S.B. 88
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SENATE BILL NO. 88–COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
(ON BEHALF OF THE JOINT INTERIM STANDING
COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY)
PREFILED JANUARY 7, 2025
____________
Referred to Committee on Judiciary
SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to offenders.
(BDR 16-491)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: Yes.
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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to offenders; requiring the Director of the
Department of Corrections to discharge certain debts
upon the release of an offender from prison; and
providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law requires the Director of the Department of Corrections to take 1
certain actions upon the release of an offender from prison. (NRS 209.511) This bill 2
requires the Director to discharge any outstanding medical debt owed by an 3
offender to the Department upon the release of the offender from prison. 4
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. NRS 209.511 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
209.511 1. Before an offender is released from prison by 2
expiration of his or her term of sentence, by pardon or parole, the 3
Director may provide mediation services to the offender and the 4
family members and friends of the offender who provide emotional, 5
psychological and financial support to the offender. 6
2. As soon as practicable after an offender is authorized to 7
apply for enrollment in Medicaid pursuant to NRS 422.272428 or 8
422.27487, the Director shall complete the paperwork for the 9
application if the offender may be eligible for Medicaid: 10
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(a) Not more than 90 days before the scheduled release of the 1
offender pursuant to NRS 422.272428; or 2
(b) Immediately upon the scheduled release of the offender 3
pursuant to NRS 422.27487. 4
3. Not later than 3 months before an offender is projected to be 5
released from prison by expiration of his or her term of sentence, by 6
pardon or parole, the Director may, if space is available, provide an 7
eligible offender with one or more evidence-based or promising 8
practice reentry programs to obtain employment, including, without 9
limitation, any programs which may provide bonding for an 10
offender entering the workplace and any organizations which may 11
provide employment or bonding assistance to such a person. 12
4. When an offender is released from prison by expiration of 13
his or her term of sentence, by pardon or by parole, the Director: 14
(a) May furnish the offender with a sum of money not to exceed 15
$100, the amount to be based upon the offender’s economic need as 16
determined by the Director; 17
(b) Shall give the offender notice of the provisions of chapter 18
179C of NRS and NRS 202.357 and 202.360; 19
(c) Shall require the offender to sign an acknowledgment of the 20
notice required in paragraph (b); 21
(d) Shall give the offender notice of the provisions of NRS 22
179.245 and the provisions of NRS 213.090, 213.155 or 213.157, as 23
applicable; 24
(e) Shall provide the offender with a photo identification card 25
issued by the Department and information and reasonable assistance 26
relating to acquiring a valid driver’s license or identification card to 27
enable the offender to obtain employment, if the offender: 28
(1) Requests a photo identification card; 29
(2) Requests such information and assistance and is eligible 30
to acquire a valid driver’s license or identification card from the 31
Department of Motor Vehicles; or 32
(3) Is not currently in possession of a photo identification 33
card; 34
(f) Shall provide the offender with clothing suitable for 35
reentering society; 36
(g) Shall provide the offender with the cost of transportation to 37
his or her place of residence anywhere within the continental United 38
States, or to the place of his or her conviction; 39
(h) If appropriate, shall release the offender to a facility for 40
transitional living for released offenders that is licensed pursuant to 41
chapter 449 of NRS; 42
(i) Shall require the offender to submit to at least one test for 43
exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus; 44
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(j) If the offender is eligible for Medicare, shall complete 1
enrollment application paperwork for the offender; [and] 2
(k) If the offender was receiving a prescribed medication while 3
in custody, shall ensure that the offender is provided with a 30-day 4
supply of any such prescribed medication [.] ; and 5
(l) Shall discharge any outstanding medical debt owed by the 6
offender to the Department. 7
5. The Director shall not provide an offender with a photo 8
identification card pursuant to paragraph (e) of subsection 4 unless 9
the photo identification card clearly indicates whether the Director: 10
(a) Has verified the full legal name and age of the offender by 11
obtaining an original or certified copy of the documents required by 12
the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to NRS 483.290 or 13
483.860, as applicable, furnished as proof of the full legal name and 14
age of an applicant for a driver’s license or identification card; or 15
(b) Has not verified the full legal name and age of the offender 16
pursuant to paragraph (a). 17
6. The costs authorized or required in paragraphs (a), (e), (f), 18
(g), (i) and (k) of subsection 4 must be paid out of the appropriate 19
account within the State General Fund for the use of the Department 20
as other claims against the State are paid to the extent that the costs 21
have not been paid in accordance with subsection 5 of NRS 209.221 22
and NRS 209.246. 23
7. The Director is encouraged to work with the Nevada 24
Community Re-Entry Task Force established by the Governor 25
pursuant to executive order, or its successor body, if any, to align 26
statewide strategies for the reentry of offenders into the community 27
and the implementation of those strategies. 28
8. Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the 29
existing obligation of an offender to pay restitution to a victim of 30
his or her crime. 31
9. As used in this section: 32
(a) “Eligible offender” means an offender who is: 33
(1) Determined to be eligible for reentry programming based 34
on the Nevada Risk Assessment System instrument, or its successor 35
risk assessment tool; and 36
(2) Enrolled in: 37
(I) Programming services under a reentry program at a 38
correctional facility which has staff designated to provide the 39
services; or 40
(II) A community-based program to assist offenders to 41
reenter the community. 42
(b) “Facility for transitional living for released offenders” has 43
the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 449.0055. 44
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(c) “Photo identification card” means a document which 1
includes the name, date of birth and a color picture of the offender. 2
(d) “Promising practice reentry program” means a reentry 3
program that has strong quantitative and qualitative data showing 4
positive outcomes, but does not have sufficient research or 5
replication to support recognition as an evidence-based practice. 6
Sec. 2. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025. 7
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