Commissioners appointed Fabian Donate and Tracy Brown-May to seats in the Nevada Legislature, filling two vacant seats the day after the 2021 Legislature convened in Carson City.

Donate will represent Senate District 10, a seat vacated when Yvanna Cancela resigned to take a position in the administration of President Joe Biden.

Brown-May will represent Assembly District 42, where Alexander Assefa resigned amid accusations of campaign finance irregularities.

The 2021 legislative session will start off closed to all but lawmakers, essential staff, and some members of the media.

All others will participate virtually, according to a logistics plan issued by the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

The plan released on Thursday, less than two weeks before the legislative session begins on February 1, is similar to one in place during two special sessions over the summer.

However, the plan hints at broader access once core personnel are vaccinated for COVID-19.

Members of the public can watch hearings through the legislative website and through YouTube livestreams.

Those wishing to participate in hearings will do so by reservation and through Zoom.

Public comments can be made by phone, or through videoconference at designated locations being developed across the state.

Legislators will meet with constituents and lobbyists through Microsoft Teams.

Once lawmakers and staff have been vaccinated, lobbyists and members of the public will be allowed at hearings in person by reservation.

Participants who come in person will need to show documentation they have been vaccinated or take a free, rapid COVID test before entering the building.

In order to account for more virtual lobbying taking place, the plan also calls for an update to state law.

Only lobbyists who appear in person in the building will need to register with the Legislative Counsel Bureau and be regulated.

The 32nd Special Legislative Session adjourned shortly after midnight and the final bills have gone to Gov. Steve Sisolak for his signature.

Lawmakers wrapped up the state’s latest special session with a deeply divisive amendment.

This amendment cuts schools and hospitals out of a bill to protect business owners from coronavirus related employee lawsuits.

Other issues were also addressed such as police reform, voting rights, more flexibility with Nevada’s unemployment benefits, alternative dispute resolution for rental evictions and a dire budget shortfall as a result of the pandemic.

Legislators appropriated $410,000 from the general fund to pay for the six day session.

State legislators passed a bill Sunday adding Nevada to a growing list of states mailing all active voters ballots ahead of the November election amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The bill now heads to Gov. Steve Sisolak.

If he signs it as expected, Nevada will join seven states planning to automatically send voters mail ballots.

These states include California and Vermont, which moved earlier this summer to adopt automatic mail ballot policies.

The Nevada Legislature’s 31st special session came to an end Sunday after 12 legislative days of grinding progress on a focused agenda to close a $1.2 billion state budget gap.

During the budget focused special session, lawmakers passed four bills implementing a vast majority of budget changes.

Still ahead are a possible second session and further fiscal tightening.

These will come amid uncertainty over another possible round of federal assistance, a resurgent virus spread, and stagnant or worsening economic trends.

Gov. Steve Sisolak stated he would postpone calling a second legislative session due to concerns over a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau sent a notice stating the requirements for registration and reporting of lobbyist activities will not be applicable to the upcoming special session.

To prevent potential spread of the coronavirus, access to the legislative building during the special session will be limited to legislators, essential staff and a small press pool.

The Legislature’s website and YouTube channel will both host livestreams of all floor sessions and committee meetings.

In addition, the teleconference system will allow individuals to call in to participate in the legislative process.

The Legislators will receive written comments made available through submission by email, fax and mail.

Gov. Steve Sisolak officially called for the Nevada Legislature to convene in a special session on July 8 to address the state’s fiscal year 2021 budget crisis.

At a later date, the governor’s office will issue the formal proclamation to convene the special session.

Gov. Sisolak and legislative leadership are working to assess potential additional items to be included in any special session proclamation.

These additions will be including policy proposals related to criminal and social justice reform.

Furthermore, the governor acknowledged the start date could change based on public health conditions.

The public will be able to watch the floor sessions and committee meetings via the Legislature’s livestreams.

Finally, those who wish to participate will be able to teleconference or submit written comments.

This does affect ALERTS reporting.

A lobbyist activity report will be due between the first and tenth of the month after each month the Legislature in in a special session.

Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske announced plans to conduct an all-mail election for the June 9, 2020 primary election.

All active registered voters in Nevada will be mailed an absentee ballot for the primary election.

Voters will be able to mark their ballot at home and then return it by mail using a postage-prepaid envelope.

Voters can also drop off a ballot in person at a designated county location.

This announcement applies only to the June 9, 2020 primary election.

In order to accommodate same-day voter registration, as well as assist voters who have issues with the ballot mailed to them, at least one in-person polling location will be available in each county.

New FARA Regulations, and changes being made to lobbying disclosures in various states. Catch up with all of it in this edition of News You Can Use Video Digest!

Gov. Steve Sisolak signed a lobbying bill to codify existing interpretations of the Legislative Counsel Bureau and to impose additional disclosure from lobbyists.

Assembly Bill 452 provides for more detailed information on registrations.

Additionally,  the bill requires a supplemental registration to be filed for any changes to registration within 24 hours during a legislative session and within 14 days during the interim.

The bill also clarifies that filing a notice of termination does not relieve the lobbyist of the duty to comply with certain continuing requirements and prohibitions of the Lobbying Act.

The bill is effective immediately.

An investigation done by the Las Vegas Review-Journal this month found little to no oversight or enforcement of Clark County’s lobbying laws.

In addition to listing their clients when they register, current law requires lobbyists to file disclosure forms within five days of meeting with a county commissioner.

The Review-Journal uncovered hundreds of occasions of noncompliance just in 2018. County staff admitted timeliness of lobbyist filings is not tracked, and penalties for late filing and other cases of noncompliance have never been assessed.

In response to the findings, county commissioners have pledged to start enforcing the lobbying provisions and put processes in place to meet its goal of increasing transparency.

Nevada Senate Majority Leader Kelvin Atkinson resigned his seat this week after announcing he would plead guilty to federal wire fraud for misusing campaign funds.

Nevada Democrats then unanimously elected Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro to replace Atkinson.

Cannizzaro, a district attorney in Clark County, will be the first female to serve as Senate Majority leader in Nevada.

Atkinson, who spent 17 years in the Assembly and the Senate, was married to his partner in the state’s first same-sex marriage once legalized in 2014.

A special election to fill Atkinson’s seat has not yet been called.

Steve Seroka, Las Vegas City Councilman representing Ward 2, resigned this week effective immediately.

No details surrounding has resignation were released.

It is now up to the City Council to decide to hold a special election or appoint someone to fill the rest of Seroka’s term ending in 2021.

Sekora, who had been facing a recall effort, was elected in 2017.

In a state sweep, Democratic candidate Steve Sisolak won the governor’s race, ending twenty years of Republican control.

Nevada’s gubernatorial election was marked by heavy turnout, which kept voters casting ballots for nearly three hours after polls where scheduled to close, according to the Washington Times.

Steve Sisolak, Clark County Commissioner, beat Republican Adam Laxalt, the state’s attorney general, winning with 49.47 percent of the vote, in what’s called “one of the tightest gubernatorial races in recent Nevada memory.”

Notably, 12 members of Laxalt’s family published an op-ed in the Reno Gazette-Journal opposing his gubernatorial run, and outgoing republican governor Brian Sanodval did not endorse Laxalt.

Sisolak additionally ran against independent candidate Ryan Bundy (son of Cliven Bundy), who received less than 2 percent of the state’s vote.