Committee hears bill to create universal cannabis agent card, raise owner fees

The Assembly Judiciary Committee on a public hearing reviewed Assembly Bill 308, sponsored by Assemblymember Shae Backus, that would create a single universal agent card for most Nevada cannabis industry workers, allow the Cannabis Compliance Board to waive the agent-card requirement for certain passive owners holding 5 percent or more, and raise application and renewal fees for owners, officers and board members.

AB308 would keep the $150 two‑year fee for employee agent cards but increase the fee for owners, officers and board members to $400. The bill would also keep separate registration and fees for independent testing laboratories and for receivers (trustee-like roles), and it applies to cards issued or renewed on or after Oct. 1, 2025.

Backus introduced the bill and Lake Martin, executive director of the Nevada Cannabis Association, told the committee that the current system requires employees to carry and pay for separate cards for each license or facility where they work. "This bill will help all of them by creating one universal agent card," Martin said. He and other industry witnesses described employees and managers often carrying multiple cards — sometimes a dozen or more — and said the change would reduce administrative and financial burdens while preserving the required background check and suitability screening.

Representatives of the Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) described the change as implementable and not a change to the underlying background check. James Humm, director of the CCB, noted that the background check itself would remain the same even if the number of cards is reduced. David Staley, chief of the investigations division at the CCB, said the board would draft regulations to govern any waiver for passive owners and that the board would likely model a waiver process on the Gaming Control Board's institutional investor waiver (referenced in committee discussion as Regulation 16430).

Multiple industry trade groups and businesses testified in support, including the Nevada Cannabis Association, the Chamber of Cannabis, Green Thumb Industries, Deep Roots Harvest (represented by counsel), Acura Cannabis Solutions and Thrive Marketplace. Testimony emphasized cost and logistical savings for workers and employers and said the proposal preserves the regulatory safeguard because each registrant would still undergo a background check.

Committee members asked about timing and implementation. Staley said any administrative process to consolidate and reissue cards was already under consideration by the CCB and that the board expects to handle the transition later in the year. The bill text includes a uniform expiration/renewal schedule to reduce administrative complexity and removes a redundant affidavit requirement for interim affirmations of unchanged personal information.

No formal committee vote was recorded during the hearing; the bill received proponent testimony from industry stakeholders and a neutral statement from the CCB that it could implement the change if the Legislature approves it.

Ending: The committee closed the hearing on AB308 after supporters from the industry and the CCB spoke; the bill's effective provisions for implementation were written to apply to cards issued or renewed on or after Oct. 1, 2025.