Updating the Nevada Policy Tracker: Immigration issues in the 2023 legislative session

For the first time since the 2017 session, a Legislature led by a Democratic majority is working alongside a Republican governor to set policy for Nevadans. The Nevada Independent is tracking key pieces of legislation and policy debates on this page.

Read further below for a summary of the most interesting storylines in the Legislature this year, and how discussions are playing out across different policy areas after the latest mid-session deadlines.

IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES

As 1 in 4 Nevada workers is an immigrant, policies affecting immigrant communities can have broad impact. Several immigration-related proposals survived recent key legislative deadlines, but some died and will see no further action.

State Sen. Fabian Doñate’s (D-Las Vegas) ambitious bill SB419, which aimed to include undocumented Nevadans in the government-funded Medicaid insurance program, moved forward despite opposition from Senate Republicans who criticized the bill for the costs and demand it would present to the state and health care system.

But the bill was scaled back to remove full coverage. Instead, it would establish a state-funded coverage program similar to Medicaid for people ages 26 or younger who are ineligible for Medicaid because of their immigration status and expand Medicaid coverage “to the extent permissible” for all individuals residing in Nevada who qualify for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

SB419 has been granted an exemption and was referred to a money committee.

Doñate is also sponsoring SB92, which would establish regulations at the state level for sidewalk vendors, including requiring certain licenses and permits, without the need for a state-issued ID or driver’s license.

An amendment would allow county commissioners to restrict or prohibit sidewalk vendors from operating within a set distance of a food establishment, a child care facility, election polling place and other sites.

The bill passed the Senate with a 20-1 vote and moved on to the Assembly.

Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva (D-Las Vegas) is sponsoring AB226, which would allow DACA recipients to qualify for in-state tuition after living in the state for 12 months. The bill was amended to clarify that the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) won’t deny in-state tuition in the event a student’s temporary immigrant status or deferred action is repealed.

AB226 was exempted from the deadline and referred to a money committee because NSHE was unable to determine the cost nor the number of students who would be affected.

One of the bills that died is AB30, which would have removed U.S. citizenship as a requirement to become a peace officer as long as the person is “legally authorized to work in the U.S.” The measure was requested by the City of North Las Vegas. In Nevada law, peace officers can be police officers, security guards and court bailiffs.

Gov. Joe Lombardo told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in January that he would not support the bill.

Read the rest of this article, which was shared with Noticiero Móvil, over at The Nevada Independent. This story was reported by Jannelle Calderon and originally published on May 2.