Senate Finance advances $94.9M plan to partially fund state collective‑bargaining agreements; unions largely support amendment

Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro presented an amendment to Assembly Bill 596 in the Senate Finance Committee that would appropriate $94,900,000 from the state General Fund and $16,600,000 from the Highway Fund over the 2025–27 biennium to implement portions of multiple collective‑bargaining agreements with state employees.

Cannizzaro told the committee the conceptual amendment is designed to maintain previously approved benefits to the extent possible in the current fiscal outlook. The amendment would fund generally similar or like benefits for bargaining groups funded by the prior legislature, provide a 1 percent cost‑of‑living adjustment in each fiscal year of the upcoming biennium, and fund a $1,000 per‑employee per year retention incentive paid quarterly. She said the amendment also funds like benefits for newly organized bargaining groups.

Senator Wynne pressed Cannizzaro on the consequences of inaction. Cannizzaro responded that many provisions in the collective bargaining agreements are not evergreen, so if the legislature does not act by the contract expiration (in July), employees could lose the funded benefits. She and fiscal staff described the amendment as a way to keep employees “as whole as possible” given budget constraints.

A wide range of labor and public‑employee organizations testified in support. Speakers included Todd Inglesby of the Professional Firefighters of Nevada; Don Hicks and Paul Lunkowitz of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 21 (representing corrections and forensic staff); Cassie Charles of AFSCME; Carlos Hernandez of the Nevada State AFL‑CIO; Alexander Marks of the Nevada State Education Association; and union members and correctional staff who called in or testified live. Several speakers thanked the committee for working quickly to preserve negotiated benefits and said the amendment represented a necessary step to prevent departures and maintain staffing.

Kent Ervin of the Nevada Faculty Alliance supported the amendment for classified colleagues but expressly noted that many state employees who are not in the listed bargaining units — including some NSHE professional employees, faculty and graduate assistants, legislative staff, judicial employees and certain PERS employees — are excluded from the bill. Ervin said those groups face a July 1 cut and urged further work.

A minority of callers and commenters said the amendment did not go far enough or represented bad faith bargaining by the state. Brandon Everett, a forensic specialist, urged restoring the bill to full funding as originally negotiated, calling the partial approach “bad faith.” Jacob Holden and others expressed concern about hiring and retention pressures and rising employee costs such as medical expenses.

Committee members asked technical questions about which bargaining groups were included (Cannizzaro said the amendment covers the units that had ratified agreements and that a one‑page cheat sheet identifying bargaining group letters is available) and whether the treasurer’s office had worked through the bonding affordability calculations referenced in an earlier fiscal note (Assembly member Danielle Monroe‑Moreno said she had received assurances from treasurer’s staff that bonding affordability could be accommodated).

The committee approved the amendment and moved AB596 forward. The motion to amend and do pass as amended carried on a voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript provided. The amendment sponsor and numerous union representatives characterized the action as a partial funding solution that preserves key elements of bargaining agreements while the Legislature faces constrained revenues.

Supporters urged the Senate to adopt the amendment on the floor to avoid benefit losses for thousands of state employees on July 1; critics urged fuller funding. Committee discussion also flagged outstanding questions about employees not covered by NRS Chapter 288 bargaining rights and about PERS contribution changes scheduled to take effect.