2023 Legislative Session Recap

Nevada State Legislature:

82nd Legislative Session

What is the Nevada Legislature and what are they responsible for?

The Nevada Legislature is a public body comprised of elected leaders from communities across the State. Their purpose is to enact laws and regulations for the State of Nevada. Nevada has a citizen legislature, which means that legislators are not career politicians, but rather regular citizens who are dedicated to all citizens of Nevada. There are 21 Senators and 42 Assembly representatives.

Click here to find your Assembly and Senate Representatives.

When does the Nevada Legislature meet?

Regular sessions of the Nevada Legislature are held every other year (in odd-numbered years). They convene on the first Monday in February after the election of members of the Senate and Assembly. Sessions are limited to 120 calendar days. If the legislature is to meet outside of the regularly scheduled session, it is called a Special Session and can be called to action by the Governor or by a two-thirds vote by legislators from each house.

The 82nd Session of the Nevada Legislature began on February 6, 2023, and ended on June 5, 2023. This year, there were two special sessions that immediately followed the regular session to handle two separate topics not covered by the end of the regular session. The first special session began on June 6, 2023, and focused on the Capital Improvement Projects budget bill. The second special session began on June 7, 2023, and focused on the funding of the Athletics stadium in Las Vegas.

In addition to their ongoing representational duties, members of the legislature are also involved in committee work between sessions. These committees hold public hearings, direct research, and deliberate on proposed legislation for the next session of the legislature.

Education played a central role in the 2023 Legislature, with legislation impacting funding, graduation requirements, transportation, teacher retention and recruitment, and more. Below, you’ll find summaries of the bills impacting education in Nevada. Each bill number is linked to the text of the bill if you would like to explore further.

Five (5) Bills We Look Forward to Seeing in Action:

1.) Graduation Requirements (Assembly Bill 241)

Sponsored by Assemblywoman Erica Mosca, AB241 was one of Opportunity180’s top legislative priorities. There was a broad, diverse group of support from students, families, educator unions, the tourism sector, the business community, and more. The bill received unanimous support in every committee and in both the Senate and Assembly floor votes.

Highlights of the bill:

• Requiring pupils enrolled in a public high school to be enrolled in the courses and credits required to obtain a college and career ready high school diploma (also known as the College and Career-Ready Diploma) or certain diplomas that are equivalent or more rigorous;
• Establishing exceptions to the requirement for a pupil to be enrolled in such courses and credits.

2.) Governor’s Omnibus Bill (Assembly Bill 400)

This sweeping education bill was one of the Governor’s main priority bills. While the final version of the bill had several priorities of Governor Lombardo’s removed, the final bill passed with bipartisan support.

Highlights of the bill:

• Creating the Early Childhood Literacy and Readiness Account and authorizing grants from the Account for certain purposes;
• Reinstating provisions of Read by Grade 3
• Revising the duties of the Commission on School Funding;
• Authorizing, under certain circumstances, the State Public Charter School Authority to award money to a charter school for the transportation of pupils, for up to $7 million in total per year for the next biennium;
• Authorizing cities and counties to become authorizers of charter schools;
• Revising provisions relating to the Teach Nevada Scholarship Program;
• Creating the Nevada Teacher Advancement Scholarship Program;
• Making appropriations; and providing other matters properly relating thereto

3.) Education Funding Bill (Senate Bill 503)

This bill funds K-12 public education for the 2023-2025 biennium. SB503 represents the largest increase in funding in the history of the State. In addition to funding the State Education Fund for the 2023-2025 biennium, this bill authorizes certain expenditures; makes appropriations relating to base per pupil funding, weighted funding and other educational purposes; and revises provisions relating to at-risk pupils.

Highlights of the bill:

• Includes $5.4B for Pupil Centered Funding in FY24 and $5.7B for FY25
• State Special Education receiving $244M in FY24 and $251M in FY25
• Employee raises and incentives at 12% for FY24 and 11% for FY25, and $250 per quarter retention incentive

4.) School District Governance Bill (Assembly Bill 175)

This bill revises provisions governing boards of trustees of school districts. This bill adds four non-voting members to Clark County School District, of which:

• One (1) must be appointed by the board of county commissioners of the county in which the school district presides and who must also live in the county, and
• Three (3) must be appointed by the governing bodies of the three most populous incorporated cities in the county in which the school district is located (Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson).

These appointments have not yet been made.

5.) Work-Based Learning Programs (Assembly Bill 256)

This bill:

• Revises the requirements to receive approval from the State Board of Education to offer a work-based learning program;
• Requires the Department of Education to adopt regulations prescribing a method for the board of trustees of a school district to determine whether the employment and supervision of a pupil in a work-based learning program is appropriate;
• Authorizes the board of trustees of a school district to exempt certain volunteers participating in a work-based learning program from submitting fingerprints for the purpose of a criminal background check; and
• Deems certain employees of a business, agency or organization that participates in a work-based learning program not to be volunteers at a school.

Additional Bills that Impact K-12 Public Education:

Assembly Bills:

AB54 revises provisions attendance provisions for certain pupils, relating to issues of health or access. It also authorized a hospital or facility to request reimbursement from the school district. the compulsory school attendance of certain children, relating to issues of health or access. This bill authorizes a hospital or facility licensed to educate a pupil to request reimbursement from the school district or charter school in which the child is enrolled, and revises the requirements to request such reimbursement and its calculation. The bill also revises many provisions related to school attendance, including parent/guardian awareness of attendance policies and

AB65 Prohibits, except in an emergency, the board of trustees of a school district from taking any action or corrective action at any regular or special meeting on an item that has been posted on its agenda pursuant to the Open Meeting Law after 11:59 p.m. on the day of the meeting. It also revises procedures of investigating discrimination based on race, bullying or cyber-bullying and clarifies the definition of bullying.

AB65 also requires a work-based learning program to be approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Further, it changes the date by which a child must attain a certain age to start certain early grades from the first day of the school year to August 1 of the school year. Additional provisions around age and enrollment are also included.

AB72 creates the Advisory Committee on the Safety and Well-Being of Public School Staff. The Committee is required to review, investigate and make recommendations concerning: (1) any issue relating to the safety and well-being of public school staff, including provisions of law or regulations that affect the safety and well-being of public school staff; and (2) the consistent implementation of discipline of pupils.

AB73 allows public school pupils to wear certain adornments at school graduation ceremonies.

AB185 revises provisions governing the education of pupils who are children of military personnel, including authorizing a charter school to give preference to a child whose parent or legal guardian is a member of the military. It also requires a charter school or university school to make accommodations for gifted pupils whose parent or guardian is a member of the military. It also permits the family of a student to use the address of a military installation for enrollment purposes.

AB245 creates the Committee on Responses to Power-Based Violence in Schools and requires school districts and governing bodies of charter schools and universities to partner with an organization that assists victims of power-based violence.

AB264 prohibits a pupil in a public school from being deprived of any award that is based on perfect attendance or any eligibility or opportunity to compete for such an award because of an approved absence from school for the observance of a religious holiday. It also revises provisions governing the attendance of pupils and circumstances under which a pupil is deemed truant.

AB274 changes the membership of the State Financial Literacy Advisory Council by adding a student member and removing members appointed by the Governor, certain legislators, and the Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, and requiring instruction in financial literacy to include certain skills necessary to develop a personal financial plan.

AB285 removes some provisions of restorative justice, including those around suspensions and expulsions for students aged 11 years or older, prohibits the expulsion or permanent expulsion of a student less than 11 years old, requires school districts to establish progressive discipline plans, and requires the Department of Education to develop a statewide framework for restorative justice.

AB323 requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop a strategic plan for the recruitment of teachers and other licensed educational personnel; changes the composition of the Commission on Professional Standards to include a Dean of Education at Nevada State University or Great Basin College, as well as two human resources professionals; and revises requirements of the Commission to include establishing standards for licensing and professional development training. It also requires a school district to provide professional development training on parental and family engagement. The bill removes the requirement that pupil growth accounts for 15% of a teacher or administrator’s evaluation.

AB330 revises provisions regarding student discipline, including requiring consistency between charter and university schools and public schools regarding student discipline; requires a restorative justice plan to include the authority to temporarily remove a pupil from the classroom; and clarifies the proper notification channels and appeals process to a pupil and their parent/guardian to appeal a suspension or expulsion.

AB399 creates the Subcommittee on Education Accountability of the Interim Finance Committee in order to exercise certain fiscal duties when the Legislature is not in a regular or special session. The Subcommittee may study fiscal policy, school finance or similar/related financial activities, as well as the sufficiency of current and anticipated revenue and expenditures deemed necessary to improve outcomes for students.

AB428 requires the State Treasurer to establish a tuition reimbursement program and creates the Nevada Grown Educator Account to fund the tuition reimbursement program. It also established a Career Pathways Demonstration Program through the Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation to prepare students for careers in education.

AB515 provides for creation of the Incentivizing Pathways to Teaching Grant Program under the Department of Education, and awards grants to certain universities and colleges under the Program.

AB517 requires the Legislative Auditor to conduct performance audits of Clark County School District and Washoe County School District, as well as State Public Charter School Authority; authorizes the Chair of the Interim Finance Committee to request certain additional audits of school districts; and requires a final written report of each audit to be presented to the Legislative Commission, Interim finance Committee (or a subcommittee), and possibly the Audit Subcommittee of the Legislative Commission.

Senate Bills:

SB9 revises the date by which a school district or public school is required to create and post certain reports on the Internet to January 1; revises certain limitations on the use of money appropriated for programs of career and technical education from 7.5% to 20%; and eliminates end-of-course finals.

SB10 removes the Bank from the Department of Transportation, placing the Bank in the Office of the State Treasurer; expands the types of projects for which the Bank may provide loans and other financial assistance, such as K-12 education facilities in counties with a population of less than 100,000 and workforce housing; and revises provisions relating to the Board of Directors of the Bank.

SB71 renames the Nevada State Teacher Recruitment and Retention Advisory Task Force to include education support professionals; revises the powers and duties of the Task Force; funds travel and staff costs for the Task Force.

SB72 Directs the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Education to conduct six studies during the 2023-2024 interim and report its findings to the Legislature. Specifically, this bill directs the Committee to study: (1) the mental health and wellness of pupils; (2) the workload of teachers; (3) requirements governing the licensing and authorization to work of teachers and administrators and the effect of such requirements on the diversity and effectiveness of teachers and administrators and the recruitment of local teachers and administrators; (4) trends in graduation and achievement of pupils enrolled in high school and any divergence between those trends; (5) groups of pupils that may require additional resources, and policies and strategies that may address the needs of such groups; and (6) waivers of registration fees, laboratory fees and other fees at institutions within the Nevada System of Higher Education.

SB80 requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to adopt a policy concerning the treatment of head injuries and revises policies relating to the prevention and treatment of head injuries.

SB98 requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish performance metrics for each grade of public school, and along with each school district, publish those metrics; revises provisions relating to the Education Stabilization Account; requires the Commission on School Funding to meet monthly; expands the duties of the Commission by requiring the Commission to review academic progress made by students, and review and consider strategies to increase accessibility and equitability of existing and new public school programs. It also requires the Commission to conduct interim studies on school funding and accountability, including funding modernization and building improvement, teachers graduating from Nevada higher education institutions, compensation of educators and support personnel, and changes to sales and use tax and property tax laws for school funding purposes.

SB231 allocates $250 million from the General Fund to the Interim Finance Committee for increases to public school educators’ and education support professionals’ salaries. This bill does not include public charter school educators.

SB282 clarifies that the hiring of staff by a principal must conform to applicable collective bargaining agreements; requires certain uses of money carried forward at the end of a school year by a local school precinct; revises the process by which a school organizational team develops a plan of operation, and the process by which that plan is approved. It also specifies that when a vacancy for a principal occurs, the organizational team will develop a list of qualifications relating to employment history, ability of the candidate to communicate with students, ability of the candidate to provide a safe and respectful learning environment, and strategies the candidate would implement to increase student achievement.

SB425 creates the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education to develop a statewide vision and implementation plan to improve the public education system. The bill requires the Commission to conduct a study of the education policies of the State compared with high-performing education systems elsewhere; make recommendations on how to adapt those policies and how to increase student achievement; and develop an implementation plan for those recommendation. It also specifies the composition of the Commission.

SB442 enacts the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, and requires the Commission on Professional Standards in Education to adopt regulations for licensing teachers and carrying out the Compact.