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Nevada Senate acts on scores of bills, sending multiple measures to the Assembly
Summary
During a session of the Nevada State Senate, senators took final action on a large bundle of bills — concurring with many Assembly amendments, declining to concur on a few, and passing numerous Assembly bills on third reading. Measures touched health care, education, elections, higher education funding and other policy areas.
The Nevada State Senate convened for a floor session in which senators voted on a broad slate of bills and amendments, taking concurrence votes with the Assembly on several Senate bills and advancing a series of Assembly bills on final consideration.
The action affected a range of policy areas including health care provider grants, higher education appropriations, public health and safety, education, elections and motor-vehicle regulation. Several concurrence motions were approved by voice vote or unanimous assent, and numerous Assembly bills on the Senate calendar were passed by recorded roll call votes.
Key outcomes included: the Senate voted not to concur in an Assembly amendment to SB434 (a grant program to address shortages of health-care providers) on a motion by Senator Donate, sending SB434 back to the Assembly; the Senate concurred on some Assembly amendments and not others to SB502 (capital improvement funding) and ordered SB502 to the Assembly; the Senate concurred in amendments to multiple public-health and education bills (including SB43, SB81 and SB179) and ordered those bills to be enrolled; and the Senate approved appropriations and program changes affecting the Nevada System of Higher Education (SB472/SB498/SB498-related actions were handled during the session).
On the Assembly bills on the general file and third-reading calendar, the Senate recorded roll-call votes on dozens of measures. Several bills passed unanimously by the constitutional majority (21–0): AB533 (authorizes pupils to attend public school outside assigned attendance zone and creates a Department of Education grant program for pupil transportation), AB108 (appropriation to the Outdoor Education and Recreation Grant Program), AB163 (ratifies entry into the Counseling Compact), AB212 (early childhood education revisions), AB221 (permits related to anesthesia/sedation for dental patients under specific licensing conditions), AB251 (meat and poultry inspection; amendment 981 adopted), AB352 (cottage foods; 2/3 majority required and received), AB356 (collective bargaining date changes), AB550 (incompetent criminal defendants provisions), and AB598 (development of certain parcels of state land). Other bills passed by narrower margins after debate: AB259 (prescription drugs) passed 13–8 after floor debate raising concerns about provider reimbursement and impacts on pediatric infusion care; AB282 (billing for health care) passed after the Senate adopted amendment 982 and recorded a 13–8 vote; AB296 (motor vehicle financing provisions) passed 13–8 after opposition citing potential conflict with federal Truth in Lending Act disclosure requirements; AB320 (administration of justice provisions) passed 14–7 following concerns about separation of powers; and AB534 (elections changes) passed 13–8.
Notable floor debate and remarks
Senator Buck spoke at length against AB259 (prescription drug legislation), urging rejection on the grounds that the measure, as written, would shift costs onto providers and risk the viability of specialized pediatric infusion centers. Buck said in part: “AB 2 59, as currently written, does not create true savings. It creates unsustainable care gaps, especially for those most vulnerable children and families in our communities. I urge this body to reject AB259 and vote no.”
Senator Titus spoke in opposition to several bills that she described as posing legal or practical problems. Regarding AB296 (motor-vehicle financing measures), Titus said the bill could conflict with federal lending-disclosure law and produce extremely high annual percentage rates, arguing: “I urge my colleagues to reject Assembly Bill 2 96.”
Procedure and next steps
Where the Senate concurred with Assembly amendments and ordered a bill to be enrolled, the Assembly will be notified as required. Where the Senate voted not to concur, the affected Senate measures were ordered back to the Assembly. Several bills the Senate passed by roll call will proceed back to the Assembly for enrollment or further action as required by legislative procedure.
The Senate recessed at the close of the session.
Ending: The session record shows the Senate took multiple concurrence and nonconcurrence actions and advanced an extensive list of Assembly bills; the Assembly will be notified of the Senate's actions or receive returned bills where the Senate declined to concur.
