Government
Financing, zoning, not federal land access, are what will expand affordable housing, experts say
Nevada’s housing crisis isn’t new, nor is the push by local and state elected officials to open up federal land beyond city limits to build more affordable units. Yet land availability is just one part of the equation, and experts say the state would be better served focusing on permanent funding for affordable housing projects […]
Summer EBT won’t go out until September
Parents in Nevada will have to wait until September to receive benefits from a popular free food program designed to cover kids during summer vacation. Earlier this year, Nevada signed up for the first new federally funded nutrition program in decades, which established a permanent summer nutrition assistance program for children out of school for […]
New federal rule will overhaul transmission planning as electric grid strains
A divided Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this week issued a long-awaited overhaul of how regional electric transmission lines are planned and paid for, a move cheered by clean power groups but blasted by a conservative commissioner who said it was driven by “special interests” and exceeds the commission’s authority. The commission’s final rule on transmission […]
One-shot federal funding for NV behavioral health services is winding down. Now what?
As local governments in Nevada have used one-shot federal recovery relief dollars toward mental and behavioral health services, city and county officials stressed the importance for state lawmakers to figure out a sustainable funding source. During Monday’s Interim Committee of Health and Human Service, officials from Clark County, Washoe County, the City of Las Vegas […]
Regulators approve killing twice as many bears as originally allowed in Nevada hunt
The Nevada Wildlife Commission voted Saturday to allow hunters to kill 42 bears a year, more than twice the number permitted to be slaughtered in the first decade of the hunt, which began in 2011. The move is the latest in a series of decisions that have prompted criticism of the commission for failing to […]
Amodei’s mining bill fails to pass Republican-controlled House
Nevada’s lone congressional Republican suffered a blow this week after six members of his own party joined Democrats to block a bill he authored to address a court ruling adopting a stricter interpretation of the 150-year-old General Mining Law. Mining developers looking to extract minerals in Nevada are grappling with the aftermath of a 2022 […]
Insurance tax helps state revenue exceed projections
Nevada’s general fund revenue is 5% higher so far in fiscal year 2024 than earlier forecasts from the state’s Economic Forum, Legislative fiscal analyst Michael Nakamoto told legislators Monday. Nakamoto told the Joint Standing Committee on Revenue the state’s general fund, projected year-to-date at $3.7 billion, is up approximately $64.1 million from two months ago, […]
Tahoe planning group exerts outsized influence on legislative oversight committee
Overtourism, conflicts of interest, developer-initiated blight, vast pollution combined with microplastic contamination, and the lack of a comprehensive Tahoe basin evacuation plan are just some of the public safety and environmental problems raised by Tahoe residents during public comment at this year’s first two interim Nevada legislative oversight committee hearings. Unfortunately, members of the Legislative […]
Feds require airlines to automatically refund passengers for canceled or delayed flights
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday new rules that will put refunds quickly back into air travelers’ pockets for canceled or delayed flights. The agency estimated that the new regulations will save consumers over a half billion dollars every year in airline fees. Under the new rules, which will go into effect beginning […]
Millions of salaried workers to become eligible for overtime under new Biden rule
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor Tuesday announced a final rule that means millions of salaried workers who are employed in the executive, administrative or professional industries will become eligible for overtime pay. The rule will affect roughly 4 million workers in the first year of implementation and will be broken into two checkpoints. […]
Gaming Control Board joins probe of money laundering in Nevada casinos
The Nevada Gaming Control Board, which has remained awkwardly silent on the investigation of Las Vegas casinos and the prosecution of casino executive Scott Sibella by federal officials out of California, has joined the ongoing probe, according to two sources who say they’ve received calls from investigators. The federal investigation, first reported by the Current […]
Silver appointed to Gaming Commission
Gov. Joe Lombardo announced Thursday he’s appointing retired Nevada Supreme Court Justice Abbi Silver to the Nevada Gaming Commission. Silver will replace Commissioner Ogonna Brown, whose term ends next week. “Justice Silver is one of Nevada’s brightest visionaries and trailblazers, and I’m confident that she will greatly enhance the work of the commission in her […]