AB 59 Nevada Assembly · 2025 Regular Session

Revises provisions relating to governmental administration. (BDR 45-300)

AB 59 revises Nevada's wildlife laws to expand game wardens' authority and strengthen protections for wildlife. It changes game wardens' enforcement role from a mandatory duty to a discretionary power, allowing them to enforce all state laws while performing wildlife duties. The bill broadens the prohibition against intentionally feeding wildlife to cover all wild mammals and game birds (not just specific big game), adds a new ban on possessing animal excrement or bodily fluids, and increases civil penalties for unlawfully killing a moose to $5,000-$30,000 - matching penalties for trophy big game mammals. These changes directly affect game wardens, wildlife managers, and residents who interact with wildlife in Nevada.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Nov 2024
Committee Review
May 2025
Assembly Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Nov 20, 2024 Signed Jun 3, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Reprint 2 As Enrolled · 6 edits · Jun 3, 2025
MODERATE
This bill updates Nevada's wildlife laws to expand protections against feeding wild mammals and prohibits bringing in animal waste. It also increases fines for illegally killing trophy animals and reclassifies moose as a trophy animal with higher penalties. Additionally, the bill eliminates the permit system for importing fallow deer and reindeer, making their possession a misdemeanor unless authorized by quarantine regulations.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of prohibited feeding activities from specific big game mammals to all wildlife classified as wild mammals, and adds moose to the list of animals subject to higher civil penalties.
REQUIREMENT

Expanded the prohibition on intentionally feeding animals from a specific list of big game mammals to include any wildlife classified as a wild mammal by the Board of Wildlife Commissioners.

Added a new prohibition against knowingly bringing into or possessing the excrement or bodily fluid of certain animals within the state.

Eliminated the permit program for importing, possessing, or propagating fallow deer and reindeer, making it a misdemeanor to do so without authorization from the State Quarantine Officer.

ENFORCEMENT

Increased the civil penalty for unlawfully killing or possessing a moose from a lower tier to the higher tier ($5,000 to $30,000) reserved for trophy big game mammals.

DEFINITION

Codified the legal definition of 'antler point' to exclude the eye guard on mule deer, clarifying how trophy status is determined.

Added moose to the list of animals subject to the higher civil penalty for unlawful killing or possession.

Floor votes · Senate May 22, 2025 · Assembly Apr 15, 2025

How they voted

200
Passed
Total votes 20
May 22, 2025
D Democratic12
12 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican8
8 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
6
Committee
2
Jun 3, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor. Chapter 222.
executive
May 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate Amendment No. 629 concurred in. To enrollment.
lower
May 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
From printer. To re-engrossment. Re-engrossed. Second reprint. Read third time. Passed, as amended. Title approved, as amended. (Yeas: 21, Nays: None.) To Assembly.
lower
May 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. Placed on Second Reading File. Read second time. Amended. (Amend. No. 629.) To printer.
lower
Apr 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
From printer. To engrossment. Engrossed. First reprint. Read third time. Passed. (Yeas: 42, Nays: None.) To Senate. In Senate.
lower
Apr 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended.
lower
Nov 20, 2024
Introduced
Prefiled. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources. To printer.
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.