The Nevada Legislature kicked off its 120-day lawmaking session on February 3, with lawmakers set to consider hundreds of bills before adjourning until 2027. Nevada is one of four states that meets biennially, giving its 63 lawmakers about four months every odd year to introduce bills, update laws, and establish the biennial budget. The session is set to end on June 2, after which the Legislature will adjourn sine die.
According to UNLV professor David Damore, Nevada’s part-time Legislature and term limits can make lawmaking more challenging, with a reliance on party caucusing for determining votes. However, lawmakers can potentially work more than four months in a year if the Governor calls a special session or if a two-thirds majority of members petition for one. While the Governor has previously called special sessions for specific purposes, such as establishing state funding for a Major League Baseball stadium in 2023, a special session convened by a legislative petition has yet to occur in Nevada’s history.
The state’s Constitution originally limited regular sessions to 60 days, but voters removed that restriction in 1958, leading to longer sessions until a constitutional amendment in 1998 set the limit at 120 days. Despite the challenges of a part-time Legislature, Nevada’s libertarian ethos and history of direct democracy continue to shape its legislative process. For more information on the Nevada Legislature’s session, contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @mckenna_ross_.
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