Nevada Legislature ready to kick off 2017 session

CARSON CITY — The 79th session of the Nevada Legislature convenes Monday, setting off a four-month lawmaking marathon that ends at the stroke of midnight June 5.

It will be a historic day in the Nevada Assembly, when Jason Frierson, a Las Vegas Democrat, is sworn in as the first African American speaker of the lower house. The Assembly convenes at 11 a.m. Democrats have a 27-15 majority.

Over in the Senate, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison is scheduled to gavel the chamber to order at noon. The lieutenant governor serves as president of the Senate and presides over floor sessions but does not vote unless there is a tie. Sen. Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas, will carry the Democratic agenda as majority leader.

Democrats hold an 11-9-1 majority in the Senate. Sen. Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, will lead the GOP caucus as minority leader. Sen. Patricia Farley, I-Las Vegas, left the Republican Party in November and will be the first non-partisan member of the Legislature in a half-century.

There will be pomp and ceremony as legislators are sworn in before hunkering down to business. Their first legislative action will be to pass Senate Bill 1, appropriating $15 million to fund the session.

About 200 bills have been pre-filed, and many will be introduced in their respective houses, giving committees plenty of issues to tackle out of the starting block.

All committee hearings are video-linked to meeting rooms in the Sawyer Building in Las Vegas, where Southern Nevadans can provide testimony. The hearings are also broadcast via the Legislature’s website: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/79th2017. Click on “view scheduled meetings” in the upper right corner.

The session also draws demonstrations and rallies throughout the process, as groups gather to show support or protest measures being debated by lawmakers.

The first one scheduled Monday targets proposed legislation enabling the state engineer to restrict domestic wells in over-appropriated water basins.

Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3821. Follow @SandraChereb on Twitter.