Big Changes Hit the Silver State
Nearly 200 new laws just kicked in across Nevada. That’s a massive wave of new rules from Carson City. For folks who believe in keeping government small and local, this should grab your attention.
Governor Joe Lombardo signed over 500 bills this session. Almost 37 percent of them started yesterday, July 1. That means more bureaucracy, more spending, and more government control over your daily life.
The Good: Some Wins for Freedom
Religious Liberty Protected
The law brought by Pazina restricts homeowners associations or landlords from banning the display of a religious or cultural item affixed to a dwelling, such as a mezuzah — a parchment scroll with verses of the Torah — or a crucifix or cross. This protects your First Amendment rights from nosy HOAs and landlords.
Charter Schools Get Fair Treatment
This measure appropriated $38 million to extend educator pay raises first approved in 2023 and re-upped in 2025 to charter schools, a priority for Republicans, including Lombardo. Charter schools give parents more choices. They shouldn’t be punished for trying something different from the government monopoly.
Some Business Freedom
New laws let you order cocktails to-go if your county allows it. Assembly Bill 375 allows a board of county commissioners or governing body to enact an ordinance allowing food establishments to sell or deliver alcoholic beverages to go. That’s government getting out of the way for once.
Home-based food businesses got some relief too. AB352 modernizes Nevada’s homemade, or “cottage” food laws and aims to allow more residents to earn a living from their kitchens. The new law allows cottage food operations to sell their products online or by phone, and it raises the annual revenue cap from $35,000 to $100,000 for producers.
The Bad: Government Power Grabs
Your Guns at Risk
Here’s the biggest threat to your rights. Senate Bill 347 sets procedures for law enforcement officers to temporarily confiscate a person’s firearms if the person is in a mental health crisis hold. This gives police broad power to take your guns without due process. They promise to give them back later. But we know how government promises work.
State Control Over Local Schools
The worst law might be the so-called “education reform.” If your local school doesn’t meet state standards for two years, the state can step in. They can fire your principal. They can move money around. They can even take full control of your school district.
Think about that. Your locally elected school board could lose all power to bureaucrats in Carson City. The people you vote for in your community won’t matter anymore.
More Bureaucracy and Spending
Lombardo’s proposal to split the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services in two is going into effect. The newly created Nevada Health Authority is set to oversee Medicaid, the state’s health insurance exchange, the Public Employee Benefits Program and other services. More government agencies mean bigger budgets and higher taxes.
The Ugly: Nickel and Dime Taxes
New Fees and Taxes Everywhere
Running for president in Nevada just got more expensive. The bill requires anyone declaring candidacy for the state’s presidential preference primary election to pay a filing fee of $1,000. Prior to the law going into effect, Nevada did not charge a filing fee for those seeking to appear on the state’s presidential preference primary ballot.
They’re also hitting smokers with new online taxes. The bill brought by Assm. Brian Hibbetts (R-Las Vegas) would tax online sales of cigarettes or pipe tobacco at a rate of 30 percent of the cost of products that are not premium cigars.
If you want a Nevada State University license plate, get ready to pay more DMV fees.
What This Means for Your Family
Schools and Kids
A new Nevada law prohibits the use of artificial intelligence in replacing counselors or psychologists in public schools. That’s actually good. Kids need real humans, not computer programs, for mental health help.
But schools can now shuffle problem kids around the district. Assembly Bill 48 gives school boards the ability to transfer student bullies to other schools in the district. That might help some schools, but it just moves problems around instead of solving them.
Your Job and Business
Construction workers can start earlier in summer heat. Construction workers face sweltering heat working outside in the summer, and thanks to AB478, they can start work as early as 5 a.m. between April 1 and Sept. 30, as long as it is more than 300 feet away from an occupied residential unit. That makes sense for worker safety.
But if you rent cars, you’ll face new insurance requirements. SB194 requires short-term lessors to require proof of insurance from someone trying to rent a car, or else the car rental place can sell the person temporary insurance from a third party.
Housing and Landlords
The state threw $130 million at “attainable housing.” The new law will funnel more than $130 million in state funds toward “attainable” housing projects for households earning up to 150 percent of an area’s median household income. When government picks winners and losers in housing, regular folks usually lose.
New rules limit what landlords can charge for online rent payments. The new law, beginning on Oct. 1, also prohibits landlords from charging a fee to renters who pay for rent using an online platform that exceeds the cost of running the platform.
Technology and Surveillance
School districts can install cameras on district-owned school buses through new provisions in AB 527. The cameras are used to enforce stops for school buses. More cameras watching you and your kids.
The state is planning digital license plates. Lastly, digital license plates could be coming soon under AB 296. That means government can track your car’s location in real time.
Water and Environment
Nevada created new water bureaucracy. SB36 is a standalone water rights retirement bill that would establish a tool for willing water right holders to permanently retire their groundwater rights. In the desert, water rights are property rights. Government “retirement” programs usually mean taking property from private owners.
The Bottom Line
Nearly 200 new laws in one day proves government is out of control. Some help families and protect rights. But most expand state power over local communities.
Nevada used to be a place where people came for freedom and opportunity. Low taxes, few regulations, and local control. That Nevada is disappearing fast.
The politicians promise these laws make life better. But bigger government rarely solves problems. It usually makes them worse while costing more money.
Your voice matters more at the state and local level than you think. Use it before it’s too late.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
