Committee hears extended testimony on bill to allow in-room cameras in assisted living and supported-living arrangements

CARSON CITY — The Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services heard testimony Friday on Assembly Bill 368, a sponsor-drafted measure that would expand Nevada law to allow patients or residents — or their representatives — to install electronic communication devices in the living quarters of more types of health-care facilities beyond skilled nursing homes.

Assemblymember Max Carter (Assembly District 12) sponsored the bill and said it grew from constituent stories and a prior law (AB202) that permitted cameras in private rooms of skilled nursing facilities. “We’re looking to expand that,” Carter said, describing conceptual amendments to include assisted living, group homes, HIC homes, supported living arrangements and rehab facilities.

Family advocates urged the committee to act. Peggy Stevenson, whose testimony recounted months of videotaped incidents in multiple facilities where she said her 90-year-old mother suffered neglect and unexplained bruising, told the committee that putting cameras in private living quarters revealed what she called the “real truth” of staff interactions and allowed families to document alleged mistreatment. “We can watch our dogs live stream all day in doggy day care,” Stevenson said. “Why can’t we watch our loved ones who depend on us?”

Mike Stevenson, who also testified, described cameras as a way to provide “24/7 comfort” to families and said the state’s training requirements for caregivers can be minimal and inconsistent. Jody Collins, whose adult son Andre has cerebral palsy and lives in a supported-living apartment, said her son wanted cameras; she said Desert Regional Center had previously denied a request as a “rights restriction.” Collins and others described incidents — caregivers falling asleep for hours, unexplained bruising and other injuries — that they said were documented on cameras.

Committee legal staff and LCB counsel discussed statutory language. David Noss, LCB Legal, cited existing statute (NRS 449A.176–.192 range referenced in testimony) that currently permits installation of electronic communication devices in a patient’s living quarters in a skilled nursing facility and noted that “living quarters” is defined in statute as “the room in which a patient resides.” Noss said expanding the definition to cover residents (not just patients) and different facility types would be a policy decision for the Legislature or could be defined by regulation.

Sponsors and advocates said a conceptual amendment has been uploaded to NELIS to expand covered facility types and to add supported living arrangements. Carter said devices would be private between the resident or representative and the viewer — not a public livestream — and emphasized the bill is meant to allow cameras in private living quarters rather than common areas. Committee members asked about whether cameras could be placed in bathrooms and whether devices in an individual’s private apartment would cover shared common spaces; sponsors said bedrooms/living quarters are the primary focus and noted they would work with stakeholders to refine definitions.

Support and neutral testimony included the ACLU of Nevada, the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers, and several family members who said cameras helped document neglect. No opposition witnesses appeared on the record during the hearing; legal counsel and members asked clarifying questions about enforcement, public access to reports and timelines for investigations.

Why it matters: Advocates argue cameras give families evidence to hold providers accountable and to protect residents who are nonverbal or who cannot reliably report abuse. Providers and regulators raise privacy and statutory-definition questions. The bill would expand the set of facilities where residents or their representatives can request resident-room cameras and would require the Legislature to define or authorize a broader “living quarters” concept for more facility types.

Next steps: Sponsors said they are working with the Nevada Assisted Living Association and Legislative Counsel Bureau staff on amendments to narrow or clarify definitions and to address investigatory timelines and public reporting of enforcement actions; committee discussion did not produce a vote during the hearing.

Provenance: Testimony and sponsor presentation on AB368 are on the committee transcript; families and sponsor elaborated on a proposed conceptual amendment to expand coverage beyond skilled nursing.