Special Session is Complete

With the close of the special legislative session in Nevada, seven days being referred to as ‘chaos’ and ‘a fiasco’, it’s still difficult to determine if the special session was worthwhile or all for naught. One of the priority issues for the Governor failed to move forward. However, it did see approval of SB3, creating the Silver State General Assistance program, which will maintain benefits for Nevadans on programs like SNAP and Medicaid if there are federal disruptions, as was threatened recently with the risk of SNAP federal funding during the federal government shutdown.

Other legislation includes funding for SNAP technology updates, medical equipment, and Medicaid outreach, which could be useful given expected federal changes in these programs and potential funding losses. There was also a bill addressing recent changes to the Nevada Health Authority, and helping recruit health care workers across Nevada, particularly in areas like nursing and specialty care. 

We are still in the process of analyzing how this new legislation will impact our policy efforts, and how they will impact the state when federal changes start taking effect. As we determine our priorities moving forward to ensure health care access remains strong, Cardiac Emergency Response Plans are implemented well, and our local efforts have the ability to improve health care access in rural areas, we will be working with our partners and volunteers to ensure our policy goals continue to lead our work as we determine how the current chaos will impact our efforts.