Nevada Assembly Explained

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Nevada Assembly
Legislature:Nevada Legislature
Coa Pic:Seal of Nevada.svg
Preceded By:81st Nevada Legislature
House Type:Lower house
Term Limits:6 terms (12 years)
New Session:February 6, 2023
Leader1 Type:Speaker
Leader1:Steve Yeager (D)
Election1:February 6, 2023
Leader2 Type:Speaker pro tempore
Leader2:Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D)
Election2:February 6, 2023
Leader3 Type:Majority Leader
Leader3:Sandra Jauregui (D)
Election3:February 6, 2023
Leader4 Type:Minority Leader
Leader4:P. K. O'Neill (R)
Election4:February 6, 2023
Term Length:2 years
Authority:Article 4, Constitution of Nevada
Salary:$146.90/day + per diem
Members:42
Structure1:Nevada Assembly 2022.svg
Structure1 Res:250px
Political Groups1:Majority

Minority

Last Election1:November 8, 2022
(42 seats)
Next Election1:November 5, 2024
(42 seats)
Redistricting:Legislative control
Session Room:Nevada State Assembly.jpg
Meeting Place:Assembly Chamber
Legislative Building
Carson City, Nevada
Website:Nevada State Assembly

39.1616°N -119.7661°WThe Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada, the upper house being the Nevada Senate. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member districts. Each district contained approximately 64,299 people as of the 2010 United States Census.[1] Term limits, limiting assembly members to six 2-year terms (12 years), took effect in 2010. Twelve members of the Nevada Assembly were termed out with the 2010 election serving their last legislative session in 2011.

The Nevada Assembly met at the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City until 1971, when a separate Legislative Building was constructed south of the Capitol. The Legislative Building was expanded in 1997 to its current appearance to accommodate the growing Nevada Legislature. Since the 2012 session, Assembly districts have been formed by dividing the 21 Senate districts in half, so that each Assembly district is nested within a Senate district.

Meetings

The Assembly, like the Senate, is composed of citizen legislators, receiving a relatively small ($130) per diem fee for the first 60 days of a given session. This tends to self-selection, with legislative service difficult for those without flexible jobs and/or large outside incomes, such as doctors and lawyers. The Assembly, again like the Senate, meets however long is necessary for the completion of all its business, up to a maximum of 120 days, beginning the first Monday in February of every odd-numbered year. While this is designed to limit the amount of time a legislator is away from their first job, in recent years 120 days has often not been enough time to complete legislative business, and after four straight regular sessions, special sessions had been called to finish up legislative business. This trend ended in 2011, which was not followed by a special session.

Leadership of the Assembly

The Speaker of the Assembly presides over the Assembly in the chief leadership position, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus, followed by confirmation of the full Assembly on passage of a floor vote. Other Assembly leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber.

Assembly Chamber

The Nevada Assembly convenes in the south chamber of the Legislative Building. The carpet in the Assembly chamber is mainly red, in comparison to the Senate chamber, which is blue. The chamber galleries reflect the same carpet schemes. Many legislative documents and binders are colored red and blue to distinguish them between the Assembly and the Senate. Although the chamber is separated by a center aisle, the Assemblymen are not seated by party. Rather they are seated at the discretion of the Speaker. The Speaker's desk is always the first desk in the front row to the right, if you are looking out at the chamber from the Speaker's rostrum. Above the Speaker is a large gavel, which is engraved with the name of Speaker Joe Dini; the longest serving Speaker of the Nevada Assembly. Above the gavel is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, who was President when Nevada became a State in 1864. To the left of the main door to the chamber is a podium with a Bible, which is changed to different passages by the Assembly Sargeant-at-Arms.

Since 2003, one floor session has always been held in the Old Assembly Chambers in the State Capitol. The session usually begins with a presentation from the State Archivist regarding the history of the chamber, and then legislative business proceeds as usual. Because there are no screens or voting equipment in the old chamber, all business is hand-written on a chalk board, as it would have been done when the Assembly still met in the Capitol.

All joint-meetings and joint-sessions are held in the Assembly chamber, including the State of the State Address, the State of the Judiciary Address, and addresses from Nevada's federal delegation. Unlike in Congress, where the Speaker of the House presides over all joint-meetings and sessions (except when Congress counts the Electoral Votes after a Presidential election), the President of the Senate presides over joint-meetings and sessions instead of the Speaker of the Assembly.

Composition

2814
DemocraticRepublican
AffiliationParty

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

Total
DemocraticLibRepublicanVacant
Begin 77th
February 2013
27015420
End 77th
November 2014
2514393
Begin 78th
February 2015
17025420
End 78th
November 2016
124420
Begin 79th
February 2017
rowspan=327015420
September 22, 2017[2]
14411
End 79th
November 2018
Begin 80th
February 2019
29013420
May 4, 2019[3] 28411
Begin 81st
February 2021
26016420
Begin 82nd
February 2023
28014420
Latest voting share

Leadership of the Assembly

The Speaker of the Assembly presides over the Assembly in the chief leadership position, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus, followed by confirmation of the full Assembly on passage of a floor vote. Other Assembly leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber.

Position Name Party District
Speaker Democratic 9
Democratic 1
Democratic 41
Assistant Majority Floor Leader Vacant Democratic
Democratic 15
Assistant Majority Whip (North) Democratic 24
Assistant Majority Whip (South) Democratic 3
Republican 40
Assistant Minority Leader (North) Republican 31
Assistant Minority Leader (South) Republican 23
Minority Whip Republican 26

Members

District Name Party Residence First elected/appointed Term
1 Democratic 2016 4th
2 Republican 2020 2nd
3 Democratic Las Vegas 2018 3rd
4 Republican Las Vegas 2008, 2016, 2020 5th
5 Democratic Las Vegas 2016 4th
6 Democratic Las Vegas 2020 2nd
7 Vacant[4]
8 Democratic Las Vegas 2022 1st
9 Democratic Las Vegas 2016 4th
10 Vacant[5]
11 Democratic North Las Vegas 2018† 3rd
12 Democratic Las Vegas 2022 1st
13 Republican Las Vegas 2022 1st
14 Democratic Las Vegas 2022 1st
15 Democratic Las Vegas 2018 3rd
16 Democratic Las Vegas 2020 2nd
17 Democratic North Las Vegas2020 2nd
18 Democratic Las Vegas 2020 2nd
19 Republican 2022 1st
20 Democratic Las Vegas 2020 2nd
21 Democratic Henderson 2020 2nd
22 Republican Henderson 2018 3rd
23 Republican Las Vegas 2022 1st
24 Democratic 2018 3rd
25 Democratic Reno 2022 1st
26 Republican Reno 2022 1st
27 Democratic Reno 2022 1st
28 Democratic Las Vegas 2022 1st
29 Democratic Henderson 2012†, 2016 5th
30 Democratic 2020 2nd
31 Republican Sparks 2014, 2020 3rd
32 Republican Sparks2018 3rd
33 Republican 2022 1st
34 Democratic Las Vegas 2016 4th
35 Democratic Las Vegas 2018 3rd
36 Republican 2018† 3rd
37 Democratic Las Vegas 2018, 2022 2nd
38 Republican 2022 1st
39 Republican 2022 1st
40 Republican 2014, 2020 3rd
41 Democratic Las Vegas 2016 4th
42 Democratic Las Vegas 2021† 2nd

Past composition of the Assembly

See main article: Political party strength in Nevada.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nevada State Assembly - 2011 Districts : Population Report . Leg.state.nv.us . 2016-02-19.
  2. Republican Paul Anderson (District 13) resigned to take another job. https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/lawmaker-paul-anderson-takes-nevada-economic-development-job/
  3. Democrat Tyrone Thompson (District 17) died. https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/assemblyman-thompson-dies-after-sudden-illness
  4. [Cameron Miller]
  5. Sabra Newby resigned on September 6, 2023 after being appointed as a deputy city manager of Las Vegas. https://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/News/Blog/Detail/two-new-deputy-city-managers