Rep. Shea Backus

Maddy summaryAB 270 modifies Nevada's licensing requirements for architects, professional engineers, and land surveyors. It allows Pritzker Architecture Prize laureates to bypass the registration exam through 2026. For engineers and land surveyors, the bill removes the requirement to pass a "fundamentals" exam before taking the "principles and practices" exam and reduces the required experience for exam waivers from 15 to 10 years. Additionally, it shifts exam administration to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. These changes affect new applicants seeking professional licensure in these fields.

Maddy summaryAJR 8 proposes amending the Nevada Constitution to create a framework for establishing a business court, if the Legislature chooses to do so with available funding. If created, the business court would handle specific commercial disputes like shareholder rights, mergers, acquisitions, and contractual issues between businesses, while requiring the Legislature to set up a special commission to select judges with business law expertise. The bill also specifies that the Governor would appoint judges from commission nominees, defines their duties (matching district court judges), and gives the Supreme Court exclusive appellate authority over business court cases. This resolution passed the Nevada Legislature with strong support (17-4) and is now moving toward voter approval as a constitutional amendment.

Maddy summaryAB 197 strengthens privacy protections for individuals supporting nonprofits by requiring government entities to keep donor, member, and volunteer information confidential. It prohibits government from requesting, sharing, or publicly disclosing personal details (like names, addresses, or donation records) that identify someone as a supporter of a nonprofit organization. The bill explicitly states such information is not a public record and allows individuals to sue if harmed by violations. It directly affects nonprofits, their supporters, and government agencies handling their data, ensuring greater privacy for those engaging with charitable groups.

Maddy summaryAB 192 enacts two uniform acts for California: the Uniform Easement Relocation Act and the Uniform Mortgage Modification Act. The easement act allows property owners to seek court approval to relocate certain easements (like utility or access rights) if it doesn’t harm the easement’s purpose or property value, while prohibiting relocation for utility, conservation, or negative easements. The mortgage act creates safe harbor rules for common modifications (e.g., extending payment dates, lowering interest rates), ensuring these changes don’t affect mortgage priority or require recording. These provisions directly affect property owners with easements, easement holders, and lenders handling mortgage modifications. The bill makes no new financial impact on state or local government.

Maddy summaryAB 196 revises Nevada’s psychology licensing rules to allow unlicensed individuals to perform certain psychological tests under a licensed psychologist’s direct supervision, with the title "psychometrist" permitted for these specific roles. The bill also establishes a 3-year limit for filing disciplinary complaints against psychology professionals (previously no time limit), and removes requirements for psychology-focused businesses to register with the Board. These changes directly affect psychologists, unlicensed test administrators, and psychology-related businesses. The bill does not impose new costs on state or local governments.

Maddy summaryAJR 14 is a Nevada legislative resolution condemning the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and criticizing the use of presidential pardons to absolve participants. It specifically denounces President Trump’s pardons and commutations granted on January 20, 2025, for those involved in the riot, including assaults on law enforcement officers. The resolution directs Nevada’s legislature to formally condemn the attack and send copies to the President, U.S. Senate and House leaders, and Nevada’s congressional delegation. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new laws or impose costs but serves as a symbolic statement of opposition to pardoning Capitol rioters.

Maddy summaryAJR 7 proposes amending the Nevada Constitution to establish a Citizens’ Commission that would set salaries and benefits for specific elected officials, including state legislators, the governor, lieutenant governor, and other constitutional officers. The Commission, composed of seven members with diverse backgrounds (including public interest, business, and labor representation), would determine compensation annually based on duties and market comparisons, with a 15% cap on annual changes. It would replace the current legislative authority to set these salaries, requiring the Commission to file initial and subsequent schedules by January 1, 2029, and every odd-numbered year thereafter. This change directly affects the compensation structure for these elected officials without altering existing fiscal impacts on state or local government.

Maddy summarySCR 4 declares April 2025 as Financial Literacy Month in Nevada to raise public awareness about financial capability. This symbolic resolution does not create new laws or programs; it simply recognizes the importance of financial literacy for Nevada residents. The resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit it to state officials, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and financial industry groups. It follows Nevada's prior legislative efforts to support financial education in schools but has no direct policy impact on individuals or institutions.

Maddy summaryAB 424 modernizes Nevada’s parentage laws by adopting the Uniform Parentage Act, replacing outdated rules with gender-neutral language to clarify legal parent-child relationships. It allows parents to voluntarily acknowledge or deny parentage without fees (filed with the State Registrar), making such acknowledgments legally binding unless rescinded. The bill also grants gestational carriers (those carrying a child for others) full health care decision-making rights during pregnancy and permits courts to recognize more than two parents in specific cases. Additionally, it standardizes genetic testing procedures in parentage disputes and prohibits unauthorized sharing of genetic test results.

Maddy summaryACR 3 is a ceremonial resolution passed by the Nevada Legislature to honor the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) on its 50th anniversary. The resolution expresses gratitude for NCSL's role in supporting state legislators, fostering bipartisan cooperation, and strengthening state-federal legislative relationships over five decades. It has no policy impact or direct effect on residents, government operations, or funding. The Nevada Assembly and Senate formally adopted the resolution on March 27, 2025, with a copy to be sent to NCSL's leadership. This is a symbolic gesture, not a policy change.