LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Lawmakers are getting a jump on what promises to be a heavy workload for the 83rd Legislative Session in Carson City. So far, 160 bills have been filed.
Among the proposed laws are several aimed at schools, ranging from curriculum to student safety. There’s also legislation to toughen penalties for crimes involving older victims. And some of the bills restrict the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in campaign ads.
8 News Now offers this early look at some of the bills you will be hearing about when lawmakers convene in February. Last session, more than 1,000 bills were submitted, so follow our coverage and stay informed on what your representatives are doing. Bills in the Nevada Assembly are designated “AB” followed by a number, and Nevada Senate bills carry the “SB” before the number.
School bills
- SB52: “Read by Grade 3” requirements. Starting in the 2028-29 school year, Nevada law will require students to achieve reading skills before they can move on from third grade. With SB52, lawmakers are providing some alternative paths for promotion to fourth grade. “Good-cause” exemptions will be evaluated if a school principal submits a recommendation to the school district superintendent. The bill also allows a good-cause exemption based on a portfolio of the student’s work and mastery of academic standards in reading for grade 3.
- SB59: Suspending a teacher’s license. This legislation would add “sexual impropriety with, or grooming, certain pupils” to the conditions that warrant suspending a teacher’s license. The bill also restricts teachers with a suspended license from seeking employment with another school district.
- AB48: School assignments when bullying is involved. Lawmakers want to change what happens when schools try to separate bullies from their victims by reassigning schools. Instead of the victim always being sent to a new school, this legislation would make it possible to reassign the bully.
Crimes against older victims
- SB50: Tougher on property crimes. Nevada law takes a hard line against crimes against older people, and this legislation would add to that by making theft an offense where restitution requirements apply. Parole or probation would not be considered until 80% of restitution is paid.
- SB60: Tougher sentencing. Another proposal seeks to expand the list of crimes that require tougher sentences when the victim is 60 or older, or falls under the “vulnerable person” classification. The list would grow from just burglary to residential burglary, home invasion, theft or attempted theft, forgery or attempted forgery, larceny or attempted larceny, fraud or attempted fraud, and engaging in a deceptive trade practice. The penalty for residential burglary would be doubled from its current 1-10 years to a sentence of 2-20 years.
Online safety for minors
SB63: Establishes the Nevada Youth Online Safety Act. This legislation would take steps to improve online safety for kids by requiring social media companies to verify the age of users, and in some instances requiring the consent of a parent or guardian. Sections of the law would require companies to disable features for those under 13.
Other legislation:
SB54: Respite care for homeless people. A change in how Nevada administers Medicaid could allow the government to pay for respite care if required for a homeless person.
SB56: DUI testing window. This legislation would give law enforcement more time to administer blood draws or breath tests when they suspect someone is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Instead of the current standard, two hours, law enforcement would be allowed to perform the tests within three hours.
SB62: Bias crimes. This legislation would establish some offenses as bias crimes linked to “the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression of a person or group of persons.” The prohibited acts are misdemeanors not rising to the level of hate crimes: tampering or interfering with personal property with the intent to annoy or inconvenience, offensive physical contact, or threats.
SB69: Tax abatements. Companies that get tax breaks for locating in Nevada would have to meet certain requirements for notifying local governments in addition to current requirements to work with state officials. The legislation states plainly that any documents to meet the requirements are not available to the public, ensuring secrecy for the big companies and the deals they enter into allowing them to avoid taxes.
AB44: Prohibitions on price gouging. It’s not enough to protest when businesses try to make a little extra money when they think they can get away with it. Lawmakers have to define what qualifies as price gouging, and that’s what AB44 tries to do. The bill specifies essential goods and services including food, medicine, and shelter, and defines what rises to the level of price gouging: “The price for which results in the person paying more than $750 for the good or service over a 30-day period or $9,000 for the good or service over a 1-year period.”
AB55: Tracking impairment deaths. The coroner would be required to do a blood test for impairment involving a traffic death. The information would be tracked in a database available to law enforcement agencies and other appropriate persons.
AB63: Assistance after wrongful convictions. This legislation would allow for wrongfully convicted people to get college tuition, medicare and housing assistance with a limit of $100,000 in a calendar year.
AB70: County voice in renewable energy. The massive solar development happening now in Nevada has left counties powerless to control how federal land is being used — and often on the hook to provide fire protection and infrastructure. This legislation would require counties to be heard in the approval process.
AB73: “Synthetic media” disclosures. Disinformation, “deepfakes,” and other concerns make it hard to trust what you see and hear in politics. Nevada lawmakers will take on the issue with AB73, which requires campaign ads that have “synthetic media” — a term related to AI creation or manipulation — be disclosed and on a public list. Violations would result in a $50,000 fine.
AB79: Abuse of PAC money. Money collected by political action committees (PACs) can’t be used for just anything. But it might surprise you what it can be used for — including, in some cases, child care costs, care for an elderly parent. This bill lays out requirements and makes the elected public officer report the use of unspent contributions on a campaign finance report. Other requirements dictate how the money must be handled.
More information on these bills is available online at https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bills/List.
