Photo: Nevada Legislative Building, Carson City
The Nevada Legislature
Our Nevada legislature is truly a "citizen's legislature." Our elected legislators are residents of their districts and are our neighbors. It consists of 21 Senators and 42 Assembly Representatives. Senate terms are six years and Assembly Representative's terms are for two years.
The legislative session is biennial (meets every two years), and lasts only 120 days. All legislative work must be completed in the session. Special sessions are occasionally called by the Governor and are usually only called for budget issues.
The time between legislative sessions is called the "interim session." Some committees meet to work on future bills, but there are no floor sessions and no voting takes place during the interim.
Nevada's legislative sessions are very busy and exciting to be a part of; being a citizen's legislature allows easier participation by constituents and stakeholders than in many states.
Sierra Club Legislative Committee's Work in 2023 session:
We evaluated and gave testimony on 44 bills related to the environment and democracy. Seventeen passed and were signed by the governor.
Here are a few highlights:
AB162: Neonicotinoid Bill: This bill made it illegal to buy and sell products with neonicotinoid pesticides for all non-agricultural use. "Neonics" are a major cause of the population decline of bees and other pollinators, so this bill will help slow the decline of Nevada pollinator populations.
AB131: Urban Forestry Bill: Created the Urban and Community Forestry program, with the ability to award grants to promote urban and community forestry. This program will go a long way to increase the number of trees in our urban areas, mitigating heat effects, creating wildlife habitat, and absorbing greenhouse gasses.
AB112: Wildlife Crossings Bill: Created a Wildlife Crossings Account in the State General Fund, and requires the Departments of Transportation and Wildlife to develop projects to provide wildlife crossings on some of our major roads. This will help reduce the number of vehicle-animal collisions, saving lives of animals and humans, as well as reducing property damage.
Click HERE for a complete list of the bills we worked on.
Current Legislative Committee Activities:
We meet monthly with our environmental organization partners for education on their issues (e.g. water, energy, mining). We also meet with legislators to review legislative priorities for the 2025 session.
Click HERE if you would like to join us.
Click HERE to watch the Interim Legislative Session in action.
2025 List of Nevada Bills Coming Soon!
We need your help:
- Register for the Legislative Website (NELIS) to enable voicing your opinion on bills
- Watch for email Action Alerts from our Legislative Committee to voice your support/opposition of bills on NELIS
- Join our Legislative Committee team!
The work continues. With your support, we'll be effective.
(California members, click here to connect with Sierra Club California's Legislative Action page.)