Bill signings, vetoes mark hectic week as Nevada Legislature sprints to finish
CARSON CITY — Floor sessions, signings and vetoes were the focus last week as lawmakers upped the pace to move bills as they sprint toward sine die on June 5.
Among the bills signed by Gov. Brian Sandoval was Assembly Bill 145, giving victims of child sexual abuse more time to sue perpetrators for civil damages. It extends the statute of limitations from 10 years to 20 years.
Senate Bill 176 was signed, as well. It requires police agencies statewide to equip officers who regularly interact with the public with body-worn cameras.
It expands a law passed in 2015 that imposed the requirement on the Nevada Highway Patrol.
Sandoval also signed Senate Bill 19. It requires school districts to offer dual-credit courses to high school students so they can simultaneously pursue higher education degrees and certifications.
Vetoes
The Republican governor flexed his political muscle on seven bills, sending a message he won’t sign things that repeal reforms he championed two years ago.
Sandoval rejected Assembly Bill 271, which would have reversed a 2015 agreement on collective bargaining, as well as Assembly Bill 154, which sought to change prevailing wage rules for education construction projects.
Drug prices
A bill that seeks to force drug makers to disclose costs associated with insulin was given final legislative approval.
Senate Bill 265, sponsored by Sen. Yvanna Cancela, D-Las Vegas, is a first-of-its-kind legislation in the nation that targets skyrocketing prescription drug costs. The bill requires pharmaceutical companies to disclose data on insulin drugs and provide the state 90-days’ notice before changing prices.
Assisted suicide
The Nevada Senate narrowly approved Senate Bill 261, which would let terminally ill patients obtain life-ending drugs from a physician. That bill, now in the Assembly, faces an uncertain fate. Sandoval has said he is against the policy.
