Nevada’s 2025 Special Session: Reviving Key Bills, Dodging Medicaid Cuts, and Shaking Up 2026 Campaigns
Nevada lawmakers are buzzing about a possible special legislative session in 2025 to revive bills that failed during the 83rd regular session, which ended June 3. Governor Joe Lombardo told KTNV, “The special session conversation is happening as we speak,” hinting at addressing “significant pieces of business.” This article examines the likelihood of a special session, the process to call one, its historical context, and the fundraising blackout rules impacting legislators’ 2026 campaign strategies.
A 2025 special session appears likely to revive bills aimed at diversifying the state’s $100 billion tourism-reliant economy, including Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui’s Nevada Studio Infrastructure Jobs and Workforce Training Act, a film industry tax incentive bill that passed the Assembly but failed in the Senate, alongside Governor Lombardo’s crime bill or Health Access Act. Lawmakers, citing vulnerabilities exposed during COVID-19, prioritize economic diversification, but Lombardo is expected to sideline federal budgetary issues, such as the $232 million Medicaid cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, deferring them to the 2027 regular session.
Under Nevada’s Constitution, the single subject rule ensures special legislative sessions focus solely on issues specified in the governor’s call or a two-thirds petition by the Assembly and Senate, maintaining a targeted agenda. For a potential 2025 special session, Governor Lombardo, after consulting legislative leaders, would likely prioritize economic diversification bills to keep the session streamlined and efficient.
Nevada has held 35 special sessions since statehood, with over half occurring since 2001, reflecting the growing complexity of state governance. Notable examples include:
2023 (35th Special Session): Lawmakers approved funding and incentives for a Major League Baseball stadium in Las Vegas to boost sports tourism and economic diversification.
2020 (32nd and 33rd Special Sessions): These sessions tackled pandemic-related challenges, with the 32nd addressing budget adjustments due to COVID-19 revenue losses and the 33rd focusing on voting procedures and criminal justice reforms.
2016 (30th Special Session): Legislators convened to approve public funding for a $1.9 billion NFL stadium in Las Vegas for the Oakland Raiders’ relocation, including a hotel tax increase to support the project, marking a significant investment in sports-driven economic growth.
2008 (25th Special Session): Amid the Great Recession, lawmakers addressed a $1.2 billion budget shortfall, cutting spending and adjusting tax policies to stabilize state finances.
1965 (9th Special Session): Lawmakers addressed redistricting to comply with federal court mandates, ensuring fair legislative representation after population shifts.
A 2025 session would mark the 36th in Nevada’s history, continuing the trend of using special sessions to tackle pressing issues outside the biennial regular session schedule.
In Nevada’s politically divided landscape, with a Republican governor and Democratic legislative majorities, a 2025 special session could disrupt 2026 election campaigns due to fundraising restrictions under Nevada law (NRS 294A.300). This law prohibits legislators and statewide elected officials—including the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, and state controller—from soliciting or accepting campaign contributions during any legislative session, regular or special. Designed to shield policymaking from undue influence, the blackout lasts from the session’s start to its end, whether one day or several weeks, and includes pledges for future contributions. Contributions received must be returned within 14 days to avoid reporting as campaign expenses. In the 2026 gubernatorial race, popular Republican Governor Lombardo, seeking re-election with a robust donor base and a record 87 vetoes in 2025, faces a crowded Democratic primary featuring Attorney General Aaron Ford, Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, and possibly former Governor Steve Sisolak. For attorney general, Democrats State Treasurer Zach Conine and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro vie in a competitive race.
To minimize disruption to 2026 election campaigns, Nevada officials would likely schedule a special session in early December 2025, ideally December 1–2, 2025, allowing candidates to resume fundraising well before the June 9, 2026, primaries. A short session, consistent with Nevada’s history of special sessions, would limit the fundraising blackout’s impact.
