Education Committee advances multiple bills in work session, approves amendments

The Nevada Assembly Committee on Education moved multiple bills out of committee during a work session Wednesday, approving sponsor amendments on a range of education topics from trustee compensation to school safety grants and transparency requirements for school police.

Key outcomes at a glance: the committee approved amendments and advanced AB156 (trustee compensation/CCSD provisions), AB345 (NSHE data dashboard and interim study of student financial issues), AB412 (school mapping grants moved to Division of Emergency Management and Office of Homeland Security, eligibility and data protections revised), AB420 (use-of-force reporting for school police departments), AB472 (limits on certain tutor/recruiter fees and a state grant program for immigration-related employment costs), AB501 (outdoor recreation elective credit limited to one elective), and AB533 (open-enrollment application, capacity definition and reporting requirements). Several measures passed unanimously; a few recorded dissenting votes were noted.

Nut graf: Most measures were acted on by voice vote after sponsor-proposed amendments; the committee combined policy changes and clarifications in the amendments and, where recorded, members asked for legal or drafting clarifications before the bills move to the floor.

Selected bill details and committee actions:

AB156 (Mosca) — Trustee compensation and CCSD provisions: The committee approved an amendment that would, among other changes, revise compensation rules for elected trustees in counties with populations over 700,000, authorize some counties with populations under 750,000 to align trustee pay with county commissioners (effective 01/01/2026 for certain provisions), and add several CCSD-specific provisions on appointed trustee voting rights, term limits and fundraising under specified conditions. Kelly Lower, committee policy analyst, summarized the bill background. The motion to amend and "do pass" was moved by Assemblymember Dahlia and seconded by Assemblymember LaRue Hatch; several members recorded opposition during the voice vote (members who registered "nay" included Assemblymembers Hansen, Hardy, Flanagan and DeLong), but the motion passed and the floor statement was assigned to Assemblymember Mosca.

AB345 (Mosca) — NSHE dashboard and interim study: The committee approved an amendment to require the Board of Regents to create an online dashboard with specified student outcome data by 09/01/2026, require guidelines on open educational resources by 07/01/2026, and commission an interim study on financial issues affecting NSHE students to be presented by 07/01/2026. The motion to amend and do pass was moved by Assemblymember Dahlia and seconded by Vice Chair De Silva; the motion carried unanimously and the floor statement was assigned to Assemblymember Mosca.

AB412 (Dalia) — Nevada School Safety Data Grant Program: The sponsor’s amendment moved the grant account to the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and Office of Homeland Security, removed private schools from eligibility, changed grantees from school districts to law enforcement agencies, added confidentiality and cybersecurity standards for school mapping data, eliminated the appropriation while authorizing local contributions to the account, and provided language for optional master key lock boxes. The amendment was moved by Assemblymember Mosca and seconded by Assemblymember Hyde; the motion carried with Assemblymember LaRue Hatch recorded in opposition.

AB420 (Gonzales) — School police use-of-force reporting: Amendments expanded the bill to apply to school police officers and employees statewide (not only in the largest counties), required district police departments to display prior academic-year use-of-force data on district websites beginning with the 2025–26 academic year, defined additional data elements required in reports, and added baton strikes to the definition of use of force. A proposed limit on publishing officer demographic data to districts with more than 75 officers was discussed. The motion to amend and do pass was moved by Vice Chair De Silva and seconded by Assemblymember Mosca; the motion carried but Assemblymembers Hanson and Bridal recorded "nay" votes on the voice roll call.

AB472 (Assembly Committee on Education) — Restrictions on vendor fees; grant program: The committee advanced AB472, which prohibits districts from partnering with entities that charge candidates more than $10,000 in fees for certain teacher exchange programs and establishes a Department of Education grant program to defray costs of sponsoring H‑1B or permanent resident applications for certain applicants (targeting J‑1 visa holders within a year of expiration). The motion to do pass was moved by Assemblymember Mosca and seconded by Vice Chair De Silva; the bill passed unanimously.

AB501 (Jaeger, Hategui) — Elective credit for outdoor recreational activities: The committee approved an amendment limiting such credit to one elective credit; the motion to amend and do pass was moved by Assemblymember Dahlia and seconded by Assemblymember Hardy; the motion passed unanimously.

AB533 (Assembly Committee on Education) — Open enrollment, capacity and reporting: An amendment added multi-language application requirements, clarified that applications are required only for students seeking schools outside their zones, required the Department of Education website to be updated monthly with vacancies, prohibited counting specialized programs when measuring capacity, required districts to submit annual reports on transport resources and out-of-zone applications, and defined "capacity" as maximum building capacity minus enrolled pupils and staff (excluding non-instructional spaces). The amendment was moved and seconded by Assemblymember Mosca and Vice Chair DaSilva and passed unanimously.

Committee procedure and next steps: For each amended bill the committee generally accepted motions to amend and "do pass," assigned floor statements to sponsors, and advanced the measures for further consideration. Sponsors and staff indicated some technical drafting clarifications would be circulated to members before the next deadline.

Ending: The committee adjourned after public comment; several bills will proceed to the floor with the amendments approved in committee.