Nevada
A wishlist for Southern Nevada’s future: Southern Nevada Forum plans tomorrow’s laws today
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — If you’ve ever wanted to make a suggestion for a new law, now just might be your chance.
The Southern Nevada Forum held its initial meeting on Monday, with the goal of coming up with a dozen new ideas to fix problems faced by residents of the Las Vegas Valley.
Steve Sebelius outlines some of the top issues and potential solutions:
Southern Nevada Forum plans tomorrow’s laws today
The 13-year-old organization — created by the Vegas Chamber, the City of Las Vegas, Brookings Mountain West and former Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick in 2013 — brings together lawmakers and community leaders to brainstorm ideas.
The group has racked up some successes over the years, too. A website dashboard that shows student performance data, funds for medical school residencies, the authority to create inland ports and an extension of fuel tax revenue indexing were all ideas that came out of the forum, current Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said Monday.
It works like this:
Four committees — covering education, transportation, economic development and health care — meet regularly for a few months, boiling down ideas to three concrete suggestions each.
Those suggestions are later turned into legislation in Carson City.
The panels are led by a bipartisan group of lawmakers who have the ability to introduce legislation, said Yeager, who himself won’t be returning to Carson City, having decided not to seek a sixth and final term in office.
The meetings are open to anyone, although the schedule of times, dates and locations wasn’t available Monday. You can express your interest in being on a committee by filling out a form at this link.
For the 2026 session of the forum, the committees and their leaders are:
- Economic Development and Governance: Democrats state Sen. Julie Pazina and Assemblyman Duy Nguyen, and Republicans state Sen. John Steinbeck and Assemblyman Brian Hibbetts
- Education: Democrats state Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop and Assemblywoman Erica Mosca, and Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy
- Health care: Democrats state Sen. Roberta Lange and Assemblywoman Tracy Brown May, and Republican Assemblyman Greg Hafen
- Transportation and Infrastructure: Democrats state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen and Assemblyman Max Carter, and Republican Assemblywoman Lisa Cole
On Monday, people at the transportation committee meeting tossed out ideas such as funding for transit projects, including light rail, fees for electric vehicles that use the roads but don’t pay the state’s gasoline tax, cracking down on unregistered cars and people who don’t carry car insurance, and greater protections for pedestrians.
On the economic development committee, suggestions included extending the life of tax abatements to give new businesses time to grow, making more land available for commercial use, not just housing, putting non-profit funding into the regular budget, rather than just awarding grants at the end of the process and making it easier to get permits and licenses regardless of where in the valley you open your business.
Before the groups met, however, they heard from UNLV political science professor David Damore, the executive director of Brookings Mountain West, who warned them that Nevada faces some serious headwinds.
Damore said revenue doesn’t keep up with the state’s brisk growth, leaving Nevada behind the curve.
“We already have a revenue structure unable to keep pace with growth; we need to address some revenue issues here,” he said. “And remember, the people coming here now, they’re not coming to build our economy, they’re coming to avoid paying taxes in their home state, while putting demands on our services and on our healthcare.”
Damore traced some of the problem to a limitation on government growth devised at the end of the 1970s, which artificially constrains budget increases and leaves money on the table.
“We put this in place in 1979, using 1974 as a baseline — the idea being that the general fund would grow to keep pace at 1974 levels, adjusting for inflation and population growth,” he said. “Well, guess what? We don’t have a tax structure that can even generate that much revenue. For this biennium, we’re about $900 million below that.”
Damore said tax exemptions cost state coffers plenty of income, and the entire revenue system needs a serious look.
“$9 billion in tax exemptions that we have in this state. So, a state that goes through the couch cushions to fund mental health, well, maybe we want to revisit some of this stuff here,” Damore said. “Obviously, no one wants to raise taxes; I get that. But we need to have a serious discussion about revenue.”
If you have a question, concern or story idea about politics and government in Nevada, reach out to Steve Sebelius and “Ask Steve.“
Nevada
Is it legal to park in someone’s driveway in Nevada? What the law says
Reno rules for parking near neighbors
Learn about Reno’s parking rules near neighbors – it’s legal on public streets, but with restrictions. Find out more!
As Nevadans are getting ready for family and friend cookouts and summer parties, they may be looking for a place to park in residential areas. It may be tempting to park near your neighbor’s driveway, but people should first know what’s allowed.
After all, as annoying as it is to have to park far away from your destination, a large fine and a tow is far more inconvenient.
Here’s what the Nevada law says about parking in front of your neighbor’s house, near their driveway, and on a public street.
Can I park in my neighbor’s driveway?
No. Unless you are a United States Postal Service worker, it is prohibited in Nevada to park “within 5 feet of a public or private driveway.”
Can you park in front of your neighbor’s house in Nevada?
Unless a permit is required or other official signage on a street notes special parking requirements, it is legal to park on any public street. That includes in front of your neighbor’s house, as long as it is not blocking their driveway.
Can you park in front of your neighbor’s house?
Unless a permit is required or other official signage on a street notes special parking requirements, it is legal to park on any public street. That includes in front of your neighbor’s house, as long as it is not blocking or less than five feet from their driveway.
Can I sell my car from my yard?
As long as you keep the number of vehicles you sell from your yard to three personally-owned vehicles per year, it is legal. If you exceed that amount and don’t have a dealer’s license, you could be reported to the Nevada DMV.
Nevada
Scholarships available for Nevada Youth Range Camp
The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management are inviting high school-aged students from around the Silver State to participate in the 2026 Nevada Youth Range Camp essay competition.
“The Nevada Youth Range Camp is a yearly educational opportunity that has been held each summer in central Nevada since 1961,” stated a press release. “Last year, eight students were awarded scholarships and received a certificate of achievement.”
Selected essays will receive up to $250 to register for this year’s Youth Range Camp. Students must be between ages 14 and 18 in order to apply. Parental consent is also required. Essays that are flagged for plagiarism or that utilize AI will be disqualified.
“Range Camp has served Nevada’s youth for 65 years. It is a great opportunity for anyone interested in natural resources to learn basic rangeland and resource management skills,” said Kelcey Hein, Conservation Education lead at the Nevada Division of Forestry, in a statement.
According to the application form, this year’s essay prompt is:
“In your own words, tell a story or a few stories of when you were able to connect with a natural space such as a park, your backyard, a farm, a field, a forest, a beach, or so on. Please incorporate three (3) key words from the key word list that you noticed of that ecosystem into your response. Explain what you noticed about these aspects that drew your attention in that space. How did this influence you and your goals as a future steward of Natural Resources?”
Visit bit.ly/RangeCamp2026 for submission forms, essay instructions and the full rules. The contest is open until April 30.
For more information about the Nevada Division of Forestry, visit forestry.nv.gov.
Visit nevada.rangelands.org for more information about the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
Nevada Youth Range Camp: June 21 through June 27
“We invite high school youth to enjoy a week of fun, camping, and learning about rangelands and natural resource management,” states the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website. “This year the camp headquarters will be located in the Timber Creek Campground area Northwest of McGill, NV. This area provides a splendid setting for learning and recreation.”
“The week is filled with many learning opportunities. Instructors teach various subjects through group investigations. Camp instructors and counselors are trained specialists from the University of Nevada, Reno; Nevada State Parks; Natural Resources Conservation Service; Bureau of Land Management; Forest Service; Nevada Division of Forestry; Nevada Division of Conservation Districts; Nevada Division of Wildlife; and others,” the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website continues.
“Campers arrive by noon on Sunday and break camp the following Saturday morning. Campers register and form groups with an adult counselor and assistant youth counselor. The weeklong program runs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and includes instruction, projects, rest, meals, and recreation,” the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website reads further. “Adult supervision occurs throughout the entire week. Parents and sponsors are welcome to visit the camp any time and are especially invited for the Friday night awards program. The evening programs are geared more for enjoyment and personal interest and include map and compass orientation, conservation skill workshops, wildlife presentations, and campfires.”
Nevada
4 Southern Nevadans named to USA flag football national roster
Four flag football players with ties to Southern Nevada have been named to USA Football’s 2026 women’s flag national team initial roster.
Former high school standouts Akemi Higa (Desert Oasis), Kaylie Phillips (Liberty), Maci Joncich (Coronado) and Brooklin Hill (Desert Oasis) were named to the 24-person roster.
Higa just completed her senior season with Desert Oasis where she was a first-team All-Southern Nevada selection and led the state with 5,764 passing yards. She is committed to play college flag football at Nevada State University.
Hill and Phillips currently play for Nevada State. Joncich graduated from Coronado in 2024 and was on the 2025 national team.
After a training camp that will determine the traveling roster and alternates, the team will compete in the 2026 International Federation of American Football flag football world championships in Germany this August.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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