for the sponsor. Brackmeyer said the bill would allow the Contractors Board to rely on Treasury listing as a secondary screen rather than monitoring multiple rating changes, and that a neighboring state (Utah) uses a Treasury listing requirement.

The bill proposes revising NRS 624.27 and NRS 624.276, which currently require bonds issued by a person whose long‑term debt obligations are rated A or better by a nationally recognized rating agency, to instead accept firms listed under certain federal Treasury publications described in the bill text.

The Nevada State Contractors Board opposed the bill. David Behar, the board's executive officer, described the historic basis for Nevada's current standard, citing multiple surety insolvencies in the late 1990s and early 2000s that left contractors and consumers exposed. \"In early 2001, AmWest, a surety company conducting business in Nevada, went bankrupt,\" Behar said, and he told the committee that subsequent statutory changes required the A-or-better standard to protect the public. Licensing supervisor Bree Welch added that the board typically accepts bonds with \"excellent or higher\" ratings and that ratings below A or A‑ indicate financial vulnerability that could affect claim payments. She said the board gives contractors a 30‑day period to replace a downgraded bond or post cash to avoid suspension.

Industry testimony was split. The Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) and a representative from the American Property Casualty Insurance Association expressed support, arguing that Treasury listing provides ongoing monitoring and would avoid unnecessary bond cancellations. Lisa Stevens, a licensed broker and board member of the Surety and Fidelity Association of Nevada, opposed the change. She told the committee that only 36 of more than 18,000 licenses had needed re‑bonding because of a downgrade (\"less than 0.2%\"), and said AM Best provides continuous monitoring and early warning (she cited Western Insurance Company, which was downgraded before liquidation in 2011).

Adam Plain of the Nevada Division of Insurance testified in a neutral capacity and reminded the committee that surety companies are licensed insurers under Nevada law but that surety and fidelity bonds are excluded from guarantee association coverage (NRS 687A.020), so a state guaranty fund would not backstop surety insolvency claims.

The committee took testimony from proponents, opponents and neutral parties but did not take a committee vote during this hearing. Chair Marzola closed the SB327 hearing after the last witness and moved to open the hearing on a separate bill.

SB327 would change statutory language in two NRS sections governing bond acceptance; the Contractors Board and several brokers and trade groups urged caution, citing past surety insolvencies and the board's consumer‑protection responsibilities.

Ending: The committee did not advance SB327 at the hearing. Sponsors and opponents said they would continue discussions; sponsor Shelley Cruz Crawford said she would work with stakeholders following last‑minute opposition comments to find a compromise. No formal work session or vote on SB327 occurred during this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","4/25/2025 - Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor","oneSentenceSummary","The Nevada Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor heard testimony on Senate Bill 327 to allow U.S. Treasury listing as an alternative to the AM Best A‑or‑better rating for contractor surety bonds.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NV, Nevada","taxId",78440,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6575199,"Assembly committee amends and advances bill to enshrine federal health nondiscrimination protections in Nevada law",152,4274000,4426000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3127334-222e5cb4f53a8663633c8c776cd23e7b&start=4274&end=4426","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3127334-222e5cb4f53a8663633c8c776cd23e7b/thumbnail_4274000.jpg","/articles/6575199/Nevada/Assembly-committee-amends-and-advances-bill-to-enshrine-federal-health-nondiscrimination-protections-in-Nevada-law","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575199-9c513de3ba69797dd44a7aefdbbe9af0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771140780&Signature=gUa-iUpCL3f1WmUElgCXQbvRKweWPx~qoZyThWy~RMnEVCHL0hNxm2VZUHeF3jMb3me8ueI6Oy~oQ5Sz7NdUJ8WYddtvuCB5nyqJQ1I8RtJZFlwLedM4W862SXaTMsQSGGp6QGei8FuvJHpSxdiX~Nj4oJbLejFsDJoSYN1LVHK40Dhk9asfsHSufM4uylsUHjyBHT4Hj2o8ltxsC7g~ul4P-7rVB3yjHvL6WJZe78VpFFUmcUfvOKg0rfe2VgjsxZK6Qu64LvYIIO~EZbnwy5EEyykRAs1cYvQUV8s3KoLltQw44qL83OEOfaow3MnX-Tw6IvqwIMXYNnpiDAvl1Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carson City — The Nevada Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor amended and advanced Senate Bill 352 in a work session after testimony for and against the measure during a public hearing. SB352 would place into Nevada statute nondiscrimination protections that currently derive from federal law (Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act), extending them across multiple Nevada insurance statutes, state health programs and the individual market.

Sen. Melanie Scheibel, sponsor of SB352, told the committee the bill \"ensures that we put into state law the protections that currently exist at the federal level for nondiscrimination,\" and said the proposal repeats the protection across several NRS sections because changes to insurance rules must be made in multiple locations. The bill replaces language that referred specifically to \"gender identity or expression\" with a broader definition of \"protected characteristic\" that explicitly lists race, color, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Advocates for the bill said codifying the protections is a safeguard in case federal interpretations change. Jessica Munger of Silver State Equality said the change is intended to protect LGBTQ+ Nevadans from discrimination in access to insurance and care. Brooke Mailath, who testified in support, framed the measure as protecting marginalized communities' access to health care.

Opponents included the Nevada Republican Party’s legislative affairs director, who described the bill as \"unnecessary and legally redundant\" and argued the bill could conflict with recent federal executive actions. Kimberly Fergus, a caller, said the bill would mandate controversial coverage and impose unfunded costs; Joshua Skaggs of the Nevada Republican Party urged a no vote on those grounds. Testimony therefore ranged from policy and civil‑rights arguments to concerns about cost, medical standards and federal‑state conflicts.

The Nevada Division of Insurance submitted written comments and provided neutral testimony. Adam Plain told the committee he worked with the sponsor on language addressing age rating and noted a March proposed CMS \"market stabilization\" rule that, if finalized as proposed, could bar treatments described in the proposal from being classified as an essential health benefit and potentially trigger federal defrayal. Plain also noted that, under federal rules (45 CFR 147.102), age rating bands are governed at the federal level and the sponsor's amendment was intended to preserve allowable age banding under federal law.

In the work session that followed the hearing, Assembly Speaker Yeager moved to \"amend and do pass\" SB352 with the sponsor's proposed amendment clarifying that \"the provisions of this section do not prohibit the department from determining eligibility for participation or coverage under Medicaid in a manner that is otherwise authorized by state or federal law.\" Assemblymember Monroe Moreno seconded the motion. Chair Marzola called for a voice vote; the motion passed. During roll call objections, the committee recorded nays from Assemblymembers O'Neil, Urick and Cole; the chair announced the motion passed and she assigned the floor statement to Assemblymember Monroe Moreno.

Sponsor Scheibel said the bill does not change procedures for care or what treatments insurers must cover; instead it codifies nondiscrimination protections into state statute and she agreed to the Medicaid eligibility language requested by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Ending: With the committee's amendment, SB352 was advanced from committee to the floor with a favorable recommendation; committee members raised concerns about potential federal rule changes and budgetary defrayal but committee leadership and the sponsor said they had negotiated language to address some technical concerns. The committee assigned the floor statement to Assemblymember Monroe Moreno.","Senate Bill 352, which would codify nondiscrimination protections for health insurance covering characteristics including race, national origin, age, sexual orientation and gender identity, was amended and advanced by the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee. The committee approved an amendment clarifying that the Medicaid agency may determine","actionData","errors"]

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Committee hears bill to allow U.S. Treasury listing for contractor surety bonds; contractors board opposes change

Assembly committee amends and advances bill to enshrine federal health nondiscrimination protections in Nevada law