WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

AB 540

Revises provisions relating to governmental administration. (BDR 25-1036)

2025 Regular Session

Nevada establishes the Attainable Housing Account to fund development and preservation of housing across income levels, with grants, oversight, and expedited local processes.

Approved by the Governor. Chapter 432.
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · AB 540

AB 540 — Nevada Attainable Housing Act (Chapter 432, 2025)

Status: Approved by the Governor (June 9, 2025).
Introduced: February 11, 2025. Sponsor: Committee on Government Affairs (on behalf of the Governor). BDR 25‑1036.

Purpose / Intent

AB 540 creates a new, dedicated state program and funding source to increase development and preservation of “attainable housing” across income tiers. The measure is intended to expand housing supply for households that are underserved by existing affordable‑housing programs and to provide flexible tools and incentives for public‑private development.

Key provisions

  • Nevada Attainable Housing Account: Establishes an account in the State General Fund administered by the Housing Division, Department of Business and Industry.
  • Appropriation: Provides a one‑time appropriation to the Account. As enacted the appropriation is $133,000,000 (varied in earlier versions).
  • Allocation plan & administration:
    • Requires the Division to adopt an annual allocation plan for disbursing Account funds.
    • The Division must report specified information to the Interim Finance Committee (annual/fiscal reporting timelines).
    • Exempts certain administrative actions from formal rulemaking in limited respects (as amended).
  • Eligible uses and recipients:
    • Authorizes distributions to eligible entities for a range of attainable‑housing purposes (development, preservation, programs such as rental assistance, etc.). Some awards require matching funds at least equal to the award amount.
    • The bill creates or revises eligibility definitions and authorizes prioritization criteria.
  • Governance and oversight:
    • Creates the Nevada Attainable Housing Council to provide oversight and strategic guidance; requires disclosure procedures for Council members’ financial interests.
    • Renames the Division’s “Housing Advocate” position to “Housing Liaison.”
  • Data, reporting and credit access:
    • Expands and refines the statewide housing database requirements and requires an annual analysis and published report.
    • Authorizes programs (to be run by the Division) to facilitate reporting of rental payments to credit reporting agencies.
  • Local government and land disposition:
    • Revises procedures and adds transparency/assessment requirements for county/city sale, lease or conveyance of public land for housing development.
    • Requires counties/cities to adopt certain expedited processes related to attainable housing.
  • Contractor/licensing provisions:
    • Provides limited pathways (endorsement/provisional licenses, fee waivers) to support contractors performing work on attainable housing in certain rural areas.
  • Definitions / tiers:
    • Revises terminology from “affordable housing” to “attainable housing” and adjusts/expands tiers used in statute to classify housing by income bands and cost burden.
  • Other: The bill makes numerous conforming and technical changes across existing housing statutes.

Stakeholder positions & contested issues

  • Supporters: housing advocates, builders, and business groups highlighted the need for supply‑side tools, flexible funding, and support for middle‑income households.
  • Opponents/concerns: labor and building trades objected to earlier provisions that would have exempted certain projects from prevailing‑wage requirements. Later amendments removed or altered some prevailing‑wage language; the bill’s history included significant negotiation on that and other provisions.

Fiscal and procedural notes

  • Fiscal: Contains a state appropriation ($133M) and may have fiscal impacts on local governments. Several versions reduced or reallocated appropriations during amendment.
  • Mandates: The bill was noted to contain an unfunded mandate in specified sections (§§ 30, 31) in legislative fiscal notes.
  • Timeline: Introduced Feb 11, passed the Assembly (April 1), amended in multiple committees and reprints, passed the Senate with amendments in early June, enrolled June 5 and approved by the Governor June 9, 2025 (Chapter 432).

Who is affected

  • State: Housing Division (administering the Account, reporting, program implementation), Interim Finance Committee (receives reports).
  • Local governments: required new procedures for land disposition and expedited permitting processes; may be affected fiscally.
  • Developers, non‑profits, public‑private partners: eligible to apply for funds (subject to matching requirements and program priorities).
  • Contractors in rural areas: possible streamlined licensing/fee waivers for work on eligible projects.
  • Tenants/homebuyers: potential increased production of housing for a wider range of incomes; new rental‑payment reporting programs could affect credit history for renters.

If you want, I can prepare a concise one‑page fact sheet for distribution or extract the final enacted statutory sections and compare them to the original draft to highlight exact wording changes (e.g., prevailing‑wage language and tier thresholds).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.