Nevada Senate advances scores of bills on second reading; key measures on education, health and criminal justice pass

The Nevada State Senate on April 21, 2025 advanced a large package of bills across education, health care, public safety and administrative law, ordering many measures to be reprinted or engrossed and sending a number of passed bills to the Assembly.

The actions matter because several of the measures change state policy on education standards and accountability, Medicaid coverage and criminal procedure and because the Senate made several of the bills subject to further fiscal review before final action. Committee amendments were adopted on many bills before they were ordered to the general file or passed on the Senate floor.

On education, the Senate adopted committee amendments and ordered a series of bills for further consideration or reprinting. Senator Angela Taylor, who moved adoption of multiple education-related amendments, summarized several of the committee changes, saying amendment 4 23 to Senate Bill 81 “removes references to the timing of transfers of revenue and applicable scholarship limits” and “authorizes the State Board of Education to request the superintendent to study issues relating to career and technical education.” Similar amendment adoptions were recorded for bills addressing autism services, charter school contracting, literacy and teacher licensure pathways.

The Senate also advanced health- and human-services–related measures. Senator Faye Donate moved adoption of amendments to Medicaid-related bills and said amendment 4 59 to Senate Bill 54 “revised the effective date.” Later, on the general file, Senator Donate described Senate Bill 188 as recodifying federal interpreter rules for certain health-care settings and said the bill requires language-access services to be “available free of charge, accurate in translation or interpretation, and provided in a timely manner.” SB 188 passed on a roll call (13 yes, 8 no).

The chamber considered several bills that drew extended floor remarks. Senator Orrenshall urged swift passage of Senate Bill 350, a measure changing deadlines for issuing execution warrants in capital cases, saying, “I urge passage of Senate Bill 3 50.” Senator De Schiavo described SB 350 as “a procedural bill” that would give the Department of Corrections additional time to prepare when an execution warrant is issued; SB 350 passed on a roll call (13 yes, 8 no).

Public-health laboratory and newborn screening policy also moved forward. Senator Pizzina described Senate Bill 348 as requiring the state public health laboratory to charge a $150 fee for certain newborn screenings and expand the newborn screening program; the bill passed on a two-thirds vote (16 yes, 5 no).

The floor also approved bills on consumer and utility reporting, public works remedies and senior living registration changes. Senator Scheibel explained SB 386 (massage therapy board updates) and SB 442 (utility reporting), and both measures passed (SB 386 by two-thirds; SB 442 recorded as passed on the floor with a roll count recorded as 17 yes, 4 no). Several bills were subject to fiscal analysis notices and were re-referred to the Finance Committee after reprint.

Votes at a glance (selected measures advanced or passed April 21, 2025):

- SB 15 (governmental administration): Passed; roll call yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 20 (criminal procedure; justice court recordings): Passed; roll call yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 169 (third-party reservation platforms; deceptive trade practice provisions): Passed; roll call yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 188 (language access in health care / interpreters and translators): Passed; roll call yes 13, no 8; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 273 (confidentiality of certain personal information for civilian employees/support staff): Passed; roll call yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 299 (senior living community referral agencies; registration changes; effective date Oct. 1, 2025): Passed; roll call yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 303 (recreational-use liability statute clarifications): Passed; roll call yes 13, no 8; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 325 / SB 3 25 (voluntary adoption-fee waiver program for certain veterans/first responders): Passed; roll call yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 348 (newborn screening fee and program expansion): Passed; two-thirds vote yes 16, no 5; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 350 (death-penalty execution-warrant scheduling): Passed; roll call yes 13, no 8; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 375 (credit-union provisions): Passed; roll call yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 386 (massage therapy board updates; regulatory/disciplinary authority): Passed; two-thirds vote yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 416 (24/7 sobriety and drug monitoring program changes): Passed; roll call yes 21, no 0; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 442 (public-utility reporting requirements to include ZIP-code–level aggregated service-termination data): Passed; roll call recorded as yes 17, no 4; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 445 (pupil data privacy and transfer to archive): Passed; roll call yes 20, no 1; ordered to Assembly.

- SB 447 (public-works remedies; attorney fees on writs of mandamus): Passed; roll call yes 16, no 5; ordered to Assembly.

Many other bills on second reading were acted on by voice vote after committee amendments and were ordered reprinted, engrossed or grossed to the general file. The Senate also announced notices from the Fiscal Analysis Division that several bills were determined to have a fiscal impact and would be referred to the Finance Committee upon return from reprint.

The Senate adjourned to reconvene at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22. The motion to adjourn was made by Senator Cannizzaro and carried by voice vote.