Nevada Assembly Bill AB65

Nevada 2025 Regular Session

• Refer: 11/20/24
• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Report Pass: 4/21/25
• Engrossed: 4/28/25
• Refer: 4/28/25
• Report Pass: 5/16/25
• Enrolled: 5/27/25
• Chaptered: 5/29/25
• Chaptered: 6/3/25
• Passed: 5/29/25
• Passed: 6/3/25

Caption

Revises provisions relating to guardianship. (BDR 13-470)

Summary

AB 65 makes a series of changes to Nevada’s guardianship laws for both adults and minors. The bill renames the State Guardianship Compliance Office as the State Guardianship Office and the State Guardianship Compliance Officer as the State Guardianship Officer, while also expanding the Officer’s authority to hire accountants and investigators as needed within available appropriations. It also updates investigative and service-of-process rules in guardianship cases, including allowing alternative methods of service under the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure, authorizing courts to waive publication in some circumstances, and clarifying notice requirements in minor guardianship proceedings. The bill further addresses guardianships involving minors seeking special immigrant juvenile status. It authorizes courts to appoint or extend a guardian for a protected minor or proposed protected minor in those cases, with the guardianship ending no later than age 21 unless terminated earlier by the court. AB 65 also removes a notice requirement to the Department of Health and Human Services when a minor guardianship petitioner involves Medicaid benefits, and it bars governmental entities from charging investigators for copies of documents needed in guardianship investigations. The act takes effect July 1, 2025.

Impact

AB 65 amends multiple sections of Nevada Revised Statutes chapters 159 and 159A governing adult and minor guardianships. It changes administrative terminology, expands the State Guardianship Office’s staffing flexibility, modifies investigative powers and costs, and revises how citations, petitions, and notices are served in guardianship proceedings. It also creates a new statutory basis for guardianship appointments tied to special immigrant juvenile proceedings and extends the possible duration of those guardianships to age 21. The bill removes one Medicaid-related notice requirement in minor guardianships and imposes a no-fee rule for government copies requested by guardianship investigators.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the Assembly 42-0 and the Senate 21-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. The absence of committee transcript material limits insight into debate, but the final votes suggest the measure was viewed as a technical, procedural, and child-protective update to guardianship law rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

No major contention is reflected in the available record. The most likely points of policy interest are the expanded use of alternative service methods and the court’s ability to waive publication, the removal of the Medicaid notice requirement, and the new guardianship provisions for minors seeking special immigrant juvenile status. Those changes could affect due process, agency notice, and immigration-related guardianship practice, but the unanimous votes suggest any concerns were either resolved in committee or not significant enough to generate recorded opposition.