The Assembly Ways and Means Committee heard Assembly Bill 93 on May 16, seeking to expand heart-and-lung benefit coverage to include all persons categorized as peace officers under Nevada Revised Statutes.

Sponsor Brian Hibbits told the committee the bill would ensure "anybody that's a peace officer under NRS 289 is a peace officer under the heart and lung protection statute," citing NRS 617.135 as the heart-and-lung statute to which the bill would extend coverage.

Annette Teixeira, deputy risk manager for the State Risk Management Division, told the committee the amendment to AB 93 would broaden the classification to include 297 additional sworn positions across state agencies and expand heart-and-lung coverage to those positions. Based on historical claim rates and national health data, Teixeira said an estimated three additional claims annually at an average cost of $99,988 per claim would produce an anticipated annual cost of $299,964 and a biennial impact of $599,928 starting in fiscal year 2027.

Several law-enforcement organizations testified in support. Matthew Caldwell, president of the Police Officers Association for the Clark County School District Police Department, said the coverage would "force them to be checked annually" and called the bill lifesaving. Dan Gordon, president of the Nevada Police Union, said the union "fully supports this important bill" and urged committee passage.

Hibbits noted the bill is an effort to consolidate coverage so this issue need not be revisited each session; he said an earlier version of the bill had passed policy and the floor in a prior session but died in the Senate Finance Committee.

No opponents testified on record at the hearing. The committee did not take a final vote during the hearing phase.