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Nevada Democrats Propose Legislation to Guarantee School Meals, Expand Reproductive Rights, Lower Prescription Drug Prices, and More for 2025 Session

Government and Politics

October 9, 2024


With early voting days away and Election Day less than a month out, Democrats are focused on delivering real results for hardworking Nevada families. Democrats are introducing legislation for the 2025 legislative session that would expand reproductive rights, lower costs for hardworking families, and keep our communities safe. Ahead of the 2025 legislative session, here are some of the upcoming plans for Nevada Democrats:

On Reproductive Rights: 

Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, Senate Chief Majority Whip Dallas Harris, and Senator Rochelle Nguyen submitted a bill draft request introducing legislation that expands and protects reproductive freedom. Some key provisions of this bill include:

- Ensuring access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) through improved coverage options.

- Making sure that IVF and other forms of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) are affordable.

- Giving providers the protections needed to operate with certainty.

IVF is critical to starting and building families and this bill would support women’s rights to make their own family planning decisions. Unfortunately, last legislative session, every single GOP legislator voted against enshrining the right to infertility care and abortion rights into Nevada’s Constitution.

On Education:

Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui and Assemblywoman Shea Backus have submitted a bill draft request reintroducing legislation to implement a permanent, guaranteed school school meals program in public schools. Under Joe Lombardo, food insecurity has increased and this bill would be an additional method of lowering costs for parents and families at the grocery store by guaranteeing every student access to nutritious meals. This bill is being reintroduced by Democrats, who passed legislation last session that would have guaranteed school meals to public school students, but it was opposed by Legislative Republicans and inevitably vetoed by Lombardo.

On Health Care:

Assemblywoman Venicia Considine announced her plans to reintroduce the Affordable Medicine Act, a bill that would lower the cost of 10 key prescription drugs. This bill builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of new, lower prices for the first ten drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation, and American taxpayers are expected to save $6 billion on prescription drug costs, and people enrolled in Medicare are expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs. The expansion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased access to health insurance to an additional 99,000 Nevadans. 

Last year, Joe Lombardo vetoed AB250 and later received nearly $100,000 in campaign cash from big drug companies. 

On Gun Violence Prevention:

Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui announced her plans to reintroduce common sense gun safety legislation that would prohibit the possession of a firearm in or within a certain distance of a polling site, just as laws prohibit the possession of a firearm on school campuses aimed at keeping our communities safe. Unfortunately, Lombardo vetoed this bill stating, “There is no notable history of gun violence at election facilities in Nevada.”

On Transparency:

State Senator Dallas Harris is introducing legislation to increase the reporting threshold of stocks and business interests Nevada’s elected officials, candidates for public office, and their spouses must disclose. The bill would mandate that elected officials, candidates, and their spouses disclose any business interest or stock ownership with a value greater than $10,000 or 1% of the company.