Breastfeeding protections, use-of-force reports among bills going into effect July 1

Nearly 200 bills go into effect July 1. (Photo: Alejandra Rubio for Nevada Current)

Legislation expanding protections for reproductive health providers, offering support around breastfeeding, and requiring schools to release data when law enforcement use force against students are among the bills taking effect July 1.

There are 191 bills slated to take effect next month, with a significant portion making appropriations to various state departments and agencies.

Among the list of laws going into effect is Assembly Bill 266, which prohibits people who are breastfeeding from being denied access to public accommodations.

The legislation also requires Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to provide online resources around breastfeeding, including information about Medicaid coverage for counseling and lactation support.

Democratic Assemblymember Cecelia González, the bill’s sponsor, told her colleagues in May that there are enough challenges to breastfeeding. Lacking protections to breastfeed in public or information about available community resources shouldn’t be another barrier, she said.

An original version of the bill sought to make denying accommodations to people breastfeeding a misdemeanor but that provision was removed.

The bill received strong support in both chambers, six Republicans – Assemblymembers Jill Dickman, Lisa Cole, Rich Delong and state Sens. Carrie Ann Buck, Robin Titus John Ellison – voted against the bill.

“This bill is important because it acknowledges the struggles that many new mothers face and it aims to provide the support they need to succeed in their breastfeeding journeys,” González said during the hearing in May. “By increasing access to resources to lactation consultants, peer support and workplace accommodations, we can ensure that no mother feels alone or unsupported during one of the most challenging and rewarding times.”

Since the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, reproductive health workers have seen “increased violence and harassment,” including stalking and death threats, Democratic Assemblymember Erica Roth of Reno said in a May hearing.

Assembly Bill 235 would ensure employees and volunteers of reproductive health care facilities would be better protected. 

The bill, sponsored by Roth, allows those who work or volunteer in reproductive care the ability to request a court order that keeps their personal information confidential on otherwise public records within the offices of county recorder, county assessor, county clerk, city clerk, Secretary of State, or Department of Motor Vehicles. Their spouses, domestic partners or minor children could also request a court order.

Alexis Solis, the interim director of Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, told lawmakers in May that the political environment in the last few years has become more divisive, hostile, “and in some cases for our staff, dangerous.”

“Providers and Planned Parenthood staff in Nevada have been targeted with religious mail, have had anti-abortion propaganda physically dropped off at their homes, have received numerous threatening phone calls and have experienced numerous threatening incidents in Planned Parenthood health centers in Las Vegas,” Solis told lawmakers.

The legislation passed the Assembly 33-9 with bipartisan support. In the upper chamber, only Republican state Sen. Lori Rogich joined Democrats in support.

Assembly Bill 153 offers assistance to people incarcerated within the Nevada Department of Corrections in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to potentially receive aid, such as pell grants, to pay for prison education programs.   

People leaving prisons who are able to find meaningful employment are less likely to recidivate, said the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Assemblymember Brittney Miller. 

“By equipping individuals with knowledge and skills, educational programs within the correctional facilities can significantly improve their prospects upon release,” she said.

AB 153 passed out of both chambers nearly unanimously. Only Republican state Sens. Robin Titus and Lisa Kranser voted against the bill.

• Assembly Bill 420, also by González, requires school districts in Clark and Washoe counties to report data on use of force against students and when police officers use pepper spray or tasers. The first annual report is due before the first day of the 2026-27 academic year and will cover the 2025-26 school year, which begins in August.
• Senate Bill 348, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Julie Pazina, increases the fee hospitals pay the Nevada State Public Health Lab for newborn screenings. The additional funds will be used to expand the number of rare but treatable conditions newborns in Nevada are screened for. The prior rate had been the same for more than a decade and kept Nevada behind what the federal government recommends for newborn screening.
• Senate Bill 116, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Skip Daly, establishes a formula to authorize the pay raises for the elected county positions such as district attorney, sheriff, county clerk, county assessor, county recorder, county treasurer and public administrator. The formula keeps those public servants’ pay above the highest paid person in their office. The raises will go into effect July 1 with the new fiscal year.