Revises provisions relating to veterans. (BDR 37-77)

EXEMPT
(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 14, 2025)
FIRST REPRINT A.B. 145

- *AB145_R1*

ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 145–ASSEMBLYMEMBERS D’SILVA, GRAY;
CONSIDINE, DICKMAN, GURR, HUNT, JACKSON, KARRIS,
KASAMA AND O’NEILL

PREFILED JANUARY 29, 2025
____________

JOINT SPONSORS: SENATORS CRUZ-CRAWFORD,
LANGE; FLORES AND ROGICH
____________

Referred to Committee on Government Affairs

SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to veterans.
(BDR 37-77)

FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: Yes.

~

EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

AN ACT relating to veterans; prohibiting, with certain exceptions, a
person from providing certain services related to veterans’
benefits under certain circumstances; requiring the
Division of Human Resource Management of the
Department of Administration to develop certain
programs for the hiring and mentoring of veteran s;
requiring the Administrator of the Division to employ a
Veterans Coordinator; revising the persons who are
eligible to receive, free of charge, an annual permit for
entering all state parks and recreational areas to include
the family members of certain veterans; providing a
penalty; and providing other matters properly relating
thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing federal law prohibits a person from acting as an agent or attorney in 1
the preparation, presentation or prosecution of certain cla ims relating to benefits 2
provided to veterans and certain family members of veterans, unless the person has 3
been recognized or accredited by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. 4
(38 U.S.C. § 5901; 38 C.F.R. § 14.629(b)) Section 1 of this bill prohibits a person 5
from preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting or assisting any other 6
person with a claim before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the 7

– 2 –

- *AB145_R1*
United States Department of Defense or the Nevada Department of Veteran s 8
Services in violation of federal law, unless the person has received such recognition 9
or accreditation. Additionally, section 1 provides that this prohibition does not: (1) 10
prohibit a person from performing such actions, provided that the person does not 11
request or accept any payment or donation; and (2) apply to the extent preempted 12
by federal law. Section 2 of this bill makes the civil penalty for a violation of 13
existing law governing services for veterans’ benefits apply to a person who 14
violates section 1. Sections 2 and 10 of this bill authorize a person who is 15
aggrieved by a violation of section 1 to bring an action for consumer fraud. 16
Section 11 of this bill requires the Administrator of the Division of Human 17
Resource Management of the Department of Administration to employ a Veterans 18
Coordinator and requires the Veterans Coordinator to supervise the veteran hiring 19
program and the peer mentor program established in sections 8 and 9 of this bill, 20
respectively. Section 7 of this bill defines the term V eterans Coordinator for the 21
purposes of sections 5-9 of this bill. 22
Section 8 requires the Division of Human Resource Management, under the 23
supervision of the Veterans Coordinator, to establish a veteran hiring program to 24
support the recruitment and retention of employees who are veterans or the spouses 25
of veterans or servicemembers. Section 8 further establishes certain requirements 26
for the program and requires the Veterans Coordinator to provide to the Interagency 27
Council on Veterans Affairs an annual rep ort regarding the progress of the veteran 28
hiring program. 29
In 2019, the Governor established by executive order a peer mentor program 30
for veterans. The executive order required the Division of Human Resource 31
Management, under the supervision of the Veteran s Coordinator, to develop a peer 32
mentor program for certain veterans. The executive order further required each 33
state agency that employs a veteran to identify one employee to serve as a peer 34
mentor. Additionally, the Veterans Coordinator is required to pr ovide an annual 35
report regarding the progress of the peer mentor program to the Interagency 36
Council on Veterans Affairs. (Executive Order 2019 -05 (3 -20-2019)) Section 9 37
codifies the requirements for the peer mentor program in statute. 38
Existing law require s the Administrator of the Division of State Parks of the 39
State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to establish a program to 40
issue, free of charge, an annual permit to enter all state parks and recreational areas 41
in this State to any bona fid e resident of this State who has been discharged, except 42
a person who has been dishonorably discharged, from the Armed Forces of the 43
United States. (NRS 407.0655) Section 12 of this bill requires the program to 44
include the issuance of such annual permits t o the widow, widower, parent or adult 45
child of a person killed in the line of duty while serving on active duty in the 46
Armed Forces of the United States. 47

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Chapter 417 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 1
thereto a new section to read as follows: 2
1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, a person 3
shall not prepare, present, prosecute, advise, consult or assist any 4
other person with a claim before the United States Departmen t of 5
Veterans Affairs, the United States Department of Defense or the 6
Department in violation of 38 U.S.C. § 5901 or 38 C.F.R. § 14.629 7

– 3 –

- *AB145_R1*
unless the person has been recognized or accredited by the United 1
States Department of Veterans Affairs to perform such activities. 2
2. The provisions of this section: 3
(a) Shall not be construed to prohibit a person from preparing, 4
presenting, prosecuting , advising, consulting or assisting any 5
other person with a claim , provided that the person does not 6
request or accept any payment or donation for such services; and 7
(b) Do not apply to the extent preempted by federal law. 8
Sec. 2. NRS 417.137 is hereby amended to read as follows: 9
417.137 1. The Attorney General may recover a civil penalty 10
of not more than $10,000 for each violation of NRS 417.133 or 11
417.135 [.] or section 1 of this act. The Attorney General shall 12
deposit any civil penalty recovered pursuant to this section in the 13
Gift Account for Veterans created by NRS 417.115. 14
2. A person aggrieved by a violation of NRS 417.133 or 15
417.135 or section 1 of this act may bring an action for consumer 16
fraud pursuant to NRS 41.600. 17
Sec. 3. (Deleted by amendment.) 18
Sec. 4. Chapter 418 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 19
thereto the provisions set forth as sections 5 to 9, inclusive, of this 20
act. 21
Sec. 5. As used in NRS 418.030 and 418.045 and sections 5 22
to 9, inclusive, of this act, unless the context otherwise requires, 23
the words and terms defined in sections 6 and 7 of this act, have 24
the meanings ascribed to them in those sections. 25
Sec. 6. “Servicemember” means a person who is an active 26
member of the: 27
1. Armed Forces of the United States; 28
2. National Guard or a reserve component of the Armed 29
Forces of the United States; or 30
3. Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health 31
Service or the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and 32
Atmospheric Administration of the United States and is serving in 33
the capacity of a commissioned officer in defense of the United 34
States. 35
Sec. 7. “Veterans Coordinator” means the Veterans 36
Coordinator in the Division of Human Resource Management of 37
the Department of Administration employed by the Administrator 38
of the Division pursuant to section 11 of this act. 39
Sec. 8. 1. Under the supervision of the Veterans 40
Coordinator, the Division of Human Resource Management of the 41
Department of Administration shall establish a veteran hiring 42
program to support the recruitment and retention of employees 43
who are veterans or the spouses of veterans or servicemembers. 44
2. The program must: 45

– 4 –

- *AB145_R1*
(a) Identify positions in the service of the State that align with 1
the education, skills and experience of a qualifying person; 2
(b) Advise and assist a qualifying person with the completion 3
of profiles and job applications; and 4
(c) Provide guidance to a qualifying person throughout the 5
application and hiring process. 6
3. On or before November 30 of each year, the Veterans 7
Coordinator shall submit to the Interagency Council on Veterans 8
Affairs a report concerning the progress of the program. 9
4. As used in this section, “qualifying person” means a 10
person who is a veteran or the spouse of a veteran or 11
servicemember. 12
Sec. 9. 1. Under the supervision of the Veterans 13
Coordinator, the Division of Human Resource Management of the 14
Department of Administration shall establish a peer mentor 15
program to support mentoring, professional development and 16
networking opportunities for veterans who are employed by the 17
State. 18
2. The peer mentor program must: 19
(a) Improve the recruitment of veterans through outreach and 20
raising awareness of career opportunities with state agencies; 21
(b) Improve the retention of veterans by providing support, 22
mentorship and professional development opportunities; 23
(c) Improve employee morale through veteran recognition 24
events and activities; and 25
(d) Include quarterly meetings which are open to all employees 26
of the State, to provide information related to veteran resources, 27
veteran services or any other information the Veterans 28
Coordinator or the Divi sion of Human Resource Management 29
deems necessary. 30
3. The Division of Human Resource Management shall 31
coordinate with the Interagency Council on Veterans Affairs to 32
encourage employers in this State to establish peer mentor 33
programs for veterans within their organizations. 34
4. Each state agency that employs a veteran shall coordinate 35
with the Veterans Coordinator to identify at least one employee to 36
serve as a peer mentor for veterans and participate in the peer 37
mentor program. A peer mentor is not requ ired to have prior 38
military service or entitled to receive additional compensation for 39
serving as a peer mentor. 40
5. On or before November 30 of each year, the Veterans 41
Coordinator shall submit to the Interagency Council on Veterans 42
Affairs a report concerning the progress of the program. 43

– 5 –

- *AB145_R1*
Sec. 10. NRS 41.600 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
41.600 1. An action may be brought by any person who is a 2
victim of consumer fraud. 3
2. As used in this section, “consumer fraud” means: 4
(a) An unlawful act as defined in NRS 119.330; 5
(b) An unlawful act as defined in NRS 205.2747; 6
(c) An act prohibited by NRS 482.36655 to 482.36667, 7
inclusive; 8
(d) An act prohibited by NRS 482.351; 9
(e) A deceptive trade practice as define d in NRS 598.0915 to 10
598.0925, inclusive; or 11
(f) A violation of NRS 417.133 or 417.135 [.] or section 1 of 12
this act. 13
3. If the claimant is the prevailing party, the court shall award 14
the claimant: 15
(a) Any damages that the claimant has sustained; 16
(b) Any equitable relief that the court deems appropriate; and 17
(c) The claimant’s costs in the action and reasonable attorney’s 18
fees. 19
4. Any action brought pursuant to this section is not an action 20
upon any contract underlying the original transaction. 21
Sec. 11. Chapter 284 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 22
thereto a new section to read as follows: 23
1. The Administrator of the Division shall employ a Veterans 24
Coordinator who is in the classified service of the State. 25
2. The Veterans Coordinator employed pursuant to 26
subsection 1 shall supervise: 27
(a) The veteran hiring program established pursuant to section 28
8 of this act; 29
(b) The peer mentor program established pursuant to section 9 30
of this act; and 31
(c) Any other programs or initiatives of the Division that 32
support the recruitment and retention of employees who are 33
veterans or the spouses of veterans or servicemembers. 34
3. As used in this section, “servicemember” has the meaning 35
ascribed to it in section 6 of this act. 36
Sec. 12. NRS 407.0655 is hereby amended to read as follows: 37
407.0655 The Administrator shall establish a program for the 38
issuance of an annual permit, free of charge, to enter each state park 39
and recreation area in this State to: 40
1. Any member of an Indian tribe that is located in whole or in 41
part in this State; [and] 42
2. Any bona fide resident of this State who has been discharged 43
from the Armed Forces of the United States, except a person who 44
has been dishonorably discharged [.] ; and 45

– 6 –

- *AB145_R1*
3. Any bona fide resident of this State who is the widow, 1
widower, parent or adult child of a person killed in the line of duty 2
while on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States. 3
Sec. 13. Any person who, on October 1, 2025, is employed by 4
the Division of Human Resources Management in the Department 5
of Administration as the Veterans Coordinator and is otherwise 6
qualified to serve as the Veterans Coordinator may continue to serve 7
in that capacity and may only be transferred, promoted, demoted or 8
discharged in accordance with the provisions of chapter 284 of the 9
Nevada Revised Statutes. 10

H