SB155 revises Nevada law governing who may be employed as a peace officer. The bill creates a new exception to the state’s general citizenship requirement for public employment by allowing a person to be hired as a peace officer if the person is legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law, has previously served as a peace officer in another state, and meets all other applicable peace-officer qualifications. This change takes effect on January 1, 2026.
The bill also directs the Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission (POST) not to adopt regulations that require U.S. citizenship for appointment as a peace officer when those same conditions are met, and it voids any existing conflicting regulations. In practical terms, the measure creates a reciprocity-style pathway for out-of-state law enforcement officers who are otherwise eligible to work in Nevada, while leaving intact the Commission’s broader authority over certification, training, and other standards.
Impact
SB155 amends NRS 281.060 and NRS 289.510 to carve out a specific exception from Nevada’s general rule limiting state and local public employment to U.S. citizens, wards of the United States, or certain honorably discharged veterans. It also constrains POST’s rulemaking authority by prohibiting citizenship-based appointment standards for qualifying peace-officer applicants and invalidating conflicting regulations. The bill affects state and local law enforcement agencies, POST, and prospective peace officers from other states who are legally authorized to work in the U.S.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received mixed but ultimately successful support in both chambers. It passed the Senate 13-7 and the Assembly 27-15, indicating meaningful opposition but enough bipartisan or cross-party support to advance. The absence of committee transcript material limits insight into detailed debate, but the final votes suggest the measure was viewed by supporters as a workforce and recruitment reform and by opponents as a change to longstanding citizenship-based hiring rules.
Contention
The central point of contention is the bill’s relaxation of Nevada’s citizenship requirement for peace-officer employment. Supporters are likely to emphasize recruitment, reciprocity, and the ability to hire experienced officers already vetted in another state, while opponents may object to opening peace-officer positions to noncitizens even if they are legally authorized to work. A secondary issue is the bill’s restriction on POST’s regulatory authority, since it not only authorizes the hiring exception by statute but also prevents the Commission from preserving a citizenship requirement through regulation.