2025 Legislative Session

In 2025, we fought for critical progressive legislation in language access, healthcare equity, and education access.

The Nevada Legislature adjourned the 83rd Legislative Session Sine Die on June 2nd. As a leading advocacy organization representing Nevada’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities, One APIA Nevada worked hand-in-hand with state legislators, notably the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Legislative Caucus during the 2025 Session.

In partnership with the AANHPI Legislative Caucus and the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC), One APIA Nevada hosted its fourth biennial AANHPI Heritage Day and AANHPI Advocacy Day, in addition to the first AANHPI Youth Advocacy Day in Nevada history, gathering students from 13 educational institutions to meet their legislators and learn about policymaking. One APIA Nevada hosted 50+ lobby visits with state legislators and held a reception for legislative staff at the Governor's Mansion.

The event celebrates the beginning of AANHPI Heritage Month by making the voices of hard-working AANHPIs across the state heard at the Nevada Legislature. The event recognizes the growing political voice and power of Nevada's 392,000 AANHPIs, which comprises roughly 12.5% of the state's total population and accounts for one in every ten voters. The 2022 election showed how important the group was in many close races—AANHPIs now have the power and numbers to be the voice of change in Nevada. We also provided both written and verbal testimony on more than 20 bills, working in conjunction with other progressive organizations to craft messaging and bring community members to testify on bills.

AAPI Legislative Caucus

In 2023, we have the most AANHPI Legislators serving in office as a part of the AANHPI Legislative Caucus in history, reflective of our growing community in Nevada. We also want to recognize the important contributions and work of the members in our AAPI Legislative Caucus. First formed in 2019, the caucus currently has seven members who identify as Asian American Pacific Islander, the most in state history.

The current members of the AANHPI Legislative Caucus are:

• Senator Rochelle Nguyen (SD-3)

• Assemblymember Selena Torres (AD-3)

• Assemblymember Brittney Miller (AD-5)

• Assemblymember Duy Nguyen (AD-8), Chair

• Assemblymember Erica Mosca (AD-14), Vice Chair

• Assemblymember Cecelia González (AD-16)

• Assemblymember Reuben D'Silva (AD-28)

• Assemblymember Hanadi Nadeem (AD-34) 

One APIA Nevada's Legislative Wins:

✓ AB73 will require the disclosure of manipulation in any elections/political/issue-related communications that includes synthetic media (AI).

✓ AB123 will prohibit a person from making certain statements which threaten or intimidate a candidate for public office

✓ AB197 will enact provisions strengthening certain protections for certain (nonprofit) activities under the First Amendment.

✓ AB289 will require completion of coursework in financial literacy at institutions of higher education; previously, a similar bill was passed at the high school level.

✓ AB367 will make various changes relating to language access in elections, including having more translated materials, translation services, and more; previously, this bill was vetoed in the 2023 legislative session.

✓ AB458 will authorize users of solar-powered affordable housing systems to participate in net metering, exempt system owners/operators from certain regulations, and mandate that landlords inform tenants about the solar-powered system's benefits and cost.

✓ AB472 will prohibit a school district that employs, or intends to employ, a J-1 visa holder through a teacher exchange program from working with the teacher exchange program sponsors or recruiters if they charge more than $10,000 in total fees per participant or applicant.

✓ AB486 will require the Nevada Department of Transportation to include progress and needs for wildlife mitigation projects that reduce wildlife vehicle collisions in their annual reports.

✓ SB124 will update requirements on licensing for certain foreign-trained healthcare professionals, such as not requiring them to do residency again.

✓ SB132 will make an appropriation to the Nevada Clean Energy Fund for securing and implementing grants for qualified clean energy projects.

✓ SB133 will make an appropriation to the Nevada Center for Civic Engagement to support civics education programs.

✓ SB188 will provide a person with limited English proficiency with language assistance in accessing health care in certain circumstances.

Outlined below are the missed opportunities that One APIA Nevada will continue to address moving forward:

✗ AB82 would have required the Governor to declare “Diwali Day,” “Eid al-Fitr Day,” “Vaisakhi Day,” and “Vesak Day” in Nevada.

✗ AB83 would have established October 25 as “Larry Itliong Day” in Nevada.

✗ AB278 would have established a Muslim American Heritage Month in July.

• Despite the strong support these cultural bills received, it is disappointing that the Governor chose not to acknowledge these important holidays for our AANHPI communities.

✗ AB105 sought to prohibit a person from possessing or causing a firearm to be present in, or within 100 feet of an entrance to an election site.

✗ AB112 aimed to remove an exemption from provisions providing certain employees with the right to use sick leave to assist family members.

✗ AB388 would have mandated that public employers and private employers provide up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.

✗ AB217 would have prohibited school districts, public schools and their employees from providing permission to access school district facilities to certain federal officials investigating or enforcing immigration laws.

✗ AB226 sought to require applicants for certain transferable tax credits to create a community benefits plan.

✗ AB259 would have required prescription medication to be sold at market price.

✗ AB306 aimed to require a certain number of drop box locations to be established during the period between the last day for early voting and the day of a general election.

✗ SB182 sought to create requirements for staff-to-patient ratios in certain hospitals.

✗ SB217 would have prohibited governmental entities from substantially burdening certain assisted reproduction activities, provided legal immunity for related services, clarified that a fertilized egg or human embryo before implantation is not a person for legal purposes, and mandated insurance coverage for infertility treatment and fertility preservation.