A.C.R. 1
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ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1–COMMITTEE
ON LEGISLATIVE OPERATIONS AND ELECTIONS
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
____________
Read and Adopted
SUMMARY—Adopts the Joint Standing Rules of the Senate and
Assembly for the 83rd Session of the Legislature.
(BDR R-976)
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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION —Adopting the Joint
Standing Rules of the Senate and Assembly for the 83rd
Session of the Legislature.
RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, THE 1
SENATE CONCURRING, That the Joint Rules of the Senate and 2
Assembly for the 83rd Session of the Legislature are hereby adopted 3
as follows: 4
5
CONFERENCE COMMITTEES 6
7
Rule No. 1. Procedure Concerning. 8
1. In every case of an amendment of a bill, or joint or 9
concurrent resolution, agreed to in one House, dissented from in 10
the other, and not receded from by the one making the 11
amendment, each House may appoint a committee to confer with a 12
like committee to be appointed by the other; and, if appointed, the 13
committee shall meet publicly at a convenient hour to be agreed 14
upon by their respective chairs and announced publicly, and shall 15
confer upon the differences between the two Houses as indicated 16
by the amendments made in one and rejected in the other and 17
report as early as convenient the result of their conference to their 18
respective Houses. 19
2. The report shall be made available to all members of both 20
Houses. The whole subject matter embraced in the bill or 21
resolution shall be considered by the committee, and it may 22
recommend recession by either House, new amendments, a new 23
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bill or resolution, or other changes as it sees fit. A new bill or 1
resolution so reported shall be treated as amendments unless the 2
bill or resolution is composed entirely of original matter, in which 3
case it shall receive the treatment required in the respective 4
Houses for original bills, or resolutions, as the case may be. A 5
conference committee shall not recommend any action which 6
would cause the creation of more than one reprint or more than 7
one bill or resolution. 8
3. The report of a conference committee may be adopted by 9
acclamation. The report is not subject to amendment. 10
4. There shall be but one conference committee on any bill or 11
resolution. A majority of the members of a conference committee 12
from each House must be members who voted for the passage of 13
the bill or resolution. 14
15
MESSAGES 16
17
Rule No. 2. Biennial Message of the Governor. 18
Upon motion, the biennial message of the Governor must be 19
received and read and entered in full in the Journal of 20
proceedings. 21
22
Rule No. 2.2. Other Messages From the Governor. 23
Whenever a message from the Governor is received, it shall be 24
entered in full in the Journal of proceedings. 25
26
Rule No. 2.4. Proclamation by the Governor Convening Special 27
Session. 28
Proclamations by the Governor convening the Legislature in 29
special session must, by direction of the presiding officer of each 30
House, be read immediately after the convening of the special 31
session, and must be filed and entered in the Journal of 32
proceedings. 33
34
Rule No. 2.6. Messages Between Houses. 35
Messages from the Senate to the Assembly shall be delivered by 36
the Secretary or a person designated by the Secretary and 37
messages from the Assembly to the Senate shall be delivered by the 38
Chief Clerk or a person designated by the Chief Clerk. 39
40
NOTICE OF FINAL ACTION 41
42
Rule No. 3. Communications. 43
Each House shall communicate its final action on any bill or 44
resolution, or matter in which the other may be interested, by 45
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written notice. Each such notice sent by the Senate must be signed 1
by the Secretary of the Senate, or a person designated by the 2
Secretary. Each such notice sent by the Assembly must be signed 3
by the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, or a person designated by the 4
Chief Clerk. 5
6
BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS 7
8
Rule No. 4. Signature. 9
Each enrolled bill or joint resolution shall be presented to the 10
presiding officers of both Houses for signature. They shall sign 11
the bill or joint resolution and their signatures shall be followed by 12
those of the Secretary of the Senate and Chief Clerk of the 13
Assembly. 14
15
Rule No. 5. Joint Sponsorship. 16
1. A bill or resolution introduced by a standing committee of 17
the Senate or Assembly may, at the direction of the chair of the 18
committee, set forth the name of a standing committee of the other 19
House as a joint sponsor, if a majority of all members appointed to 20
the committee of the other House votes in favor of becoming a 21
joint sponsor of the bill or resolution. The name of the committee 22
joint sponsor must be set forth on the face of the bill or resolution 23
immediately below the date on which the bill or resolution is 24
introduced. 25
2. A bill or resolution introduced by one or more Legislators 26
elected to one House may, at the direction of the Legislator who 27
brings the bill or resolution forward for introduction, set forth the 28
names of one or more Legislators who are members elected to the 29
other House and who wish to be primary joint sponsors or non-30
primary joint sponsors of the bill or resolution. Not more than five 31
Legislators from each House may be set forth on the face of a bill 32
or resolution as primary joint sponsors. The names of each 33
primary joint sponsor and non-primary joint sponsor must be set 34
forth on the face of the bill or resolution in the following order 35
immediately below the date on which the bill or resolution is 36
introduced: 37
(a) The name of each primary joint sponsor, in the order 38
indicated on the colored back of the introductory copy of the bill 39
or resolution; and 40
(b) The name of each non-primary joint sponsor, in 41
alphabetical order. 42
3. The Legislative Counsel shall not cause to be printed the 43
name of a standing committee as a joint sponsor on the face of a 44
bill or resolution unless the chair of the committee has signed his 45
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or her name next to the name of the committee on the colored 1
back of the introductory copy of the bill or resolution that was 2
submitted to the front desk of the House of origin or the statement 3
required by subsection 5. The Legislative Counsel shall not cause 4
to be printed the name of a Legislator as a primary joint sponsor 5
or non-primary joint sponsor on the face of a bill or resolution 6
unless the Legislator has signed the colored back of the 7
introductory copy of the bill or resolution that was submitted to the 8
front desk of the House of origin or the statement required by 9
subsection 5. 10
4. Upon introduction, any bill or resolution that sets forth the 11
names of primary joint sponsors or non-primary joint sponsors, or 12
both, must be numbered in the same numerical sequence as other 13
bills and resolutions of the same House of origin are numbered. 14
5. Once a bill or resolution has been introduced, a primary 15
joint sponsor or non-primary joint sponsor may only be added or 16
removed by amendment of the bill or resolution. An amendment 17
which proposes to add or remove a primary joint sponsor or non-18
primary joint sponsor must not be considered by the House of 19
origin of the amendment unless a statement requesting the 20
addition or removal is attached to the copy of the amendment 21
submitted to the front desk of the House of origin of the 22
amendment. If the amendment proposes to add or remove a 23
Legislator as a primary joint sponsor or non-primary joint 24
sponsor, the statement must be signed by that Legislator. If the 25
amendment proposes to add or remove a standing committee as a 26
joint sponsor, the statement must be signed by the chair of the 27
committee. A copy of the statement must be transmitted to the 28
Legislative Counsel if the amendment is adopted. 29
6. An amendment that proposes to add or remove a primary 30
joint sponsor or non-primary joint sponsor may include additional 31
proposals to change the substantive provisions of the bill or 32
resolution or may be limited only to the proposal to add or remove 33
a primary joint sponsor or non-primary joint sponsor. 34
35
PUBLICATIONS 36
37
Rule No. 6. Ordering and Distribution. 38
1. The bills, resolutions, journals and histories will be 39
provided electronically to the officers and members of the Senate 40
and Assembly, staff of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, the press 41
and the general public on the Nevada Legislature’s Internet 42
website. 43
2. Each House may order the printing of bills introduced, 44
reports of its own committees, and other matter pertaining to that 45
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House only; but no other printing may be ordered except by a 1
concurrent resolution passed by both Houses. Each Senator is 2
entitled to the free distribution of four copies of each bill 3
introduced in each House, and each Assemblymember to such a 4
distribution of two copies. Additional copies of such bills may be 5
distributed at a charge to the person to whom they are addressed. 6
The amount charged for distribution of the additional copies must 7
be determined by the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau 8
to approximate the cost of handling and postage for the entire 9
session. 10
11
RESOLUTIONS 12
13
Rule No. 7. Types, Usage and Approval. 14
1. A joint resolution must be used to: 15
(a) Propose an amendment to the Nevada Constitution. 16
(b) Ratify a proposed amendment to the United States 17
Constitution. 18
(c) Address the President of the United States, Congress, either 19
House or any committee or member of Congress, any department 20
or agency of the Federal Government, or any other state of the 21
Union. 22
2. A concurrent resolution must be used to: 23
(a) Amend these Joint Standing Rules, which requires a 24
majority vote of each House for adoption. 25
(b) Request the return from the Governor of an enrolled bill 26
for further consideration. 27
(c) Request the return from the Secretary of State of an 28
enrolled joint or concurrent resolution for further consideration. 29
(d) Resolve that the return of a bill from one House to the 30
other House is necessary and appropriate. 31
(e) Express facts, principles, opinion and purposes of the 32
Senate and Assembly. 33
(f) Establish a joint committee of the two Houses. 34
(g) Direct the Legislative Commission to conduct an interim 35
study. 36
3. A concurrent resolution or a resolution of one House may 37
be used to memorialize a former member of the Legislature or 38
other notable or distinguished person upon his or her death. 39
4. A resolution of one House may be used to request the 40
return from the Secretary of State of an enrolled resolution of the 41
same House for further consideration. 42
5. A resolution of one House may be used for any additional 43
purpose determined appropriate by the Majority Leader of the 44
Senate or the Speaker of the Assembly, respectively. 45
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6. A concurrent resolution used for the purposes expressed in 1
paragraph (e) of subsection 2 may only be requested by a 2
statutory, interim or standing committee. 3
4
Rule No. 8. Reserved. 5
6
ADJOURNMENT 7
8
Rule No. 9. Limitations and Calculation of Duration. 9
1. In calculating the permissible duration of an adjournment 10
for 3 days or less, Sunday must not be counted. 11
2. The Legislature may adjourn for more than 3 days by 12
motion based on mutual consent of the Houses or by concurrent 13
resolution. One or more such adjournments, for a total of not 14
more than 20 days during any regular session, may be taken to 15
permit standing committees, select committees or the Legislative 16
Counsel Bureau to prepare the matters respectively entrusted to 17
them for the consideration of the Legislature as a whole. 18
19
Rule No. 9.5. Adjournment Sine Die. 20
1. The Legislature shall not take any action on a bill or 21
resolution after midnight Pacific time at the end of the 120th 22
consecutive calendar day of session, inclusive of the day on which 23
the session commences. Any legislative action taken after 24
midnight Pacific time at the end of the 120th consecutive calendar 25
day of session is void, unless the legislative action is conducted 26
during a special session. 27
2. A Legislator shall not take any action to impede the 28
progress of the Legislature in completing its business by the time 29
specified in subsection 1. 30
3. The Legislature and its members, officers and employees 31
shall not employ any device, pretense or fiction that adjusts, 32
evades or ignores the measure of time specified in subsection 1 for 33
the purpose of extending the duration of the session. 34
4. Any action taken in violation of subsection 2 or 3 shall be 35
deemed out of order. 36
5. As used in this Rule, “midnight Pacific time” must be 37
determined based on the actual measure of time that, on the final 38
calendar day of the session, is being used and observed by the 39
general population as the uniform time for the portion of Nevada 40
which lies within the Pacific time zone, or any legal successor to 41
the Pacific time zone, and which includes the seat of government 42
of this State as designated by Section 1 of Article 15 of the Nevada 43
Constitution. 44
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EXPENDITURES FROM THE LEGISLATIVE FUND 1
2
Rule No. 10. Manner of Authorization. 3
Except for routine salary, travel, equipment and operating 4
expenses, no expenditures shall be made from the Legislative 5
Fund without the authority of a concurrent resolution regularly 6
adopted by the Senate and Assembly. 7
8
LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION 9
10
Rule No. 11. Membership and Organization. 11
1. When members of the minority party in the Senate or in 12
the Assembly comprise one-third or less of the total number 13
elected to that House, minority party membership for that House 14
on the Legislative Commission must be: 15
(a) One, if such membership is less than one-fifth of the total 16
number elected to that House. 17
(b) Two, if such membership is at least one-fifth but not more 18
than one-third of the total number elected to that House. 19
If the members of the minority party in the Senate or in the 20
Assembly comprise more than one-third of the total number 21
elected to that House, minority party membership for that House 22
on the Commission must be three, being equal to the membership 23
of the majority party. 24
2. Each House shall select one or more alternate members 25
for each member from that House, designating them according to 26
party or according to the individual member whom the alternate 27
would replace. 28
3. A vacancy in the regular Senate or Assembly membership 29
created by death or by resignation or by the Legislator’s ceasing to 30
be a member of the Legislature shall be filled by the proper 31
alternate member as designated by that House. If there is no 32
proper alternate member, the Legislative Commission shall fill the 33
vacancy by appointing a Senator or Assemblymember of the same 34
party. 35
4. If for any reason a member is or will be absent from a 36
meeting and there are no alternates available, the Chair of the 37
Commission may appoint a member of the same House and 38
political party to attend the meeting as an alternate. 39
5. The members shall serve until their successors are 40
appointed by resolution as provided in NRS 218E.150, except that 41
the membership of any member who does not become a candidate 42
for reelection or who is defeated for reelection shall terminate on 43
the day next after the election and the vacancy shall be filled as 44
provided in this Rule. 45
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6. The Chair shall be selected at the first meeting of the newly 1
formed Legislative Commission and shall serve until his or her 2
successor is appointed following the formation of the next 3
Legislative Commission. 4
5
RECORDS OF COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS 6
7
Rule No. 12. Duties of Secretary of Committee and Director. 8
1. Each standing committee of the Legislature shall cause a 9
record to be made of the proceedings of its meetings. 10
2. The secretary of a standing committee shall: 11
(a) Label each record with the date, time and place of the 12
meeting and also indicate on the label the numerical sequence in 13
which the record was made; 14
(b) Keep the records in chronological order; and 15
(c) Deposit the records upon completion with the Research 16
Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau. 17
3. The Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau shall: 18
(a) Make the records available for accessing by any person 19
during office hours under such reasonable conditions as the 20
Director may deem necessary; and 21
(b) Retain the records for two bienniums and at the end of that 22
period keep some form or copy of the record in any manner the 23
Director deems reasonable to ensure access to the record in the 24
foreseeable future. 25
26
REAPPORTIONMENT AND REDISTRICTING 27
28
Rule No. 13. Reserved. 29
30
Rule No. 13.1. Reserved. 31
32
Rule No. 13.2. Reserved. 33
34
Rule No. 13.3. Reserved. 35
36
Rule No. 13.4. Reserved. 37
38
Rule No. 13.6. Reserved. 39
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LIMITATIONS ON INTRODUCTION AND REQUESTS 1
FOR DRAFTING OF LEGISLATIVE MEASURES 2
3
Rule No. 14. Limitations on Drafting and Requirements for 4
Introduction; Indication of Requester on Committee 5
Introductions. 6
1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3 and Joint 7
Standing Rules Nos. 14.4, 14.5 and 14.6, after a regular legislative 8
session has convened, the Legislative Counsel shall honor, if 9
submitted before 5 p.m. on the 15th calendar day of the legislative 10
session, not more than 60 requests, in total, from each House for 11
the drafting of a bill or joint resolution. The Majority Leader 12
of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly shall, not later than 13
the 8th calendar day of the legislative session, allocate all, some or 14
none of the 60 requests and provide the Legislative Counsel with a 15
written list of the number of requests for the drafting of a bill or 16
resolution that may be submitted by each member and standing 17
committee of their respective Houses, and as Majority Leader or 18
Speaker, as applicable, within the limit provided by this 19
subsection. The lists may be revised any time before the 15th 20
calendar day of the legislative session to reallocate any unused 21
requests or requests which were withdrawn before drafting began 22
on the request. 23
2. A request for the drafting of a bill or resolution that is 24
submitted by a standing committee pursuant to this section must 25
be approved by a majority of all of the members appointed to the 26
committee before the request is submitted to the Legislative 27
Counsel. 28
3. A standing committee may only request the drafting of a 29
bill or resolution or introduce a bill or resolution that is within the 30
jurisdiction of the standing committee. 31
4. A measure introduced by a standing committee at the 32
request of a Legislator or organization must indicate the 33
Legislator or organization at whose request the measure was 34
drafted. 35
5. The following measures must be introduced by a standing 36
committee: 37
(a) Measures drafted at the request of agencies and officers of 38
the Executive Branch of State Government, local governments, the 39
courts and other authorized nonlegislative requesters. 40
(b) Measures requested by statutory committees and interim 41
legislative studies. 42
(c) Bills requested by a standing committee, or by persons 43
designated to request measures on behalf of a standing committee 44
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during the interim. Bills requested by or on behalf of a standing 1
committee must be introduced by that committee. 2
6. Resolutions requested by or on behalf of a standing 3
committee may be introduced by an individual member. 4
7. A Legislator may not change the subject matter of a 5
request for a legislative measure after it has been submitted for 6
drafting. 7
8
Rule No. 14.1. Secondary Deadline for Submission of Details to 9
the Legislative Counsel. 10
1. If a request for the drafting of a bill or resolution is 11
submitted to the Legislative Counsel by a Senator or 12
Assemblymember, a standing committee of the Assembly or Senate 13
or the Majority Leader of the Senate or the Speaker of the 14
Assembly on or before the 15th calendar day of the legislative 15
session pursuant to subsection 1 of Joint Standing Rule No. 14, 16
the member, chair of the standing committee or his or her 17
designee, and the Majority Leader and Speaker, as applicable, 18
shall, by the 22nd calendar day of the legislative session, provide 19
the Legislative Counsel with information to draft the request 20
which is sufficient in detail to allow for complete drafting of the 21
request. 22
2. The Legislative Counsel shall give priority to the drafting 23
of bills and resolutions for which sufficient detail to allow 24
complete drafting of the request was submitted within the period 25
required by this Rule. 26
3. The provisions of this Rule apply to a request submitted by 27
a Legislator who is not returning to the Legislature for the 28
legislative session if the request was claimed by another Legislator 29
who is or will be serving during the legislative session. 30
4. The provisions of this Rule do not apply to: 31
(a) Emergency requests submitted pursuant to Joint Standing 32
Rule No. 14.4. 33
(b) Requests for which a waiver is granted pursuant to Joint 34
Standing Rule No. 14.5. 35
36
Rule No. 14.2. Limitations on Time for Introduction of 37
Legislation. 38
1. Except as otherwise provided in Joint Standing Rules Nos. 39
14.4, 14.5 and 14.6: 40
(a) Unless the provisions of paragraph (b) or (c) are 41
applicable, a bill or joint resolution may only be introduced on or 42
before: 43
(1) The 10th calendar day following delivery of the 44
introductory copy of the bill or joint resolution; or 45
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(2) The last day for introduction of the bill or joint 1
resolution as required by paragraph (e), 2
whichever is earlier. 3
(b) If a bill or joint resolution requires revision after the 4
introductory copy has been delivered, such information as is 5
required to draft the revision must be submitted to the Legislative 6
Counsel before the 10th calendar day following delivery of the 7
introductory copy of the bill or joint resolution. The revised bill or 8
joint resolution may only be introduced on or before: 9
(1) The 15th calendar day following delivery of the original 10
introductory copy of the bill or joint resolution; or 11
(2) The last day for introduction of the bill or joint 12
resolution as required by paragraph (e), 13
whichever is earlier. 14
(c) If the bill or joint resolution requires a second or 15
subsequent revision, such information as is required to draft the 16
revision must be submitted to the Legislative Counsel before the 17
15th calendar day following delivery of the original introductory 18
copy of the bill or joint resolution. A bill or joint resolution revised 19
pursuant to this paragraph may only be introduced on or before: 20
(1) The 20th calendar day following delivery of the original 21
introductory copy of the bill or joint resolution; or 22
(2) The last day for introduction of the bill or joint 23
resolution as required by paragraph (e), 24
whichever is earlier. 25
(d) A request that was designated for prefiling pursuant to 26
NRS 218D.150 must be introduced on or before the 15th calendar 27
day of the legislative session. 28
(e) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, the last day 29
for introduction of a bill or joint resolution that was requested by: 30
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (2), a 31
Legislator is the 43rd calendar day of the legislative session. 32
(2) A Legislator, pursuant to subsection 1 of Joint Standing 33
Rule No. 14, a standing or interim committee or other requester is 34
the 50th calendar day of the legislative session. 35
2. The Legislative Counsel shall indicate on the face of the 36
introductory copy of each bill or joint resolution the final date on 37
which the bill or joint resolution may be introduced. 38
3. If the final date on which the bill or joint resolution may be 39
introduced falls upon a day on which the House in which the bill 40
or joint resolution is to be introduced is not in session, the bill or 41
joint resolution may be introduced on the next day that the House 42
is in session. 43
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SCHEDULE FOR ENACTMENT OF BILLS 1
2
Rule No. 14.3. Final Dates for Action by Standing Committees 3
and Houses. 4
Except as otherwise provided in Joint Standing Rules Nos. 5
14.4, 14.5 and 14.6: 6
1. The final standing committee to which a bill or joint 7
resolution is referred in its House of origin may only take action 8
on the bill or joint resolution on or before the 68th calendar day of 9
the legislative session. A bill may be re-referred after that date 10
only to the Senate Committee on Finance or the Assembly 11
Committee on Ways and Means and only if the bill is exempt 12
pursuant to subsection 1 of Joint Standing Rule No. 14.6. 13
2. Final action on a bill or joint resolution may only be taken 14
by the House of origin on or before the 79th calendar day of the 15
legislative session. 16
3. The final standing committee to which a bill or joint 17
resolution is referred in the second House may only take action on 18
the bill or joint resolution on or before the 103rd calendar day of 19
the legislative session. A bill may be re-referred after that date 20
only to the Senate Committee on Finance or the Assembly 21
Committee on Ways and Means and only if the bill is exempt 22
pursuant to subsection 1 of Joint Standing Rule No. 14.6. 23
4. Final action on a bill or joint resolution may only be taken 24
by the second House on or before the 110th calendar day of the 25
legislative session. 26
27
Rule No. 14.4. Emergency Requests. 28
1. After a legislative session has convened: 29
(a) The Majority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the 30
Assembly may each submit to the Legislative Counsel, on his or 31
her own behalf or on the behalf of another Legislator or a 32
standing committee of the Senate or Assembly, not more than 10 33
requests for the drafting of a bill or resolution. 34
(b) The Minority Leader of the Senate and the Minority 35
Leader of the Assembly may each submit to the Legislative 36
Counsel, on his or her own behalf or on the behalf of another 37
Legislator or a standing committee of the Senate or Assembly, not 38
more than three requests for the drafting of a bill or resolution. 39
2. A request submitted pursuant to subsection 1: 40
(a) May be submitted at any time during the legislative session 41
and is not subject to any of the provisions of subsection 1 of Joint 42
Standing Rule No. 14, Joint Standing Rule No. 14.1, subsection 1 43
of Joint Standing Rule No. 14.2 and Joint Standing Rule No. 14.3. 44
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(b) Is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other requests for 1
the drafting of a bill or resolution that are authorized to be 2
submitted to the Legislative Counsel by the Majority Leader of the 3
Senate, Speaker of the Assembly, Minority Leader of the Senate or 4
Minority Leader of the Assembly. 5
3. The list of requests for the preparation of legislative 6
measures prepared pursuant to NRS 218D.130 must include the 7
phrase “EMERGENCY REQUEST OF” and state the title of the 8
person who requested each bill or resolution pursuant to this Rule. 9
If the request was made on behalf of another Legislator or a 10
standing committee, the list must also include the name of the 11
Legislator or standing committee on whose behalf the bill or 12
resolution was requested. 13
4. The Legislative Counsel shall cause to be printed on the 14
face of the introductory copy and all reprints of each bill or 15
resolution requested pursuant to this Rule the phrase 16
“EMERGENCY REQUEST OF” and state the title of the person 17
who requested the bill or resolution. 18
19
Rule No. 14.5. Waivers. 20
1. At the request of a Legislator or a standing or select 21
committee of the Senate or Assembly, subsection 1 of Joint 22
Standing Rule No. 14, subsection 1 of Joint Standing Rule No. 23
14.2 or any of the provisions of Joint Standing Rules Nos. 14.1 24
and 14.3, or any combination thereof, may be waived by the 25
Majority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly, 26
acting jointly, at any time during a legislative session. 27
2. A waiver granted pursuant to subsection 1: 28
(a) Must be in writing, executed on a form provided by the 29
Legislative Counsel, and signed by the Majority Leader and the 30
Speaker. 31
(b) Must indicate the date on which the waiver is granted. 32
(c) Must indicate the Legislator or committee on whose behalf 33
the waiver is being granted. 34
(d) Must include the bill number or resolution number for 35
which the waiver is granted or indicate that the Legislative 36
Counsel is authorized to accept and honor a request for a new bill 37
or resolution. 38
(e) Must indicate the provisions to which the waiver applies. 39
(f) May include the conditions under which the bill or 40
resolution for which the waiver is being granted must be 41
introduced and processed. 42
3. The Legislative Counsel shall not honor a request for the 43
drafting of a new bill or resolution for which a waiver is granted 44
pursuant to this Rule unless information which is sufficient in 45
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detail to allow for complete drafting of the bill or resolution is 1
submitted to the Legislative Counsel within 2 calendar days after 2
the date on which the waiver is granted. 3
4. Upon the receipt of a written waiver granted pursuant to 4
this Rule, the Legislative Counsel shall transmit a copy of the 5
waiver to the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the 6
Assembly. The notice that a waiver has been granted for an 7
existing bill or resolution must be read on the floor and entered in 8
the Journal, and a notation that the waiver was granted must be 9
included as a part of the history of the bill or resolution on the 10
next practicable legislative day. A notation that a waiver was 11
granted authorizing a new bill or resolution must be included as a 12
part of the history of the bill or resolution after introduction. 13
5. The Legislative Counsel shall secure the original copy of 14
the waiver to the official cover of the bill or resolution. 15
16
Rule No. 14.6. Exemptions. 17
1. Upon request of the draft by or referral to the Senate 18
Committee on Finance or the Assembly Committee on Ways and 19
Means, a bill which: 20
(a) Contains an appropriation; or 21
(b) Has been determined by the Fiscal Analysis Division to: 22
(1) Authorize the expenditure by a state agency of sums not 23
appropriated from the State General Fund or the State Highway 24
Fund; 25
(2) Create or increase any significant fiscal liability of the 26
State; 27
(3) Implement a budget decision; or 28
(4) Significantly decrease any revenue of the State, 29
is exempt from the provisions of subsection 1 of Joint Standing 30
Rule No. 14, Joint Standing Rule No. 14.1, subsection 1 of Joint 31
Standing Rule No. 14.2 and Joint Standing Rule No. 14.3. The 32
Fiscal Analysis Division shall give notice to the Legislative 33
Counsel to cause to be printed on the face of the bill the term 34
“exempt” for any bills requested by the Senate Committee on 35
Finance or Assembly Committee on Ways and Means that have 36
been determined to be exempt and shall give written notice to the 37
Legislative Counsel, Secretary of the Senate and Chief Clerk of 38
the Assembly of any bill which is determined to be exempt or 39
eligible for exemption after it is printed. When a bill is determined 40
to be exempt or eligible for an exemption after the bill was printed, 41
a notation must be included as a part of the history of the bill on 42
the next practicable legislative day. The term “exempt” must be 43
printed on the face of all reprints of the bill after the bill becomes 44
exempt. 45
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2. Unless exempt pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 1, 1
all of the provisions of Joint Standing Rules Nos. 14, 14.1, 14.2 2
and 14.3 apply to a bill until the bill becomes exempt pursuant to 3
subsection 1. A bill that has become exempt does not lose the 4
exemption regardless of subsequent actions taken by the 5
Legislature. 6
3. A cumulative list of all bills determined by the Fiscal 7
Analysis Division pursuant to subsection 1 to be exempt or eligible 8
for exemption after being printed must be maintained and printed 9
in the back of the list of requests for the preparation of legislative 10
measures prepared pursuant to NRS 218D.130. 11
4. The provisions of subsection 1 of Joint Standing Rule No. 12
14, Joint Standing Rule No. 14.1, subsection 1 of Joint Standing 13
Rule No. 14.2 and Joint Standing Rule No. 14.3 do not apply to: 14
(a) A measure that primarily relates to carrying out the 15
business of the Legislature. 16
(b) A bill returned from enrollment for a technical correction. 17
(c) A bill that was previously enrolled but, upon request of the 18
Legislature, has been returned from the Governor for further 19
consideration. 20
21
Rule No. 14.7. Amendments. 22
1. The Legislative Counsel shall not honor a request for the 23
drafting of an amendment to a bill or resolution if the subject 24
matter of the amendment is independent of, and not specifically 25
related and properly connected to, the subject that is expressed in 26
the title of the bill or resolution. 27
2. For the purposes of this Rule, an amendment is 28
independent of, and not specifically related and properly 29
connected to, the subject that is expressed in the title of a bill or 30
resolution if the amendment relates only to the general, single 31
subject that is expressed in that title and not to the specific whole 32
subject matter embraced in the bill or resolution. 33
3. This Rule must be narrowly construed to carry out the 34
purposes for which it was adopted, which is to ensure the 35
effectiveness of the limitations set forth in Joint Standing Rules 36
Nos. 14, 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3. 37
38
Rule No. 15. Reserved. 39
40
Rule No. 16. Reserved. 41
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DATE OF FIRST JOINT BUDGET HEARING 1
2
Rule No. 17. Requirement. 3
The first joint meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on 4
Finance and the Assembly Standing Committee on Ways and 5
Means to consider the budgets of the agencies of the State must be 6
held on or before the 92nd calendar day of the regular session. 7
8
CRITERIA FOR REVIEWING BILLS THAT 9
REQUIRE POLICIES OF HEALTH 10
INSURANCE TO PROVIDE COVERAGE 11
FOR CERTAIN TREATMENT OR SERVICES 12
13
Rule No. 18. Topics of Consideration. 14
Any standing committee of the Senate or Assembly to which a 15
bill is referred requiring a policy of health insurance delivered or 16
issued for delivery in this State to provide coverage for any 17
treatment or service shall review the bill giving consideration to: 18
1. The level of public demand for the treatment or service for 19
which coverage is required and the extent to which such coverage 20
is needed in this State; 21
2. The extent to which coverage for the treatment or service is 22
currently available; 23
3. The extent to which the required coverage may increase or 24
decrease the cost of the treatment or service; 25
4. The effect the required coverage will have on the cost of 26
obtaining policies of health insurance in this State; 27
5. The effect the required coverage will have on the cost of 28
health care provided in this State; and 29
6. Such other considerations as are necessary to determine 30
the fiscal and social impact of requiring coverage for the 31
treatment or service. 32
33
INTERIM LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES 34
35
Rule No. 19. Approval for Meeting During Session and Date 36
for Reporting. 37
1. A legislative committee that meets during the interim shall 38
not schedule or otherwise hold a meeting during a regular session 39
of the Legislature or during an adjournment pursuant to Joint 40
Standing Rule No. 9 without the prior approval of the Majority 41
Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly. 42
2. Each legislative committee that adopted any findings or 43
recommendations during the interim since the last regular session 44
of the Legislature shall, not later than the 14th calendar day of the 45
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regular session, inform interested members of the Senate and 1
Assembly of those findings and recommendations. 2
3
ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY 4
5
Rule No. 20. Maintenance of Working Environment; 6
Procedure for Filing, Investigating and Taking Remedial Action 7
on Complaints. 8
1. The Legislature hereby declares that it is the policy of the 9
Legislature to prohibit any conduct, whether intentional or 10
unintentional, which results in sexual harassment or other 11
unlawful harassment based upon any other protected category. 12
The Legislature intends to maintain a working environment which 13
is free from sexual harassment and other unlawful harassment. 14
Each Legislator is responsible to conduct himself or herself in a 15
manner which will ensure that others are able to work in such an 16
environment. 17
2. In accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 18
1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e et seq., for the purposes of this Rule, 19
“sexual harassment” means unwelcome sexual advances, requests 20
for sexual favors, and other verbal, visual or physical conduct of a 21
sexual nature when: 22
(a) Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or 23
implicitly a term or condition of a person’s employment; 24
(b) Submission to or rejection of such conduct by a person is 25
used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the person; 26
or 27
(c) Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably 28
interfering with a person’s work performance or creating an 29
intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. 30
3. Each Legislator must exercise his or her own good 31
judgment to avoid engaging in conduct that may be perceived by 32
others as sexual harassment. The following noninclusive list 33
provides illustrations of conduct that the Legislature deems to be 34
inappropriate: 35
(a) Verbal conduct such as epithets, derogatory comments, 36
slurs or unwanted sexual advances, invitations or comments; 37
(b) Visual conduct such as derogatory posters, photography, 38
cartoons, drawings or gestures; 39
(c) Physical conduct such as unwanted touching, blocking 40
normal movement or interfering with the work directed at a person 41
because of his or her sex; and 42
(d) Threats and demands to submit to sexual requests to keep a 43
person’s job or avoid some other loss, and offers of employment 44
benefits in return for sexual favors. 45
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4. In addition to other prohibited conduct, a complaint may 1
be brought pursuant to this Rule for engaging in conduct 2
prohibited by Joint Standing Rule No. 37 when the prohibited 3
conduct is based on or because of the gender or other protected 4
category of the person. 5
5. Retaliation against a person for engaging in protected 6
activity is prohibited. Retaliation occurs when an adverse action is 7
taken against a person which is reasonably likely to deter the 8
person from engaging in the protected activity. Protected activity 9
includes, without limitation: 10
(a) Opposing conduct that the person reasonably believes 11
constitutes sexual harassment or other unlawful harassment; 12
(b) Filing a complaint about the conduct; or 13
(c) Testifying, assisting or participating in any manner in an 14
investigation or other proceeding related to a complaint of sexual 15
harassment or other unlawful harassment. 16
6. A Legislator who encounters conduct that the Legislator 17
believes is sexual harassment, other unlawful harassment, 18
retaliation or otherwise inconsistent with this policy may file a 19
written complaint with: 20
(a) The Speaker of the Assembly; 21
(b) The Majority Leader of the Senate; 22
(c) The Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, if the 23
complaint involves the conduct of the Speaker of the Assembly or 24
the Majority Leader of the Senate; or 25
(d) The reporting system established pursuant to 26
subsection 11. 27
The complaint must include the details of the incident or 28
incidents, the names of the persons involved and the names of any 29
witnesses. Unless the Legislative Counsel is the subject of the 30
complaint, the Legislative Counsel must be informed upon receipt 31
of a complaint. 32
7. The Speaker of the Assembly, the Majority Leader of the 33
Senate or the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, as 34
appropriate, shall cause a discreet and impartial investigation to 35
be conducted and may, when deemed necessary and appropriate, 36
assign the complaint to a committee consisting of Legislators of 37
the appropriate House. 38
8. If the investigation reveals that sexual harassment, other 39
unlawful harassment, retaliation or other conduct in violation of 40
this policy has occurred, appropriate disciplinary or remedial 41
action, or both, will be taken. The appropriate persons will be 42
informed when any such action is taken. The Legislature will also 43
take any action necessary to deter any future harassment. 44
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9. The Legislature encourages a Legislator to report any 1
incident of sexual harassment, other unlawful harassment, 2
retaliation or other conduct inconsistent with this policy 3
immediately so that the complaint can be quickly and fairly 4
resolved. 5
10. All Legislators are responsible for adhering to the 6
provisions of this policy. The prohibitions against engaging in 7
sexual harassment and other unlawful harassment which are set 8
forth in this Rule also apply to employees, Legislators, lobbyists, 9
vendors, contractors, customers and any other visitors to the 10
Legislature. 11
11. The Legislative Counsel Bureau shall establish a 12
reporting system which allows a person to submit a complaint of a 13
violation of this Rule with or without identifying himself or 14
herself. Such a complaint must provide enough details of the 15
incident or incidents alleged, the names of the persons involved 16
and the names of any witnesses to allow an appropriate inquiry to 17
occur. 18
12. This policy does not create any private right of action or 19
enforceable legal rights in any person. 20
21
Rule No. 20.5. Lobbyists to Maintain Appropriate Working 22
Environment; Procedure for Filing, Investigating and Taking 23
Remedial Action on Complaints. 24
1. A lobbyist shall not engage in any conduct with a 25
Legislator or any other person working in the Legislature which is 26
prohibited by a Legislator under Joint Standing Rule No. 20. Each 27
lobbyist is responsible to conduct himself or herself in a manner 28
which will ensure that others who work in the Legislature are able 29
to work in an environment free from sexual harassment and other 30
unlawful harassment. 31
2. Each lobbyist must exercise his or her own good judgment 32
to avoid engaging in conduct that may be perceived by others as 33
sexual harassment as described in Joint Standing Rule No. 20. 34
3. A lobbyist who encounters conduct that he or she believes 35
is sexual harassment, other unlawful harassment, retaliation or 36
otherwise inconsistent with this policy may file a written complaint 37
with: 38
(a) The Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau; or 39
(b) The reporting system established pursuant to subsection 11 40
of Joint Standing Rule No. 20. 41
Such a complaint must include the details of the incident or 42
incidents alleged, the names of the persons involved and the 43
names of any witnesses. Unless the Legislative Counsel is the 44
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subject of the complaint, the Legislative Counsel must be informed 1
upon receipt of a complaint. 2
4. If a person encounters conduct by a lobbyist which he or 3
she believes is sexual harassment, other unlawful harassment, 4
retaliation or otherwise inconsistent with this policy, the person 5
may file a complaint in the manner listed in subsection 3, or may 6
submit a complaint in accordance with the reporting system 7
established pursuant to subsection 11 of Joint Standing Rule 8
No. 20. 9
5. If a complaint made against a lobbyist pursuant to this 10
Rule is substantiated, appropriate disciplinary action may be 11
brought against the lobbyist which may include, without 12
limitation, having his or her registration as a lobbyist suspended. 13
6. The provisions of this policy are not intended to address 14
conduct between lobbyists and must not be used for that purpose. 15
This policy does not create any private right of action or 16
enforceable legal rights in any person. 17
18
VOTE ON GENERAL APPROPRIATION BILL 19
20
Rule No. 21. Waiting Period Between Introduction and Final 21
Passage. 22
A period of at least 24 hours must elapse between the 23
introduction of the general appropriation bill and a vote on its 24
final passage by its House of origin. 25
26
USE OF LOCK BOXES BY STATE AGENCIES 27
28
Rule No. 22. Duties of Senate Standing Committee on Finance 29
and Assembly Standing Committee on Ways and Means. 30
To expedite the deposit of state revenue, the Senate Standing 31
Committee on Finance and the Assembly Standing Committee on 32
Ways and Means shall, when reviewing the proposed budget of a 33
state agency which collects state revenue, require, if practicable, 34
the agency to deposit revenue that it has received within 24 hours 35
after receipt. The Committees shall allow such agencies to deposit 36
the revenue directly or contract with a service to deposit the 37
revenue within the specified period. 38
39
Rule No. 23. Reserved. 40
41
Rule No. 24. Reserved. 42
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ACCREDITATION OF NEWS MEDIA 1
2
Rule No. 25. Procedures and Standards for Accreditation; 3
Disqualifications; Definition of “Bona Fide News Medium.” 4
1. If a person is accredited as a member of a bona fide news 5
medium in accordance with the requirements in this Rule, the 6
person may be granted the privilege of accessing any areas 7
designated for members of a bona fide news medium on the floor 8
or in the chambers of the Senate and Assembly, subject to the 9
approval, regulation and supervision of the Majority Leader of the 10
Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly. 11
2. If a person wants to be considered for accreditation as a 12
member of a bona fide news medium, the person must complete 13
and file an application for accreditation with the Director of the 14
Legislative Counsel Bureau. The application must include: 15
(a) The person’s full name, telephone number and electronic 16
mail address and a copy of a driver’s license or other photo 17
identification deemed sufficient by the Director to identify the 18
person. 19
(b) The name of each bona fide news medium that the person 20
works for or represents and the business address, telephone 21
number and electronic mail address of each such bona fide news 22
medium. 23
(c) Documentary or other evidence deemed sufficient by the 24
Director to establish that the person works for or represents a 25
bona fide news medium. Such evidence may include a copy of an 26
identification badge issued by a bona fide news medium or, in the 27
absence of such an identification badge, any other evidence 28
deemed sufficient by the Director to establish that the person 29
works for or represents a bona fide news medium. 30
(d) Any other information or evidence that the Director 31
determines is necessary to carry out the provisions of this Rule. 32
3. In addition to the requirements of subsection 2, the 33
application must include: 34
(a) A declaration that the person is not registered as a lobbyist 35
pursuant to chapter 218H of NRS and, to the best of the person’s 36
knowledge and belief at that time, does not intend to register as a 37
lobbyist or engage in any lobbying activities that would require the 38
person to register as a lobbyist during any regular or special 39
session pursuant to chapter 218H of NRS. 40
(b) An acknowledgment that, if the person is accredited as a 41
member of a bona fide news medium and thereafter registers as a 42
lobbyist or engages in any lobbying activities that would require 43
the person to register as a lobbyist during any regular or special 44
session pursuant to chapter 218H of NRS, regardless of whether 45
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the person properly registers or fails to register as a lobbyist as 1
required by that chapter, the person shall be deemed to have 2
forfeited the person’s accreditation, and the person must return 3
the person’s identification badge as a member of a bona fide news 4
medium to the Legislative Counsel Bureau. 5
4. When any applications are filed pursuant to this Rule, the 6
Director shall, as soon as reasonably practicable: 7
(a) Review the applications for compliance with the 8
requirements in this Rule and prepare lists naming the persons 9
whose applications the Director has made a preliminary 10
determination and recommendation that the applications comply 11
with the requirements in this Rule; 12
(b) Submit such lists to the Secretary of the Senate and the 13
Chief Clerk of the Assembly for review and approval by the 14
Majority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly; 15
and 16
(c) Prepare identification badges for the persons named in 17
such lists. 18
5. The applications of the persons named in such lists and 19
their accreditation as members of a bona fide news medium shall 20
be deemed approved by the Majority Leader of the Senate and the 21
Speaker of the Assembly if their names are read or entered into 22
the Journals of the Senate and Assembly. 23
6. Any decisions to approve, deny, suspend or revoke the 24
accreditation of a member of a bona fide news medium, or 25
discipline such a member for violations of any rules or policies, is 26
at the sole discretion of the Majority Leader of the Senate and the 27
Speaker of the Assembly. 28
7. The Legislative Counsel Bureau shall act as the 29
administrative liaison between any applicants or accredited 30
members of a bona fide news medium and the Senate and 31
Assembly for purposes of accepting and processing applications 32
for accreditation, preparing and regulating identification badges 33
and administering any other matters necessary to carry out the 34
provisions of this Rule, but such actions by the Legislative 35
Counsel Bureau do not affect the authority of the Senate and 36
Assembly to govern their own chambers or otherwise determine 37
privileges of the floor. 38
8. A person is disqualified and barred from being accredited 39
as a member of a bona fide news medium if the person registers as 40
a lobbyist or engages in any lobbying activities that would require 41
the person to register as a lobbyist during any regular or special 42
session pursuant to chapter 218H of NRS, regardless of whether 43
the person properly registers or fails to register as a lobbyist as 44
required by that chapter. If a person is accredited as a member of 45
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a bona fide news medium and thereafter registers as a lobbyist or 1
engages in any lobbying activities that would require the person to 2
register as a lobbyist during any regular or special session 3
pursuant to chapter 218H of NRS, regardless of whether the 4
person properly registers or fails to register as a lobbyist as 5
required by that chapter, the person shall be deemed to have 6
forfeited the person’s accreditation, and the person must return 7
the person’s identification badge as a member of a bona fide news 8
medium to the Legislative Counsel Bureau. 9
9. As used in this Rule, “bona fide news medium” means a 10
commercial or non-profit news outlet providing: 11
(a) Print journalism, such as newspapers or magazines; 12
(b) Broadcast journalism, such as radio or television; 13
(c) Wire or news services for redistribution to other news 14
organizations; or 15
(d) Online news services using electronic dissemination rather 16
than conventional print or broadcast distribution. 17
18
Rule No. 26. Reserved. 19
20
Rule No. 27. Reserved. 21
22
Rule No. 28. Reserved. 23
24
Rule No. 29. Reserved. 25
26
LEGISLATIVE CODE OF ETHICAL STANDARDS 27
28
Rule No. 30. Short Title; Applicability; Relation to Other 29
Ethical Standards. 30
1. Joint Standing Rules Nos. 30 to 39, inclusive, may be cited 31
as the Legislative Code of Ethical Standards. 32
2. The Legislative Code of Ethical Standards applies to: 33
(a) All Legislators at all times. 34
(b) All members of legislative staff when performing or 35
exercising their legislative assignments, tasks, duties, 36
responsibilities or powers. 37
(c) All lobbyists when they: 38
(1) Appear in person in the Legislative Building or any 39
other building in which the Legislature or any of its legislative 40
committees hold meetings during a regular or special session or 41
the interim between sessions, including, without limitation, any 42
building in which a meeting is held by teleconference or 43
videoconference; or 44
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(2) Represent the interests of any lobbying client to a 1
Legislator or a member of legislative staff, regardless of whether 2
such representation occurs during a regular or special session or 3
the interim between sessions and regardless of the location where 4
such representation occurs or the means of communication used 5
to provide such representation. 6
3. The Legislative Code of Ethical Standards is intended to 7
supplement all other ethical standards recognized by rules and 8
laws governing ethics and does not limit the application of such 9
other ethical standards but is cumulative thereto, so that the 10
application or attempted application of any one of the ethical 11
standards does not bar the application or attempted application of 12
any other, except in circumstances where Section 6 of Article 4 of 13
the Nevada Constitution invests each House with plenary and 14
exclusive constitutional powers. 15
4. The Legislative Code of Ethical Standards does not create 16
any private right of action or enforceable legal rights in any 17
person. 18
19
Rule No. 31. Purpose and Construction. 20
1. The purpose of the Legislative Code of Ethical Standards 21
is to: 22
(a) Establish the highest standards of ethical behavior founded 23
upon principles of dignity, decorum, civility and respect; 24
(b) Prohibit any conduct that creates the appearance of 25
impropriety; and 26
(c) Prohibit any improper, inappropriate or dishonorable 27
conduct that is unbecoming to the legislative process or is 28
inconsistent with or undermines the people’s faith, trust and 29
confidence in the integrity of the legislative process. 30
2. The Legislative Code of Ethical Standards must be 31
construed: 32
(a) Liberally to carry out and achieve its purposes; and 33
(b) Strictly against any person alleging that his or her conduct 34
is not subject to its provisions, so that any doubt or uncertainty as 35
to the application of its provisions must be resolved against such a 36
person and in favor of removing unethical behavior from the 37
legislative process. 38
39
Rule No. 32. Definitions. 40
As used in the Legislative Code of Ethical Standards, unless 41
the context otherwise requires, the words and terms defined in 42
Joint Standing Rules Nos. 33 to 36, inclusive, have the meanings 43
ascribed to them in those rules. 44
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Rule No. 33. “Legislative Committee” Defined. 1
1. “Legislative committee” means any legislative committee 2
or commission appointed to conduct or perform legislative 3
business during a regular or special session or the interim between 4
sessions. 5
2. The term includes, without limitation: 6
(a) Any joint, standing, temporary, special or select committee; 7
(b) Any committee of the whole; 8
(c) Any interim committee; or 9
(d) Any subcommittee. 10
11
Rule No. 34. “Lobbying Client” Defined. 12
1. “Lobbying client” means a person who employs, retains, 13
contracts for or otherwise uses or engages the services of a 14
lobbyist to represent the interests of the person to one or more 15
Legislators or members of legislative staff, whether or not any 16
compensation is paid for the services. 17
2. The term includes, without limitation, a client that is a 18
government, governmental agency or political subdivision of a 19
government. 20
21
Rule No. 35. “Lobbyist” Defined. 22
1. “Lobbyist” means a person who: 23
(a) Is required to register as a lobbyist during a regular or 24
special session pursuant to chapter 218H of NRS, regardless of 25
whether the person properly registers or fails to register as a 26
lobbyist as required by that chapter; or 27
(b) Represents the interests of any lobbying client to a 28
Legislator or a member of legislative staff, regardless of whether 29
such representation occurs during a regular or special session or 30
the interim between sessions and regardless of the location where 31
such representation occurs or the means of communication used 32
to provide such representation. 33
2. The term does not include a person who is excluded from 34
the term “lobbyist” as defined in NRS 218H.080. 35
36
Rule No. 36. “Member of Legislative Staff” Defined. 37
1. “Member of legislative staff” means any member of a 38
Legislator’s staff or any officer, employee, assistant or other 39
person employed with reference to the legislative duties of a 40
Legislator or the Legislative Branch, regardless of whether they 41
are paid or otherwise compensated to serve in their positions. 42
2. The term includes, without limitation, any officers, 43
employees, attaches, interns or other staff of: 44
(a) The Legislature or either House; 45
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(b) Any legislative committee; 1
(c) Any legislative office or caucus; 2
(d) Any division of the Legislative Counsel Bureau; or 3
(e) Any other agency, body, office, organization or unit of the 4
Legislative Branch. 5
6
Rule No. 37. Ethical Standards; Prohibited Conduct. 7
1. The people of the State of Nevada have the right to expect 8
and demand that each Legislator, member of legislative staff or 9
lobbyist adheres to the highest standards of ethical behavior 10
founded upon principles of dignity, decorum, civility and respect 11
because such ethical standards are essential to ensure and 12
enhance the people’s faith, trust and confidence in the integrity of 13
the legislative process. 14
2. Each Legislator, member of legislative staff or lobbyist has 15
a solemn and unerring responsibility and duty to do everything in 16
his or her power to: 17
(a) Behave properly, appropriately and honorably with each 18
other and with members of the public who participate in the 19
legislative process; and 20
(b) Encourage, promote and secure an atmosphere in which 21
ethical behavior is the highest priority and is practiced 22
unceasingly and without fail. 23
3. Each Legislator, member of legislative staff or lobbyist 24
shall not engage in or attempt, offer, or agree to engage in, or 25
assist or induce another person to engage in: 26
(a) Any conduct that creates the appearance of impropriety; or 27
(b) Any improper, inappropriate or dishonorable conduct that 28
is unbecoming to the legislative process or is inconsistent with or 29
undermines the people’s faith, trust and confidence in the integrity 30
of the legislative process. 31
4. The conduct prohibited by this Rule includes, without 32
limitation, any conduct that: 33
(a) Is intended to threaten, harass, intimidate or improperly 34
influence another person who is participating in the legislative 35
process. 36
(b) Creates a hostile work environment for another person 37
who is participating in the legislative process. 38
(c) Causes harm or serious emotional distress, or the 39
reasonable apprehension thereof, to another person who is 40
participating in the legislative process. 41
(d) Involves impolite, disrespectful or disorderly behavior that 42
results in unreasonable or harmful interference with another 43
person who is participating in the legislative process. 44
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(e) Involves false or misleading accusations or allegations 1
against another person who is participating in the legislative 2
process. 3
(f) Involves dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. 4
(g) Is intended to assist or induce another person to violate or 5
attempt to violate the Legislative Code of Ethical Standards. 6
7
Rule No. 38. Complaints. 8
1. A person may file a complaint alleging a breach of the 9
Legislative Code of Ethical Standards in accordance with the 10
Standing Rules of each House, except that a person may not file a 11
complaint alleging the same or substantially similar conduct with 12
more than one House. 13
2. If the complaint alleges an ethical breach by or against a 14
Legislator or the ethical breach otherwise involves a particular 15
Legislator, the complaint must be filed with the Legislator’s 16
House, even if the complaint also alleges an ethical breach by or 17
against a member of legislative staff or a lobbyist. 18
19
Rule No. 39. Authority of Senate and Assembly to Adopt 20
Ethical Standards, Require Training and Prohibit and Sanction 21
Ethical Breaches. 22
1. The Senate and Assembly hereby find and declare that: 23
(a) Section 6 of Article 4 of the Nevada Constitution invests 24
each House with plenary and exclusive constitutional powers to 25
govern, control and regulate its membership and its internal 26
organization, affairs and management, expressly providing that: 27
“Each House shall judge of the qualifications, elections and 28
returns of its own members, choose its own officers (except the 29
President of the Senate), determine the rules of its proceedings 30
and may punish its members for disorderly conduct, and with the 31
concurrence of two thirds of all the members elected, expel a 32
member.” (Heller v. Legislature, 120 Nev. 456 (2004); 33
Commission on Ethics v. Hardy, 125 Nev. 285 (2009); Mason’s 34
Manual of Legislative Procedure §§ 2-3 and 560-564 (2010) 35
(Mason’s Manual)) 36
(b) Section 7 of Article 4 of the Nevada Constitution invests 37
each House with plenary and exclusive constitutional powers to 38
govern, control and regulate any person who is not a member but 39
who is guilty of disrespect to the House by disorderly or 40
contemptuous behavior in its presence, and each House also has 41
inherent powers, according to the common parliamentary law, to 42
prohibit and sanction all offensive behavior committed against it 43
by any person who is not a member. (Mason’s Manual §§ 805-44
806; Luther S. Cushing, Elements of the Law & Practice of 45
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Legislative Assemblies §§ 690-695 (1856) (Cushing’s Legislative 1
Assemblies)) 2
(c) In addition to its other powers, each House possesses 3
certain inherent powers of institutional self-protection and self-4
preservation to govern, control and regulate its membership and 5
its internal organization, affairs and management. (In re 6
Chapman, 166 U.S. 661, 668 (1897); Mason’s Manual § 2; 7
Cushing’s Legislative Assemblies § 533) 8
(d) The inherent powers of each House are considered “so 9
essential to the authority of a legislative assembly, that it cannot 10
well exist without them; and they are consequently entitled to be 11
regarded as belonging to every such assembly as a necessary 12
incident.” (Cushing’s Legislative Assemblies § 533) 13
(e) The inherent powers of each House authorize it to take all 14
necessary and proper institutional actions that are “recognized by 15
the common parliamentary law.” (Cushing’s Legislative 16
Assemblies § 684) 17
(f) Thus, it is well established that each House is “vested with 18
all the powers and privileges which are necessary and incidental to 19
a free and unobstructed exercise of its appropriate functions. 20
These powers and privileges are derived not from the Constitution; 21
on the contrary, they arise from the very creation of a legislative 22
body, and are founded upon the principle of self-preservation.” 23
(Ex parte McCarthy, 29 Cal. 395, 403 (1866)) 24
2. The Senate and Assembly hereby exercise their 25
constitutional and inherent powers and privileges and adopt the 26
Legislative Code of Ethical Standards in the Joint Standing Rules 27
to: 28
(a) Establish ethical standards to regulate the behavior and 29
conduct of persons who participate in the legislative process; and 30
(b) Prohibit and sanction ethical breaches. 31
3. The Majority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the 32
Assembly, respectively, may require Legislators to attend training 33
relating to the ethical standards required, and the behaviors 34
prohibited, by the Legislative Code of Ethical Standards and 35
sanction a Legislator for failure to attend such a training. 36
37
CONTINUATION OF RULES 38
39
Rule No. 40. Continuation of Joint Standing Rules During the 40
Interim Between Regular Sessions. 41
The Joint Standing Rules set forth herein shall remain in full 42
force and effect throughout the interim between regular sessions 43
of the Legislature and until new Joint Standing Rules of the 44
Senate and Assembly are adopted as part of the organization of a 45
– 29 –
- *ACR1*
newly-constituted Legislature at the commencement of a session, 1
unless a conflict exists with a rule adopted by the Senate and 2
Assembly for a special session occurring between regular sessions. 3
4
And be it further 5
RESOLVED, That this resolution becomes effective upon 6
adoption, except that any persons who were issued press 7
identification badges for the 83rd Session of the Legislature before 8
February 3, 2025, and whose names are read or entered into the 9
Journals of the Senate and Assembly as accredited press 10
representatives on that date shall be deemed to be accredited 11
members of a bona fide news medium for the purposes of Joint 12
Standing Rule No. 25. 13
H