Nevada
What did the Nevada Legislature do in its first month?
One month down. Three to go.
The Nevada Legislature is about 30 days through its 120-day session, and the start has been eventful, to say the least.
Legislators passed a bill that Gov. Joe Lombardo signed into law just two weeks into the session to address the rising costs of eggs.
In what could be a headlining topic of the 2025 Legislature, lawmakers heard a bill that would dramatically increase tax credits for film industries to lure a film studio and the jobs that come with it to Southern Nevada, creating a mini-Hollywood in Las Vegans’ backyard.
They’ve been dealing with a budget proposal that was first introduced with a $335 million deficit from the governor’s office, though they’ve made amendments and have since presented a balanced budget proposal.
Legislators have also put forward over 1,100 ideas for bills – including ones that would exempt the state from daylight saving time, change the state’s handling of public records and put in place protections for in vitro fertilization – all while potential federal budget cuts loom over their heads.
Busy beginnings
The 63-member body has introduced more bills than in previous sessions. By Feb. 21, the 19th day of the session, 502 bills had been introduced – an 18.4 percent increase from the previous session, according to data from the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
As of that day, there were still more than 659 bill draft requests submitted but not yet introduced. Most legislators’ bills must be introduced by March 17.
Additionally, 27 resolutions were put forward that urge Nevada or Congress to take certain actions, from protecting the area of Frenchman Mountain to entering into the National Popular Vote Compact.
Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, said he and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro have done a better job telling legislators to turn their bill draft requests around earlier.
“The sooner your bill is drafted, the better chance you have of getting a hearing,” he said during a press availability Feb. 20.
Democratic legislators have also re-introduced unsuccessful bills from the last session, which has also been helpful in getting bill texts written, Yeager said.
“The first two weeks of session was extraordinarily busy and chaotic, unlike any session I’ve been a part of,” the Assembly speaker said. “I think it had a lot to do with the budget. We had a lot of extra meetings, either public-facing meetings or with our staff, to understand the budget.”
Others say the start of the session hasn’t caught them off guard. Richard McCann, president of McCann Consulting and a lobbyist since 2013, said he felt the pace of business is like early weeks in previous sessions — at least for lobbyists.
“I’m not going to argue with the statistics, but there’s still way too few lobbyists in the building to anticipate that it’s like a barn-burning thing going on,” he said. “There’s still a lot of … where is everybody?’ On a personal level, a lot of my bills aren’t out yet, so I don’t see it.”
Lombardo has also announced his legislative priorities, including permanent teacher pay raises and a $1 billion investment in new housing. His five bills are due March 24, and his office will hold a series of press conferences on the bills.
“Governor Lombardo looks forward to sharing and formally introducing his five key pieces of legislation, which include mandating accountability in education, lowering housing costs, expanding healthcare access, strengthening public safety, and modernizing economic development in Nevada,” spokesperson Elizabeth Ray said in an email.
So far he has signed two bills into law: Senate Bill 1, which funds the costs of the session, and Assembly Bill 171, which allows Nevada to temporarily drop a ban on cage-free egg sale requirements in the state, an effort that was fast-tracked through the Legislature to address rising egg prices.
Federal budget cuts
As part of the Trump administration’s campaign to curb federal spending, the House passed a Republican budget resolution that proposes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $2 trillion reduction in federal spending over a decade.
Nevada legislators have expressed concerns about what that would mean to the state’s budget. Some say they are particularly concerned about changes that could affect Medicaid coverage in the state, where about 800,000 Nevadans are enrolled.
Asked whether he felt federal budget conversations were looming over the session, Assemblymember Phillip “P.K.” O’Neill, R-Carson City, grabbed a magic 8 ball-like toy with President Donald Trump’s likeness on it with the label ‘President Predicto.’ It said: “Yes, but let’s see what happens.”
“I think a lot of it is posturing, and it’s politics at the end of the day. Who’s going to blink, what game of poker do you want to play?” O’Neill said, adding that so much can happen before the federal government’s March 14 funding deadline. His top concern was the impact on Nevada’s Medicaid program, he said.
Assembly Minority Leader Gregory Hafen II, R-Pahrump, said he is happy that the federal government is “finally coming to the play and following Nevada’s lead.”
Nevada has always had a lean budget and a rainy-day fund, Hafen said.
“I’m happy to see that they’re finally taking the steps to follow Nevada’s lead, be responsible with their money and hopefully be able to establish a balanced budget,” Hafen said during a Tuesday press call.
How the budget cuts affect Nevadans is a concern, Hafen said, and he is watching on a daily basis to see how the state should prepare.
“I feel pretty good. I had a really good conversation with fiscal staff this morning on where we’re at and what we might see, but I feel confident that it’ll be good,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers struck a different tone. Many have used the first month’s hearings to gauge how prepared the state is for reductions in federal support and to call on Congressional Republicans to vote against proposed cuts.
“We learn more every day that these cuts will devastate families, devastate their economic security, cause chaos for our health care providers, and cost our state budget billions of dollars,” Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, said during a Wednesday press conference before a meeting where lawmakers grilled state health care officials over potential impacts to budget cuts.
During a budget hearing for the Governor’s Office of Federal Assistance, director A’Keia Sanders said the office is evaluating possible long-term effects of a lower federal budget and finding alternative funding sources for programs in which federal funding may no longer be available.
“Our goal is to create sustainable solutions that improve efficiency, increase funding opportunities and support long-term success for our agencies and communities,” she said.
McCann said the lack of clarity in federal support makes it difficult to plan policies.
“When there’s uncertainty in terms of where money’s going to be coming from, we can barely take what we got,” he said. “Asking for more becomes really a problem.”
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com and McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah and @mckenna_ross_ on X.
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
-
Washington1 minute ago
Washington Lottery Mega Millions, Cash Pop results for May 19, 2026
-
Wisconsin7 minutes agoWisconsin Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for May 19, 2026
-
West Virginia13 minutes agoThis week in West Virginia history
-
Wyoming19 minutes agoWyoPreps’ 2026 Wyoming High School Track and Field State Championship Preview
-
Crypto25 minutes agoK33 Research Says Bitcoin’s $60K Bottom Was Bear Market’s Maximum Drawdown
-
Finance31 minutes agoElections Board Rule Could Limit Public Access to Campaign Finance Complaints
-
Fitness37 minutes agoLeast fit people need to do more exercise than fittest to get same benefit – study
-
Movie Reviews49 minutes agoJack Ryan: Ghost War review – Amazon’s Tom Clancy series spawns middling movie
