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5 new laws that take effect in 2025

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5 new laws that take effect in 2025


As Nevadans ring in the new year with fireworks and festivities, new laws passed by the Legislature a year and a half prior will take effect, from a diaper tax exemption to a wage requirement for employees with disabilities.

Five laws — or provisions within them — officially go into effect Wednesday. Here’s a rundown of what each of them do:

1. Exempts sales tax on diapers

With the passage of ballot Question 5 in the 2024 election, Senate Bill 428 that proposed to exempt child and adult diapers from the state’s sales tax goes into effect in the new year.

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The bill had passed unanimously in the 2023 legislative session, but it required passage from Nevada voters to take effect. The ballot question passed overwhelmingly, 69 percent to 32 percent.

Nevada families spend on average $1,000 on diapers per child each year and pay up to $84 in sales tax on those diapers, according to the ballot question guide released by the secretary of state’s office.

2. Implements wage requirements for employees with disabilities

Assembly Bill 259 phases out subminimum wage payments to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities by January 2028.

The law requires job providers to develop a plan to transition people earning less than the minimum wage to earning at least the state minimum wage, which is $12 an hour.

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Effective Wednesday, providers of job and day training services cannot enter into a contract that pays an employee a wage below the state’s minimum.

Organizations that receive subminimum wage certificates will no longer be recognized by the state of Nevada, according to Assemblywoman Tracy Brown-May, the bill’s sponsor. Many organizations, however, already have gotten rid of such certificates, she said.

“It’s important we work to evolve how to support people with disabilities,” the Democratic assemblywoman from Las Vegas said. “Nobody should have the ability to exploit a person with a disability.”

The law also allows for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Aging and Disability Services Division to provide Medicaid benefit counseling services to people with developmental or intellectual disabilities so they can have access to benefits planning and can understand how many hours they can work while still maintaining their federal benefits under Medicaid, Brown-May said.

3. Prohibits state purchases of drones from entities deemed U.S. enemies

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Senate Bill 11, relating to state agencies’ use of drones, prohibits a state agency or law enforcement agency from operating, purchasing or acquiring drones from entities that the U.S. Department of Defense determines to be enemies of the country, particularly those associated with the Chinese military.

The law required the Department of Public Safety to adopt regulations establishing a list of countries and businesses from which a state agency or law enforcement agency cannot purchase drone equipment, based on the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

After Wednesday, Nevada law enforcement and public agencies can only purchase drone equipment from a country, business or entity approved by the Defense Department.

The law also allows state agencies to use drones for fire code and inspection services, while prohibiting the public agency from collecting any photograph with the drone during the inspection.

4. Revises penalties for motorcyclists driving without proper license

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Nevada law prohibits residents from driving a motorcycle on the highway unless they hold a valid motorcycle driver’s license or a motorcycle permit. If someone violates the law, they are guilty of a misdemeanor.

Senate Bill 423 requires courts to allow a person found in violation to complete a course of motorcycle safety in lieu of imposing a fine.

The law also changed eligibility requirements for instructors in the Education of Motorcycle Riders program, removing the requirement that they be a Nevada resident or a member of the military stationed in Nevada, as well as the requirement that they hold a motorcycle driver’s license for at least two years.

5. Establishes caregiving program for Medicaid recipients with dementia

Assembly Bill 208 established a program to provide structured family caregiving to certain recipients of Medicaid. It required the Department of Health and Human Services to apply for a home and community-based services waiver to include structured family caregiving for recipients of Medicaid suffering from dementia.

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Nevada law already required the DHS to apply for a waiver to cover family home caregiving for recipients of Medicaid with physical disabilities, and Assembly Bill 208 expanded that to include Medicaid recipients with dementia.

It required the department to include an authorization for an applicant to choose his or her caregiver and the residence where they will receive caregiving. It also required the caregiver to become an employee of an agency to provide personal care services in the home or an intermediary service organization and receive a daily stipend through that employer.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.



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Oregon lands commitment from Nevada punter

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Oregon lands commitment from Nevada punter


Oregon has found its next Australian punter.

Bailey Ettridge, who averaged 44.66 yards on 47 punts at Nevada this season, committed to transfer to the Ducks on Sunday. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

From Lara, Australia, Ettridge had 15 punts over 50 yards and 18 inside opponents’ 20-yard lines this season. He also had two carries for 26 yards, both of which converted fourth downs.

Ettridge replaces James Ferguson-Reynolds, who is averaging 41.64 yards on 33 punts for UO this season. Ferguson-Reynolds and Ross James are both out of eligibility after the season.

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Ettridge is the first scholarship transfer to Oregon this offseason and his addition gives the Ducks 81 projected scholarship players in 2026. He is the lone punter presently on the roster.



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‘Winnemucca Day’ helps fuel Backus, Wolf Pack to 58-40 win over Utah State

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‘Winnemucca Day’ helps fuel Backus, Wolf Pack to 58-40 win over Utah State


RENO, Nev. (Nevada Athletics) – Nevada Women’s Basketball returned to Lawlor for the first game of 2026, hosting Utah State.

The Pack picked up its first conference win of the season with the 58-40 victory over the Aggies.

Freshmen showed out for the Pack (5-9, 1-3 MW) with Skylar Durley nearly recording a double-double, dropping 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Britain Backus had five points to go along with two rebounds and a season high four steals.

Junior Izzy Sullivan also had an impactful game with 17 points, going 6-for-11 from the paint and grabbing five boards. She also knocked down Nevada’s only two makes from beyond the arc, putting her within one for 100 career threes.

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The Pack opened up scoring the first four points, setting the tone for the game. It was a close battle through the first 10 as Utah State (6-7, 2-2 MW) closed the gap to one.

However, Nevada never let them in front for the entire 40 minutes.

Nevada turned up the pressure in the second quarter, holding Utah State to a shooting drought for over four minutes. Meanwhile, a 5-0 scoring run pushed the Pack to a 10-point lead.

For the entire first 20, Nevada held Utah State to just 26.7 percent from the floor and only nine percent from the arc, going only 1-for-11.

For the Pack offense, it shot 48 percent from the paint. Nevada fell into a slump coming out of the break, only scoring eight points.

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It was the only quarter where the Pack was outscored.

The fourth quarter saw the Pack get back into rhythm with a 6-0 run and forcing the Aggies into another long scoring drought of just under four and a half minutes.

Durley had a layup and jumper to help with securing the win.

Nevada will remain at home to face Wyoming on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

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EDITORIAL: Nevada’s House Democrats oppose permitting reform

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EDITORIAL: Nevada’s House Democrats oppose permitting reform


Politicians of both parties have promised to fix the nation’s broken permitting system. But those promises have not been kept, and the status quo prevails: longer timelines, higher costs and a regulatory maze that makes it nearly impossible to build major projects on schedule.

Last week, the House finally cut through the fog by passing the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act. As Jeff Luse reported for Reason, the legislation is the clearest chance in years to overhaul a system that has spun out of control.

Notably, virtually every House Democrat — including Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford from Nevada — opted for the current regulatory morass.

The proposal addressed problems with the National Environmental Policy Act, which passed in the 1970s to promote transparency, but has grown into an anchor that drags down public and private investment. Mr. Luse notes that even after Congress streamlined the act in 2021, the average environmental impact statement takes 2.4 years to complete. That number speaks for itself and does not reflect the many reviews that stretch far beyond that already unreasonable timeline.

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The SPEED Act tackles these failures head on. It would codify recent Supreme Court guidance, expand the projects that do not require exhaustive review and set real expectations for federal agencies that too often slow-walk approvals. Most important, it puts long-overdue limits on litigation. Mr. Luse highlights the absurdity of the current six-year window for filing a lawsuit under the Environmental Policy Act. Between 2013 and 2022, these lawsuits delayed projects an average of 4.2 years.

While opponents insist the bill would silence communities, Mr. Luse notes that NEPA already includes multiple public hearings and comment periods. Also, the vast majority of lawsuits are not filed by members of the people who live near the projects. According to the Breakthrough Institute, 72 percent of NEPA lawsuits over the past decade came from national nonprofits. Only 16 percent were filed by local communities. The SPEED Act does not shut out the public. It reins in well-funded groups that can afford to stall projects indefinitely.

Some Democrats claim the bill panders to fossil fuel companies, while some Republicans fear it will accelerate renewable projects. As Mr. Luse explains, NEPA bottlenecks have held back wind, solar and transmission lines as often as they have slowed oil and gas. That is why the original SPEED Act won support from green energy groups and traditional energy producers.

Permitting reform is overdue, and lawmakers claim to understand that endless red tape hurts economic growth and environmental progress alike. The SPEED Act is the strongest permitting reform proposal in years. The Senate should approve it.

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