Nevada State Senate

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Nevada State Senate
SLP-Infobox Image-Color.png
General Information
Party control:   Democrat
Session start:   No regular legislative session
Session end:   No regular legislative session
Term length:   4 years
Term limits:   3 terms (12 years)
Redistricting:  Legislature-dominant
Salary:   $130/legislative day + per diem
Members
Total:  21
Democrats:  13
Republicans:  7
Other:  0
Vacancies:  1
Leadership
President:   Stavros S. Anthony (R)
Maj. Leader:   Nicole Cannizzaro (D)
Min. Leader:   Heidi Gansert (R)
Elections
Last election:  November 8, 2022
Next election:  November 5, 2024

The Nevada State Senate is the upper chamber of the Nevada State Legislature. Alongside the Nevada State Assembly, it forms the legislative branch of the Nevada state government and works alongside the governor of Nevada to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Nevada State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Nevada State Senate meets in the state capitol complex in Carson City, Nevada.

  • Eleven of the state Senate's 21 seats were up for election in 2022. The chamber's Democratic majority increased from 11-9 (with one vacancy) to 13-8.
  • Ten of the chamber's 21 seats were up for election in 2020. The chamber's Democratic majority decreased from 13-8 to 12-9.
  • Nevada has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor, while the Democratic Party controls both chambers of the state legislature.

  • This page contains the following information on the Nevada State Senate.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Nevada State Senate as of January 2024:

    Party As of January 2024
         Democratic Party 13
         Republican Party 7
         Other 0
         Vacancies 1
    Total 21

    Members

    Leadership

    The lieutenant governor serves as the president of the Senate but only votes in the case of a tie. If the lieutenant governor is not present, the president pro tempore presides and has the power to make commission and committee appointments. The president pro tempore is elected to the position by the majority party. The other leadership positions, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses to head their parties in the chamber.[1][2]

    Leadership and members


    Office Name Party Date assumed office
    Nevada State Senate District 1 Patricia Spearman Democratic November 7, 2012
    Nevada State Senate District 2 Edgar Flores Democratic November 9, 2022
    Nevada State Senate District 3 Rochelle Nguyen Democratic December 21, 2022
    Nevada State Senate District 4 Dina Neal Democratic November 4, 2020
    Nevada State Senate District 5 Carrie Buck Republican November 4, 2020
    Nevada State Senate District 6 Nicole Cannizzaro Democratic November 9, 2016
    Nevada State Senate District 7 Roberta Lange Democratic November 4, 2020
    Nevada State Senate District 8 Marilyn Dondero Loop Democratic November 7, 2018
    Nevada State Senate District 9 Melanie Scheible Democratic November 7, 2018
    Nevada State Senate District 10 Fabian Donate Democratic February 4, 2021
    Nevada State Senate District 11 Dallas Harris Democratic 2018
    Nevada State Senate District 12 Julie Pazina Democratic November 9, 2022
    Nevada State Senate District 13 Skip Daly Democratic November 9, 2022
    Nevada State Senate District 14 Ira Hansen Republican November 7, 2018
    Nevada State Senate District 15 Heidi Gansert Republican November 9, 2016
    Nevada State Senate District 16 Lisa Krasner Republican November 9, 2022
    Nevada State Senate District 17 Robin Titus Republican November 9, 2022
    Nevada State Senate District 18 Vacant
    Nevada State Senate District 19 Peter Goicoechea Republican November 7, 2012
    Nevada State Senate District 20 Jeff Stone Republican November 9, 2022
    Nevada State Senate District 21 James Ohrenschall Democratic November 7, 2018


    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2023
    SalaryPer diem
    $130/legislative dayThe exact amount members receive for per diem is unknown.

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    Nevada legislators assume office on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November (the day after election day).[3]

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    To be eligible to serve in the Nevada State Senate, a candidate must fulfill the following requirements:[4]

    • Reside within the boundaries of the district where you plan to run for office, beginning on a date at least 30 days immediately preceding the close of declarations-of-candidacy filing for this office;
    • Be a qualified elector pursuant to Article 2, Section 1 of the Nevada Constitution;
    • Be a registered member of the Party you claim to represent; and,
    • If running as a candidate of a major political party, have not changed the designation of your political party or political party affiliation on an official application to register to vote in any state since December 31st before the closing filing date for this election.

    Historical party control

    Democrats won control of the Nevada State Senate in 2016. In 2022, they won a 13-8 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Nevada Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Nevada State Senate election results: 1992-2022

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22
    Democrats 10 8 9 9 9 9 9 10 12 11 11 10 11 13 12 13
    Republicans 11 13 12 12 12 12 12 11 9 10 10 11 10 8 9 8

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, Nevada was under the following types of trifecta control:

    • Democratic trifecta: 1992, 2019-2022
    • Republican trifecta: 2015-2016
    • Divided government: 1993-2014, 2017-2018, 2023

    Nevada Party Control: 1992-2024
    Five years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R
    Senate D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D
    House D D D S S D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Nevada state senators serve staggered, four-year terms and half of the Senate is up for election every two years. Nevada holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2024

    See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2024

    Elections for the Nevada State Senate will take place in 2024. The general election is on November 5, 2024. A primary is June 11, 2024. The filing deadline is March 15, 2024.

    2022

    See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2022

    Elections for the Nevada State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022. The filing deadline was March 18, 2022.

    Democrats grew their majority from 11-9 with one vacancy to 13-8 in the 2022 election.

    Nevada State Senate
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 11 13
         Republican Party 9 8
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 21 21

    2020

    See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of Nevada State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 9, 2020. The filing deadline was March 13, 2020.

    Heading into the 2020 general election, there were 13 Democrats and eight Republicans in the chamber. Democrats lost one seat in the election, giving them a 12-9 majority.

    Nevada State Senate
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 13 12
         Republican Party 8 9
    Total 21 21

    2018

    See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2018

    Elections for the Nevada State Senate took place in 2018. A closed primary election took place on June 12, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 16, 2018.[5]

    In the 2018 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the Nevada State Senate from 10-8 to 13-8.

    Nevada State Senate
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 10 13
         Republican Party 8 8
         Independent 1 0
         Vacancy 2 0
    Total 21 21

    2016

    See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2016

    Elections for the Nevada State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 18, 2016. A total of 11 seats out of the 21 seats in the Nevada State Senate were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held an 11-10 majority. Democrats won control of both the Nevada State Senate and the Nevada State Assembly in the general election. This broke the Republican trifecta previously held in the state. Democrats were able to flip one Senate seat, which was all that they needed to gain control of the chamber. Assembly Democrats were also able to win a majority, picking up 10 seats and moving to a 12-seat majority.

    State Senator Patricia Farley said shortly after the election that she would change her party affiliation from Republican to nonpartisan with the intention of caucusing with Democrats.[6] The change in Farley's party affiliation gave the Democratic Caucus a three-seat majority.

    Nevada State Senate
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 10 11
         Republican Party 11 10
    Total 21 21

    Term limits

    See also: State legislatures with term limits

    The Nevada legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Nevada Term Limits Act in 1996. That initiative said that Nevada senators are subject to term limits of no more than three four-year terms, or a total of twelve years.[13]

    The first year that the term limits enacted in 1996 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was 2010.

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the Nevada State Legislature, the board of county commissioners in the county representing the seat must decide on a replacement. The board of county commissioners must select a person from the same political party that last held the seat when making its decision. If the vacancy happens before the next legislative session and an election for county officers is scheduled, no replacement is named.[14]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Nevada Const. Art. 4, Sec. 12

    District map

    See also: Nevada state legislative districts

    The state of Nevada has 63 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 21 districts and the state House has 42 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.



    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Nevada

    In Nevada, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. The lines are subject to veto by the governor.[15]

    Under a state law enacted in 2019, state prison inmates are counted as residents of their home addresses for redistricting purposes.[16]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in Nevada after the 2020 census

    Governor Steve Sisolak (D) signed new legislative maps into law on November 16, 2021.[17] These maps took effect for Nevada's 2022 legislative elections. On November 14, 2021, the Nevada State Senate voted 12-9 to approve the Democratic congressional and legislative map proposals.[18] On November 16, the Nevada State Assembly voted 25-17 to approve the maps.[19]

    District map before and after 2020 redistricting

    Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

    Nevada State Senate Districts
    until November 8, 2022

    Click a district to compare boundaries.

    Nevada State Senate Districts
    starting November 9, 2022

    Click a district to compare boundaries.


    2010

    See also: Redistricting in Nevada after the 2010 census

    Nevada received its local Census data on February 24, 2011. At a 35.1 percent rate of growth, Nevada was the fastest-growing state in the United States from 2000 to 2010. The state's five most populous cities grew as follows: Las Vegas grew by 22.0 percent, Henderson grew by 47.0 percent, Reno grew by 24.8 percent, North Las Vegas grew by 87.9 percent, and Sparks grew by 36.1 percent.[20]

    Democrats controlled the Legislature, while Governor Brian Sandoval was a Republican. The Legislature failed to finish new maps and a court-appointed panel of three special masters took over. New maps were finalized on December 8, 2011, and no challenges were made.[21]

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Nevada State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Nevada by year

    2024

    See also: Dates of 2024 state legislative sessions

    In 2024, the legislature will not hold a regular session.

    2023

    See also: 2023 Nevada legislative session and Dates of 2023 state legislative sessions

    In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on February 6, 2023, and adjourn on June 5, 2023.



    About legislative sessions in Nevada

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[27] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    When the Nevada Constitution was adopted, its fourth article established when the Nevada State Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, was to be in session. However, Section 29 of Article 4, the section that dealt with legislative sessions, was repealed by vote of the people in the 1958 general election. The session dates for the Nevada Legislature are no longer limited by the Nevada Constitution.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, term limits, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Nevada are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers

    Two-thirds of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 28 of the 42 members in the Nevada State Assembly and 14 of the 21 members in the Nevada State Senate. Nevada is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

    Vetoes can be overridden in a special session or when the next regular session convenes.[28] Two-thirds of members in both chambers must agree to call for a special session.[29]

    Authority: Article 4, Section 35 of the Nevada Constitution

    "Every bill which may have passed the Legislature, shall, before it becomes a law be presented to the Governor. If he approve it, he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it with his objections, to the House in which it originated, which House shall cause such objections to be entered upon its journal, and proceed to reconsider it; If after such reconsideration it again pass both Houses by yeas and nays, by a vote of two thirds of the members elected to each House it shall become a law notwithstanding the Governors objections."

    Role in state budget

    See also: Nevada state budget and finances
    Nevada on Public Policy Logo-one line-on Ballotpedia.png
    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    BudgetsCivil libertiesEducationElectionsEnergyEnvironmentHealthcarePensions

    The state operates on a biennial budget cycle that starts July 1 of each biennium. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[30]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in March.
    2. Agencies submit their requests to the governor by September 1.
    3. The governor submits the budget to the Nevada State Legislature in January.
    4. The legislature passes a budget in June. A simple majority is needed to pass a budget.

    In Nevada, the governor does not have line-item veto power. However, the governor can veto an appropriations bill in its entirety.[30]

    The governor is required by statute to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget.[30]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in Nevada state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Nevada State Senate has 10 standing committees:


    Constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods in which the Nevada Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article 16 and Article 19 of the Nevada Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Nevada

    The Nevada Constitution can be amended via three different paths: a constitutional convention, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment or an initiated constitutional amendment.

    Initiative

    See also: Initiated constitutional amendment

    An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. There are 18 states that allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

    In Nevada, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the total number of votes cast in the preceding general election. A simple majority vote in two consecutive elections is required for voter approval.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A simple majority vote is required during two successive legislative sessions for the Nevada State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 22 votes in the Nevada State Assembly and 11 votes in the Nevada State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to Section 2 of Article 16 of the Nevada Constitution, a two-thirds vote of the Nevada State Legislature is required to refer a constitutional convention question to the ballot. A simple majority vote of the electorate is required to call a convention.



    2025 measures:

    See also: 2025 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures were certified for the ballot.

    No measures to list



    2024 measures:

    Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2024 ballot by the legislature.

    See also: Nevada 2024 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures were certified for the ballot.

    See also

    Elections Nevada State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Nevada State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. Nevada Legislature, "Legislative Officers: Nevada Senate," accessed August 4, 2014
    2. Nevada Legislature, "NV Senate Leadership of the 77th (2013) Session," accessed August 4, 2014
    3. Nevada Constitution, "Article 4, Section 4," accessed November 1, 2021
    4. Nevada Secretary of State, "Filing For Non-Judicial Office," accessed February 10, 2023
    5. Clark County NV, "2018 state/federal elections," accessed August 3, 2017
    6. Las Vegas Sun, "State Sen. Patricia Farley to caucus with Democrats," November 14, 2016
    7. Follow the Money, "Nevada Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions," accessed December 17, 2013
    8. Follow the Money, "Nevada 2008 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    9. Follow the Money, "Nevada 2006 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    10. Follow the Money, "Nevada 2004 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    11. Follow the Money, "Nevada 2002 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    12. Follow the Money, "Nevada 2000 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    13. U.S. Term Limits, "State Legislative Term Limits," accessed February 4, 2021
    14. Nevada Legislature, "Constitution of Nevada," accessed February 9, 2021 (Article IV, Section XII)
    15. All About Redistricting, "Nevada," accessed May 5, 2015
    16. Prison Policy Initiative, "Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signs law ending prison gerrymandering," May 31, 2019
    17. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named govsign
    18. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named senateadv
    19. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named sb1
    20. U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Nevada's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," accessed February 9, 2021
    21. Nevada Legislature, "2011 Reapportionment and Redistricting Home," accessed February 9, 2021
    22. Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Nevada legislators flock to special session for Faraday," accessed December 17, 2015
    23. Las Vegas Review Journal, "Five (other) big issues for the 2015 Nevada Legislature," accessed February 2, 2015
    24. Kolotv.com, "Nev. Legislature convenes Monday with uncertainty," February 2, 2013
    25. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
    26. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
    27. Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    28. Nevada Legislature, "Vetoes and Special Sessions," accessed July 3, 2017
    29. National Conference of State Legislatures, "Special Sessions," May 6, 2009
    30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023