Attorney General bill would fold sexual‑assault advisory panel into Nevada’s domestic violence committee

The Office of the Attorney General presented Assembly Bill 45 to consolidate an advisory committee on the rights of sexual‑assault survivors into the existing Committee on Domestic Violence and to make related conforming changes in statute.

Attorney General Aaron Ford said the advisory committee created by AB 176 (2019) had completed its two primary tasks — preparing survivor rights materials and distributing grant funds — and that ongoing monitoring and related duties would be better handled by the Committee on Domestic Violence. “AB 45 represents that consolidation,” Ford said.

Theresa Benitez Thompson, Chief of Staff to the Attorney General, told the committee the bill renames the committee to the Committee on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and moves several advisory functions and language, including direction on sexual‑assault kit tracking, into the standing committee. Section 1 also removes a specific vendor product name from statute for the victim notification system so statute does not tie the state to a copyrighted vendor name.

Why it matters: Sponsors said consolidation reflects how service providers operate in the community — most local nonprofits serve both domestic violence and sexual assault survivors — and will align legislative oversight with on‑the‑ground practice.

Public response and action: No members of the public testified in opposition or neutral; the attorney general’s office said the change was recommended by the Commission on the Administration of Justice sunset subcommittee.

Ending: The committee closed the hearing without a recorded vote and no public opposition was registered during the session.