PEBP board reviews 2025 bills; public commenters urge opposition to AB22 and SB32, support for AB188

The Public Employees Benefits Program (PEBP) board discussed a list of 2025 legislative proposals that staff say could affect plan operations and costs, with public commenters urging the board to oppose two PEBP-sponsored bills and back a bill to restore retiree health subsidies.

Public commenters told the board they oppose Assembly Bill 22 and Senate Bill 32 as introduced and asked the PEBP board to take a formal position opposing them while urging support for Assembly Bill 188, which would restore a retiree health subsidy for employees hired after 2011. Kent Irvin, representing the Nevada Faculty Alliance, said the bills “chip away at the independence and authority of the PEP board to act as guardians and fiduciaries of the employee benefits plan.” Doug Unger, UNLV chapter president of the Nevada Faculty Alliance, told the board he and faculty are “incredibly nervous” about proposed moves to place PEBP under a Nevada Health Authority and urged the board to seek clarity from staff on the transition.

Why it matters: PEBP covers state employees and retirees and changes to procurement or reporting structures could affect how benefits are purchased and administered and how grievances and quality issues are handled. Several speakers and some board members said the proposals raise questions about PEBP’s independence, contracting authority and future costs.

Staff…