LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The state Senate Wednesday unanimously passed a bill aimed at lowering the price of eggs in Nevada, moving the bill through the legislative process with remarkable speed.
The bill is now on its way to Gov. Joe Lombardo for a signature.
Assembly Bill 171 would allow state officials temporarily to suspend a Nevada law passed in 2021 that requires all eggs sold in the state to come from hens not kept in cages.
The bill is designed to increase egg supply and lower prices by allowing stores to stock conventional eggs, locally grown eggs and even Grade B eggs. Not only have prices risen, but eggs have become more scarce. Some stores even limit the number of eggs people can buy.
▶ Watch Lawmakers consider suspending Nevada’s cage-free egg law to meet the demand
Lawmakers consider suspending Nevada’s cage-free egg law to meet the demand
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of eggs rose 15.2% between December and January.
In 2021, state lawmakers sought to address animal cruelty by passing the cage-free law. The measure passed on a party-line vote in the Assembly but earned a bipartisan majority in the state Senate.
But after the price of eggs became a campaign issue in the 2024 presidential race, Nevada lawmakers began looking for ways to reduce prices and give relief to consumers.
Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager and Assemblyman Howard Watts, both D-Clark County, introduced AB 171 to allow for the 2021 law to be temporarily suspended for periods of 120 days during times of crisis. Only two suspensions would be allowed per calendar year.
Watts was chairman of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee in 2021 and oversaw the passage of the original cage-free egg bill.
The bill sailed through the Assembly Natural Resources committee and passed the floor quickly as lawmakers moved to suspend the rules and declare the bill an emergency measure. A similar process took place on Tuesday, with quick Senate committee approval and a truncated process on the floor today.
▶ Watch Nevada Assembly fast-tracks bill aimed at lowering egg prices to State Senate
Nevada Assembly fast-tracks bill aimed at lowering egg prices to State Senate
The votes were unanimous, with both Republicans and Democrats approving the bill.
But politics weren’t totally absent from the discussion. A news release issued shortly after the Senate floor vote declared “legislative Democrats” had passed the measure and criticizing the Trump administration for the economy. (The release made no mention of Republican support for the bill.)
Then the Nevada State Democratic Party issued a news release of its own, calling on Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to sign the measure into law, something it appears he is prepared to do in any circumstance.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Dr. Robin Titus, R-Lyon County, the Republican minority leader, said after the vote that the Legislature spends too much time passing laws to correct the unintended consequences of other laws.
“This body, this body, has too many times forced to return to legislation to cure problems that we caused by legislation,” Titus said. “Time and time again, we have seen these laws passed with good intentions only again to find that there’s second order effects [that] create new problems.”
Titus was in the Assembly in 2021 and voted no on the original cage-free egg bill.
But Democrats, including Watts, have said higher egg prices are caused by the avian flu, which has caused millions of egg-laying birds to be euthanized. That, and supply chain problems, are more to blame for high prices and shortages than the cage-free requirements in state law, they say.
That’s what state Sen. Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro cited in a response to Titus’s comments Wednesday.
“And I don’t think that because we sometimes have to be adaptive to that, or to address concerns that may not have existed the day before, the year before, the two years before or four years before, means that this body is not doing its job,” Cannizzaro said.
The bill will go into effect immediately after it’s signed by Lombardo.
Do you have questions about the Legislature, politics, elections or laws in Nevada? Email us using the Ask Steve link on our website.
Local News
Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.
Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.
“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”
During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.
Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.
Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.
For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
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Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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