Nevada committee hears bill to reshuffle membership of State Board on Geographic Names

Assembly lawmakers on the Nevada Assembly Committee on Natural Resources heard testimony on Assembly Bill 354 on March 19, which would revise the membership of the Nevada State Board on Geographic Names and change how federal agencies participate.

Assemblymember Venise Carris, representing Assembly District 10, introduced the measure and described it as "a nice quick bill" and "really a cleanup bill," saying the proposal refines who serves on the state board and how federal entities participate. The bill would remove certain federal agencies as voting members and replace one state representative slot with a representative from the Division of Museums and History in the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. It also explicitly names the Nevada Department of Native American Affairs in the board membership list and includes a July 1, 2025 effective date along with a transitional provision allowing current appointees from the Nevada Historical Society and the National Park Service to continue serving until successors are designated.

Proponents said the change responds to requests from federal agencies and aims to reduce conflicts of interest. "The Park Service does want to stay on as an advisory member," Paul White, chairman of the Nevada State Board on Geographic Names, told the committee, adding that federal agencies asked to be removed as voting members but to remain available in an advisory capacity. Christine Johnson, a presenter for the board, said removing federal agencies from voting membership would ease quorum problems: "By reducing and removing the federal agencies off the board, it's gonna change our requirements for quorum," she said, noting that state-level representatives generally attend more reliably.

Committee members questioned practical effects. Assemblymember Watts, who said he has served in an advisory capacity to the board, summarized that the proposal would replace the Nevada Historical Society representative with the Division of Museums and History and remove federal agency voting seats. Watts observed that the change would reduce the board from 12 members to nine and lower the quorum requirement from seven to five, which presenters confirmed is consistent with the board's original 1985 composition and legal review.

During the hearing, presenters and committee members clarified that several federal land-management agencies — including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service — asked to be removed as voting members but remain participants in an advisory role. The transcript record shows the bill also references the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which coordinates federal usage of place names nationwide and was created in the 19th century.

No members of the public offered live testimony in support, opposition or neutral comment on the bill during the committee's allotted public testimony period, and staff reported no callers on the public lines. After questions and discussion, the committee chair closed the hearing on AB 354 and proceeded to the meeting's public comment portion.