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AB 494 would codify several federal education protections into Nevada law, proponents say it removes fiscal impact with targeted agency assignments
Summary
Assembly Bill 494 would enshrine federal student‑rights statutes into Nevada law and direct specific agencies to prepare implementation reports; proponents told the committee that targeted assignment of responsibilities eliminates a fiscal note.
Assembly Bill 494, presented to the Senate Finance Committee on June 1 by Assemblymember Selena Torres Faucette, would codify several federal education protections into state law so those protections remain if federal rules shift.
Torres Faucette said the bill names federal laws that form foundational protections for students — the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) — and would allow the Nevada Department of Education to adopt necessary implementing regulations. "These laws safeguard the rights of students with disabilities, ensure the privacy of educational and health records, and prohibit discrimination," Torres Faucette said.
To address fiscal concerns previously raised by the department, the sponsor described a proposed amendment that assigns particular report responsibilities to agencies with subject‑matter expertise. Torres Faucette said that with those assignments "NDE would be able to remove their fiscal note entirely." The amendment as described assigns HIPAA reporting to the Department of Health and Human Services, certain civil‑rights reporting to the Department of Human Resource Management, and other education reporting to NDE.
Supporters on the record included Tom Clark of the Nevada Association of School Boards, Brad Keating of Clark County School District and Mary Praczynski of the Nevada Association of School Superintendents; a caller, Stephen Cohen, also voiced support. There was no recorded opposition during the hearing.
Committee members asked about the fiscal implications and were told the reworked assignments resolved NDE's fiscal concerns. The committee closed the hearing on AB 494 with no recorded vote.
