By Senator Melanie Scheible, Esq.
As the start of Nevada’s 2025 legislative session approaches, state lawmakers are gearing up for a session that promises to address critical issues affecting residents across the Silver State. The session will begin on February 5, 2025, and continue for 120 days, concluding by June 5, 2025. Legislators will address a wide range of policy issues, in addition to meeting their obligations under the Nevada Constitution to pass the state’s biennial budget.
The next biennial budget will cover two years from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027. The process begins with the Governor’s Office reviewing, consolidating, and balancing budget requests from State agencies and submitting one unified proposal to the Legislature. This budget proposal outlines the State’s anticipated revenues and spending priorities across various sectors such as education, health services, public safety, and infrastructure. Committees of the Legislature conduct hearings to review agency budgets, and lawmakers debate adjustments to proposed spending levels. The Legislature is also responsible for ensuring that any bills passed during the legislative session with funding allocations are accounted for in the final version of the budget.
Additionally, in May of 2025, the Legislature will receive updated projections from The Economic Forum on Nevada’s revenue forecast. Established by the Nevada Legislature, the Economic Forum is tasked with providing an independent, nonpartisan projection of the state’s revenues for the upcoming biennium. The Forum consists of five members, appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders, and includes experts in economics, business, and finance. These projections are crucial for lawmakers to make informed decisions during the budget process, as they help ensure that the state does not overestimate or underestimate its income.
After the Legislature has reviewed the Governor’s proposed budget and members of the Legislature have suggested changes, a final version of the budget must be approved by both the Assembly and Senate. In other words, the members of the Legislature must vote to pass the bills that make up Nevada’s budget.
Each of the budget bills outlines how the State will spend certain money within the State’s General Fund, and the budget must be balanced. Nevada does not have an income tax, so the money in the General Fund comes from other taxes and other fees, including gaming and room taxes. The total overall budget in the last biennium was over 10 billion dollars, and The Economic Forum projects an increase in revenue in the next biennium.
The largest share of Nevada’s budget funds K-12 Education, with other major expenditures in health and human services, higher education, and public safety. The Health and Human Services budget includes operating Nevada’s Medicaid program and Nevada Checkup – which provides healthcare coverage to low-income, uninsured children.
In addition to appropriations from the General Fund, Click to Continue
