Among the bills that survived is a voter ID bill that the president of the NAACP Las Vegas said could further disenfranchise the most vulnerable Nevadans.

As the clock ran out on Nevada’s 120-day legislative session, high-profile measures like a film tax credit and Assembly Bill 238, which would have introduced $1.4 billion in public subsidies to help fund a film studio in Summerlin, were left on the legislature’s cutting room floor, collapsing in the final hours. But a controversial voter ID bill that nonprofit leaders deplored still stands. 

Introduced by Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager in the hopes of reaching a compromise with Gov. Joe Lombardo, Assembly Bill 499 would create voter ID requirements in Nevada, mandate the integration of Department of Motor Vehicles data into the statewide voter registration database, and increase the number of ballot drop-off box locations.

Due to the provisions of the policy that would enforce photo ID verification at polling sites and mandate the inclusion of an identifying number on mail ballot return envelopes, opponents of the bill fear the changes could create more barriers to voting.

NAACP Las Vegas president Quentin Savwoir said in a Tuesday interview that the costs to track down a birth certificate or for an ID are essentially a modern-day poll tax. Poll taxes were imposed on African American voters following the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870, which attempted to end race-based discrimination in voting.

“It’s not called the same thing, and it might not even look the same way, but it’s a barrier, and it’s real,” he said.

Savwoir, perplexed by the bill’s support from some Democrats, warned the party was headed for a slippery slope that could lead to further disenfranchisement of seniors, rural residents, and residents of low-income areas who have less access to services and technology. 

“Makes me wonder what they’re willing to believe next to restrict access,” he said. “It’s disappointing, and it is a betrayal to the electorate.”

The proposal largely mirrors the language of last year’s ballot initiative that Nevada Democrats tried to block, but with no opposition campaign, voters overwhelmingly approved the initiative by a nearly 50-point margin. The measure is due to return to voters’ ballots in 2026. 

According to the Nevada Secretary of State’s voter fraud investigations, an extremely small fraction of complaints turn out to be real instances of voter fraud, which is a felony.

“It’s just a little disheartening that we bought into the hype,” Savwoir said. “Because you have to buy into the hype before you even [support] the bill.”

Voter ID is just one of the bills that reached the governor’s desk after passing through a Democrat-controlled legislature. Along with other proposals of the same status, it could either be signed into law with support or vetoed by Lombardo, who has 10 days to respond once bills are sent to his desk. Bills that passed and that Lombardo doesn’t make a decision on within 10 days automatically become law. 

During the last legislative session, Lombardo rejected 75 bills that passed, marking a new record for vetoes in Nevada. Here’s a status update on some of the major bills we’ve been watching and currently await a decision by the governor. 

On Lombardo’s Desk

Immigration

Hundreds of bills remain on the governor’s desk, such as Assembly Bill 460, by Las Vegas Democratic Assemblymember Cecelia González and Democratic state Senator Fabian Donate (D-Las Vegas). This bill received unanimous support in the Assembly and a majority in the state Senate. It allows a parent or guardian to nominate another person as guardian of a child if the parent is deported. 

The proposal comes as Republican President Donald Trump recently designated Las Vegas as a sanctuary city, alleging that certain jurisdictions are undermining federal law enforcement regarding his immigration crackdown.

As the White House increases immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions as part of Trump’s deportation agenda, Assembly Bill 217, also sponsored by González, bans the agency from schools. It passed both houses with bipartisan support.

Both bills would increase protections for immigrants amid rising pressure from the White House, which seeks to deport 3,000 undocumented immigrants a day.

Housing

Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui’s Assembly Bill 280 (AB280)—a bill that includes a provision that temporarily caps rent hikes for seniors 62 and older at 5% yearly. This measure would take effect on June 30 and remain in effect until December 21, 2026, if backed by Lombardo, who vetoed a similar proposal last session. The temporary measure received zero backing from state Republicans. Update: Lombardo vetoed AB280 on June 2.

AB280 also mandates that a landlord must refund any application-related fees to a prospective tenant if the unit is rented to someone else, including costs for background checks and credit reports not performed. 

Additionally, the bill prohibits charging such fees for minors in the applicant’s household and requires landlords to include an appendix explaining the purpose of each fee. The bill also requires landlords to create a separate appendix in lease agreements that highlights the rights of tenants per federal and state laws and local ordinances.  

Another housing law on its way to Lombardo’s desk is Assembly Bill 480, brought forth by a slew of Democratic lawmakers, including Yeager and Assemblymember Danielle Monroe Moreno, chair of the Nevada Democrats. 

The bill establishes accountability for discriminatory housing practices that create, increase, reinforce, or perpetuate segregated housing patterns based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, familial status, or sex. It only received support from Democrats in both houses.

Democratic Assemblymember Shea Backus’s Assembly Bill 396, which would allow local jurisdictions to create an ordinance that defines and authorizes “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs) for counties with a population of 100,000 or more and cities with a population of 60,000 or more, also awaits its fate on Lombardo’s desk. 

ADUs are independent living spaces built on the same lot as a residential property, regardless of whether the dwelling is attached, detached, or built within the primary residence. Even if qualifying cities and counties fail to adopt such an ordinance, the policy would take effect statewide by July 1, 2026, and apply to any parcel zoned for residential use without restriction.

The policy passed the Assembly on strict party lines, but won the favor of a single Republican in the state Senate—Republican Lori Rogich. 

Democratic Assemblymember Max Carter’s Assembly Bill 283 also awaits a decision from Lombardo after it passed both houses strictly along party lines. 

Carter’s bill would change Nevada’s unique summary eviction process by requiring landlords to file a complaint with eviction courts before tenants are required to file an affidavit contesting a 7-day notice. As the law currently stands, tenants must first seek help at the court after receiving an eviction notice that hasn’t received any court approval, or risk being removed or locked out in 7 days as part of the summary eviction process.

Education

Assembly Bill 269, sponsored by Democrat Assemblymember Reuben D-Silva, expands the Student Loan Repayment for Providers of Health Care in Underserved Communities Program to repay the student education loans of more qualified providers, such as behavioral therapists, public health professionals, occupational therapists, and substance abuse counselors, who meet the program’s requirements. The bill would take effect on October 1 if it’s signed into law or if Lombardo lets it become law without his signature. 

Democratic Assemblymember Heather Goulding sponsored Senate Bill 177, which would make several significant changes to how Nevada schools handle discipline for homeless students and students in foster care if it’s backed by Lombardo or rejected in time. Before suspending or labeling a student as a “habitual disciplinary problem,” under the proposal, schools must hold meetings with counselors, social workers, or legal decision-makers to determine if homelessness or foster care is a contributing factor to the student’s behavior. 

Short-term suspensions can still occur, but longer suspensions or alternative placements must now include a review of the student’s circumstances within 10 days. Additionally, principals will have explicit authority to continue a student’s alternative placement for up to 45 days.

The bill passed almost on strict party lines in the state Senate, with Rogich the lone Republican voting in favor of it. SB 177 went on to receive unanimous approval in the Assembly.

By contrast, Assembly Bill 289, sponsored by numerous lawmakers from both parties, would authorize the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada to establish a course of study in financial literacy. The bill received broad bipartisan support, with only Washoe County Republican Rich DeLong voting against it.

To address issues with the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship program, better known as Opportunity Scholarships, legislators introduced Assembly Bill 441. Under the current program rules, a Florida-based company secured every dollar of available funding in 2023 due to a first-come, first-served clause. 

Sponsored by Monroe-Moreno, AB441 would establish a 30-day application period during which scholarship-granting organizations must submit their applications to the Department of Taxation for access to funds. The Department of Taxation would then approve applications based on a mandated order of priority: students already receiving a scholarship are first, then siblings of returning students, and then all other applicants.