State of · NV

Nevada

Joe Lombardo

Governor

Republican

State Government 101

How Nevada’s Government Works

Nevada is one of only four states whose legislature meets just once every two years, and it levies no personal income tax. A plural executive of six elected officers sits beneath the governor, and the state’s strong direct democracy includes an unusual rule: a constitutional amendment proposed by citizens must pass at the ballot twice before it takes effect.

Governor term: 4 years
Governor term limit: 2 terms (lifetime)
Legislature: Nevada Legislature
State Senate: 21 seats · 4-yr terms
State Assembly: 42 seats · 2-yr terms
Legislator term limit: 12 years per chamber
Sessions: Biennial (odd years, convenes February)
Session length: 120 calendar days
Legislature type: Part-time / citizen legislature
Legislator pay: $150.71/day, paid only for the first 60 days of session + per diem
Veto override: Two-thirds of each chamber
Line-item veto: No

The Executive Branch, Who Runs the State

Nevada has a plural executive of six statewide elected officials: the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, and the State Controller. Because the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected separately rather than as a ticket, the two can come from different parties, and the Lieutenant Governor presides over the State Senate.

With those officers elected independently, the Governor leads the executive branch but shares authority with five colleagues who answer to the voters. The Governor appoints the heads of the executive departments that aren’t separately elected and leads the rest of the bureaucracy.

The Legislature, Who Writes the Laws

The Nevada Legislature is bicameral: a 21-seat State Senate (four-year terms) and a 42-seat State Assembly (two-year terms), with members limited to 12 years per chamber. It is a genuinely part-time, citizen legislature, so much so that members are paid for only the first 60 days of a session (plus a per diem), after which they serve without salary.

The defining feature is how rarely it meets. Nevada is one of only four states whose legislature convenes in regular session just once every two years, in odd-numbered years, beginning in February and capped at 120 calendar days. Everything the state does for a two-year budget cycle must be enacted in that single biennial window, unless the Governor calls a special session.

How a Bill Becomes Law

A bill is introduced, referred to committee, and, if it advances, voted on the floor of each chamber within the 120-day biennial session, with differences reconciled before final passage. The Governor can sign a bill, veto it, or let it become law. Nevada’s governor has no line-item veto, so appropriations must be accepted or rejected whole, and a veto override takes two-thirds of each chamber, though because the Legislature usually adjourns before the veto deadline, overrides often have to wait until the next session two years later.

Nevada has strong direct democracy, with a distinctive safeguard. Citizens can enact statutes and propose constitutional amendments by initiative and overturn laws by referendum. But a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment must be approved by the voters in two separate general elections, passing once is not enough, before it becomes part of the constitution, a double-vote requirement designed to slow down permanent change.

What the Governor Can (and Can’t) Do

The Governor appoints the heads of the non-elected agencies, proposes the budget, can call special sessions, holds emergency powers, and holds the clemency power, though pardons run through a Board of Pardons Commissioners made up of the Governor, the Attorney General, and the justices of the Supreme Court acting together. Notably, the Governor has no line-item veto, a comparatively weak budget tool.

Because the Legislature meets only every other year, the Governor’s control of the budget proposal and the power to call special sessions carry extra weight between regular sessions. The main internal checks are the five other independently elected statewide officers and the two-thirds legislative override.

The Courts

Nevada elects its judges in nonpartisan elections at every level. Unusually, Nevada had no intermediate appeals court until voters created the Court of Appeals in 2014; before that, every appeal went straight to the Supreme Court. Today the Supreme Court of Nevada sits at the top, with the Court of Appeals handling cases assigned to it and the trial-level District Courts below. The Governor fills mid-term judicial vacancies by appointment, after which the appointee must stand in the next nonpartisan election.

What makes Nevada’s government distinctive

One of only four states whose legislature meets in regular session just once every two years.
No personal income tax, Nevada funds itself heavily through gaming and sales taxes instead.
Legislators are paid for only the first 60 days of a session, then serve unpaid, among the purest citizen-legislature setups.
A citizen-initiated constitutional amendment must pass at the ballot in two separate elections before it takes effect.
The governor has no line-item veto, and pardons are decided by a board of the Governor, Attorney General, and Supreme Court justices.

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Foundational

Nevada Constitution

19 articles · 220 sections · 0 paragraphs

Codified

Nevada Statutes

59 titles · 49,746 sections

Frequently asked questions

How often does the Nevada Legislature meet?

Only once every two years. Nevada is one of just four states with a biennial legislature: it convenes in regular session in odd-numbered years, beginning in February and capped at 120 calendar days, then adjourns until the next biennium. Anything in between requires a special session called by the governor.

Does Nevada have a state income tax?

No. Nevada is one of a small number of states with no personal income tax. It relies instead on revenue from gaming, sales taxes, and tourism to fund state government.

Why does a Nevada ballot amendment have to pass twice?

For citizen-initiated constitutional amendments, Nevada requires approval by voters in two separate general elections before the change takes effect. Passing once is not enough, the double-vote rule is a deliberate safeguard meant to slow down permanent changes to the constitution.

Are Nevada legislators full-time?

No, they are among the most part-time in the country. Beyond meeting only every other year, legislators are paid for just the first 60 days of a session and then serve without salary (though they still receive a per diem), so virtually all of them hold other jobs.

Can the governor of Nevada grant pardons?

Not alone. Pardons are decided by the Board of Pardons Commissioners, made up of the Governor, the Attorney General, and the justices of the state Supreme Court acting together, so clemency in Nevada is a shared decision rather than the governor’s alone.