Rep. Tracy Brown-May

Maddy summaryAB 394 requires all public colleges and universities in Nevada to create emergency response plans for opioid overdoses. These plans must include education about opioid overdoses and procedures for easily accessing naloxone (a medication that reverses overdoses), while prohibiting any requirement for training before obtaining or using naloxone. The bill allows institutions to customize their plans (e.g., training methods, naloxone locations) but mandates core elements like rescue breathing emphasis and 4mg naloxone dosing. The Board of Regents may provide a model plan for guidance but cannot force institutions to adopt it.

Maddy summaryAB 379 appropriates $1 from the State General Fund to the College of Southern Nevada for developing its Northwest Campus, including the Center for Excellence in Public Safety. The bill requires all funds to be spent by September 17, 2027, with any unspent balance reverting to the State General Fund by that date. It authorizes the college to use the funds for campus development but includes strict deadlines to prevent long-term budget commitments. This is a procedural funding measure with no significant financial impact due to the nominal $1 amount.

Maddy summaryAB 378 creates a pilot program allowing patients diagnosed with mental health conditions to access psychedelic therapy (using psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, ibogaine, or mescaline) under medical supervision in approved clinics. The Division of Public and Behavioral Health administers the program, requiring clinics to operate under strict medical oversight and participant approval. The bill includes confidentiality protections for patient data, liability immunity for program participants, and mandates annual reporting to the legislature. It also establishes an advisory committee and requires compliance with federal controlled substance regulations during the pilot phase.

Maddy summaryAB 395 requires health facilities and healthcare providers to ensure deaf or hard of hearing patients can access qualified sign language interpreters. It mandates that facilities notify patients of interpreter availability and allow requests for in-person or remote interpreters, with in-person interpreters required unless a patient consents to remote service or specific circumstances make remote interpretation inappropriate. The bill also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain an online list of facilities specializing in services for deaf or hard of hearing individuals. This affects all health facilities and providers receiving federal funding, directly impacting patients seeking medical care who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Maddy summaryAB 247 requires public meetings to provide sign language interpreters and real-time captioning services to accommodate people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It also mandates that all new public buildings (designed on or after July 1, 2025) include equipment and software for real-time captioning. The bill adds American Sign Language (ASL) as an official foreign language course in Nevada public schools and directs the Department of Education to study the need for a specialized school for deaf or hard-of-hearing students. These changes directly affect public meeting attendees, building designers, school curriculum developers, and state education officials.

Maddy summaryAB 191 authorizes collective bargaining for professional employees of state professional employers (such as the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada with 400+ professional staff) who are in unclassified service or paid outside standard classified pay plans. It establishes new procedures for recognizing professional organizations as exclusive bargaining representatives, requires state employers to negotiate within 60 days of notice, and allows salary deductions for union dues. The bill also grants professional employees the right to representation during disciplinary actions and mandates annual reporting to the Government Employee-Management Relations Board. This directly affects state professional employers and their employees, creating a structured framework for collective bargaining previously limited to other state employee groups.

Maddy summaryAB 480 updates Nevada's Fair Housing Law to allow discrimination claims based on the *effects* of housing practices, not just the *intent* behind them. It directly affects landlords, housing providers, and individuals filing complaints by establishing that a practice may be discriminatory if it causes a disproportionate negative impact on protected groups (like race, disability, or sexual orientation), even without intentional bias. The bill sets clear rules: complainants must first prove a practice causes disparate impact, then the housing provider must show the practice is necessary for legitimate reasons and no less discriminatory alternative exists. This change aligns Nevada law with federal standards for addressing systemic housing bias while maintaining due process for providers.

Maddy summaryAB 290 revises prior authorization rules for health and dental insurance coverage, affecting all health insurers (including Medicaid and CHIP plans) and the patients and providers who rely on them. It requires insurers to publicly list covered services needing authorization and their clinical criteria, shorten response times (48 hours for urgent care, 7 days for routine care), and prohibit denying claims if prior authorization wasn't required at the time of service. The bill also mandates disclosure of AI use in processing requests, requires physician review for denials, and bans prior authorization for emergency care. These changes aim to increase transparency, reduce delays, and protect patients from unnecessary coverage denials.

Maddy summaryAB 198 regulates businesses that operate inflatable recreational devices like bounce houses and waterslides in Nevada. It requires these businesses to hold proper licenses, carry $1 million in insurance, and maintain detailed logbooks documenting safety inspections before and during each use. Operators must check for hazards, missing manufacturer labels, and wind speeds (stopping operation if winds exceed 10 mph or the manufacturer's limit), and properly anchor devices. Violations create a legal presumption of recklessness in related lawsuits.

Maddy summarySJR 10 is a non-binding resolution urging Congress to take action supporting the therapeutic use of specific psychedelic compounds like psilocybin, MDMA, and ibogaine for mental health conditions. It cites FDA Breakthrough Therapy designations and clinical trial results showing promising outcomes for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and chronic pain. The resolution specifically references studies demonstrating significant symptom reduction in veterans and patients with mental health disorders. It does not create new laws or regulations but calls on federal lawmakers to advance research and access for these treatments.