State lawmakers wary about approving another housing study, but approve it anyway

When in doubt, just make it a study.

It’s a common narrative in Carson City: When a promising but controversial bill has no realistic path forward, the bill becomes a study, conducted in the name of gathering more data and insight that might convince future lawmakers to take action. But some lawmakers this week expressed frustration at the prospect of “yet another survey” on an issue many feel is nearing crisis levels.

The Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities appeared before the Interim Finance Committee Wednesday as the lawmakers approved $150,000 for a study they want to produce on affordable housing across Nevada. The money is coming out of the state’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act.

“We keep doing studies but it doesn’t feel like we do anything about it,” said state Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, a Las Vegas Democrat. “I’m very hesitant to do one more study and not do anything about it.”

Dondero Loop said she wanted to ensure the study was completed in time for any policy recommendations it makes to be incorporated into the governor’s executive budget, which will be provided to the Legislature ahead of the 2025 session.

Guinn Center’s Director of Economic Policy Meredith Levine said the study has a set deadline in October 2024.

Responded Dondero Loop, “I hope so because honestly if I see one more study on housing and we don’t do anything…”

While housing has long been an issue in Nevada, problems have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

A report released Thursday by the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates Nevada has more than 91,000 extremely low-income households, defined as those with incomes at or below the federal poverty level.

While every major U.S. metropolitan area has a shortage of affordable units, “of the 50 largest metropolitan areas, extremely low-income renters face the most severe shortages in Las Vegas.” There are only 14 affordable and available units statewide for every 100 extremely low-income renter households, according to the study.

Lawmakers on the finance committee pressed the Guinn Center for additional details on the study — how it defines affordable (broadly, not limited to just income-restricted units), who it will involve as stakeholders (“everybody … we don’t want to be too narrow”) and whether its recommendations will be duplicative of existing studies (“the piece is putting them in one place and showing maximal or optimal impact”).

Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D-North Las Vegas), who chairs IFC, requested the Guinn Center return to the committee at its April meeting to provide an informational update on progress and more specifics about the scope of the study.

“What is that we are putting in this report that isn’t already being done by the universities, local governments, the Housing Authority, the federal government, the Guinn Center previously, the Legislature previously?” asked Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, a Las Vegas Democrat.

Among those studies she referred to: a legislature-commissioned study done in 2018.

“It feels a little like we’re looking for solutions to problems we know exist and don’t like the solutions that are readily apparent before us,” Cannizzaro added.

Levine countered that the study will provide reinforcement for any “tried and true” policy recommendations that might already be pitched, but could also include “novel” ideas.

State Sen. Heidi Seevers Gansert, a Reno Republican, suggested the Guinn study look at the types of federal or grant funding sources available, some of which the state or local governments may not be attempting to secure.

State Sen. Dina Neal, a North Las Vegas Democrat, suggested the state look at the rise and effect of corporate ownership — an issue she sought to curb through another bill vetoed by the governor last year.

Similarly, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, a Las Vegas Democrat, suggested the state should study what impact a slew of housing bills passed by the Legislature last year could have had were they not vetoed by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Of those bills, two aimed to address Nevada’s eviction process, including a proposal to extend a 2021 protection – albeit a modified version – that temporarily paused an eviction while rental assistance applications were pending. 

He also vetoed several measures, (SB 78, AB 218 and AB 298), that sought to apply more regulations and transparency to rental applications and fees associated with listed units. Democrats failed to pass a similar proposal in 2019. AB 298 also would have capped rents for seniors at 10% for a one-year period.

Multiple housing proposals never made it to the governor’s desk. Democrats declined to advance Democratic state Sen. Pat Spearman`s proposal to tie rent increases to the cost of living and cap it at no more than 5% for landlords who own more than five units. That bill advanced out of the Senate Commerce and Labor committee, which Spearman chairs, but died in Senate Finance.