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Senate committee hears bill to ease pet restrictions in state-funded and supportive housing
Summary
Sen. Melanie Scheibel and advocates told the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor that SB166 would expand a 2021 prohibition on breed-based insurance underwriting to landlord policies and require certain state-funded supportive housing to allow pets, aiming to reduce housing refusals and shelter surrenders.
Senator Melanie Scheibel, sponsor of SB 166, told the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor that the bill would reduce barriers preventing people with pets from accessing public and supportive housing.
"SB 166 broadly, removes barriers to public housing and, supportive housing for people who have pets as members of their families to ensure that families and pets can stay together," Scheibel said in her opening remarks.
The bill has two main provisions: it would expand a 2021 state law that bars use of dog breed in underwriting homeowners' and renters' insurance so that the same prohibition applies to landlords' commercial multifamily property liability policies; and it would require that housing developed with funds from the Nevada Supportive Housing Development Fund allow residents to keep pets. Susan Riggs, senior director of housing policy at the ASPCA, said extending the insurance provision to landlord policies reduces uncertainty for property owners who already accept all breeds.
"Nothing in this bill would change landlord rights," Riggs said. She added the insurance change is intended to "ensure that that landlord wouldn't be subject to liability if there was an incident on the property." Presenters and supporters emphasized the second provision aims to prevent people who have experienced homelessness from refusing housing because they cannot bring a pet. Riggs said many people with experience of homelessness decline shelter or housing when they cannot keep their animal.
Testimony in support included Mindy Elliott representing the Nevada Rural Housing Authority (via Flynn Government Affairs), Rebecca Goff, Nevada state director for Humane World for Animals (formerly Humane Society of the United States), Tammy Jennings of Washoe County Regional Animal Services, and Jill Dobbs of the SBCA of Northern Nevada. Supporters cited shelter data and surveys showing that restrictive pet policies disproportionately affect lower-income households and increase pet surrenders, particularly for medium and large dogs.
Senator Dallas Ellison and Senator Keith Steinbeck asked about landlord liability and insurance-market effects. Ellison described real-world incidents where property owners faced large liability judgments after dog-bite or related cases; Scheibel and Riggs responded the bill does not strip landlord enforcement rights and is intended to provide clearer insurance coverage when landlords permit pets. On insurance availability, Riggs testified that commercial-multifamily underwriting standards largely mirror homeowners'/renters' standards and, based on feedback, she anticipated the change would be a "very small" modification to insurers' practices.
A conceptual amendment was posted to the legislative portal (NELIS) to clarify the bill must be implemented "in conjunction and in compliance with applicable federal and state laws," presenters said. Supporters asked the committee for a favorable report; no formal committee vote on the bill was recorded during the hearing.
The hearing drew multiple organizational supporters and questions from committee members; no speakers registered opposition during the in-person and phone testimony period. The committee moved next to SB 167 after closing SB 166 public testimony.
