SB191 - Revises provisions relating to court reporters and court reporting firms. (BDR 54-14)

- 83rd Session (2025) Senate Bill No. 191–Senator Daly CHAPTER.......... AN ACT relating to professions; requiring the Certified Court Reporters’ Board of Nevada to prescribe by regulation certain fees; authorizing a municipal court to designate a person who is not required to be a certified court reporter to operate certain sound recording equipment; increasing the compensation for certain services provided by a court reporter in district court; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law sets forth the Nevada Certified Court Reporters’ and Licensed Court Reporting Firms’ Law, which provides for the certification and regulation of certified court reporters and the licensure and regulation of court reporting firms by the Certified Court Reporters’ Board of Nevada. (Chapter 656 of NRS) Existing law sets forth certain fees applicable to certified court reporters and court reporting firms. (NRS 656.220) Section 11.7 of this bill removes the amounts for such fees and instead requires the Board to prescribe by regulation initial reasonable fees for certified court reporters and court reporting firms. Section 11.7 requires those fees to be equal to the fees set forth in existing law as of December 31, 2025. Section 11.7 authorizes the Board, after prescribing such initial fees, to increase or decrease a fee by regulation to an amount that is not less than 90 percent and not more than 125 percent of the current fee. Section 17.5 of this bill provides that the existing fees remain in effect until the Board has established such fees by regulation. Sections 7 and 9 of this bill make conforming changes to reflect the requirement imposed in section 11.7 that the Board prescribe fees for certified court reporters by regulation. Existing law authorizes certain courts and magistrates to designate a person who is not required to be a certified court reporter to operate sound recording equipment to record certain proceedings. (NRS 3.380, 4.400, 171.198) Section 16.3 of this bill similarly authorizes a municipal court to make such a designation. Existing law sets forth the compensation that must be paid for various services provided by the official reporter or reporter pro tempore in a state district court. (NRS 3.370) Section 16 of this bill increases the compensation that must be paid to such court reporters for certain transcription and reporting services. EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Sections 1-3, 3.5, 4, 4.3, 4.7, 5, 5.3, 5.7 and 6. (Deleted by amendment.) Sec. 7. NRS 656.150 is hereby amended to read as follows: 656.150 1. Each applicant for a certificate must file an application with the Executive Secretary of the Board at least 30 days before the date fixed for examination. The application must be – 2 – - 83rd Session (2025) accompanied by the required fee and all information required to complete the application. 2. No certificate may be issued until the applicant has: (a) Passed the examination prescribed by the Board; (b) Passed one of the examinations described in paragraph (b) of subsection 2 of NRS 656.170; and (c) Paid the fee [as provided in] prescribed by the Board pursuant to NRS 656.220. Sec. 8. (Deleted by amendment.) Sec. 9. NRS 656.170 is hereby amended to read as follows: 656.170 1. Examinations must be held not less than twice a year at such times and places as the Board may designate. 2. No natural person may be admitted to the examination unless the natural person first applies to the Board as required by NRS 656.150. The application must include, without limitation, satisfactory evidence to the Board that the applicant has, at the time of filing his or her application: (a) Satisfied the requirements set forth in subsections 1 to 4, inclusive, of NRS 656.180; (b) Received a passing grade on: (1) The National Court Reporters Association’s examination for registered professional reporters; or (2) The National Verbatim Reporters Association’s examination for certified verbatim reporters; (c) Received one of the following: (1) A certificate as a registered professional reporter issued to the applicant by the National Court Reporters Association; (2) A certificate as a registered merit reporter issued to the applicant by the National Court Reporters Association; (3) A certificate as a certified verbatim reporter issued to the applicant by the National Verbatim Reporters Association; or (4) A valid certificate or license to practice court reporting issued to the applicant by another state if the requirements for certification or licensure in that state are substantially equivalent to the requirements of this State for obtaining a certificate; (d) Either: (1) At least 1 year of continuous experience within the 5 years immediately preceding the application, in the practice of court reporting or producing verbatim records of meetings and conferences by the use of voice writing or any system of manual or mechanical shorthand writing and transcribing those records; or (2) Obtained in the 12 months immediately preceding the application, a certificate of satisfactory completion of a prescribed – 3 – - 83rd Session (2025) course of study from a court reporting program that, as determined by the Board, evidences a proficiency substantially equivalent to subparagraph (1); and (e) Paid the fee for filing an application for an examination [set forth in] prescribed by the Board pursuant to NRS 656.220. 3. As used in this section, “practice of court reporting” includes reporting by use of voice writing or any system of manual or mechanical shorthand writing, regardless of the state in which the reporting took place. Secs. 10, 11, 11.1 and 11.3. (Deleted by amendment.) Sec. 11.5. NRS 656.200 is hereby amended to read as follows: 656.200 1. To renew a certificate of registration a certified court reporter must: (a) Apply to the Board for renewal; (b) Pay the annual renewal fee prescribed by the Board; (c) Submit evidence to the Board of completion of the requirements for continuing education established by the Board; and (d) Submit all information required to complete the renewal. 2. The Board shall adopt regulations requiring certified court reporters to participate in continuing education or training as a prerequisite to the renewal or restoration of a certificate. If a certified court reporter fails to comply with the requirements, the Board may suspend or revoke his or her certificate. 3. The failure of any certified court reporter to submit all information required to complete the renewal or pay in advance the annual renewal fee which may be fixed by the Board as necessary to defray the expense of administering the provisions of this chapter results in the suspension of the reporter’s right to engage in the practice of court reporting. The suspension must not be terminated until all required information has been submitted and all delinquent fees have been paid. 4. A certified court reporter whose certificate of registration has been suspended because of failure to submit all required information or pay the renewal fee: (a) May within 2 years thereafter have the certificate reinstated without examination upon submission of all required information and payment of the fees [set forth in] prescribed by the Board pursuant to paragraph [(e)] (d) of subsection 1 of NRS 656.220. (b) While he or she was on active military duty or in training before induction, may have the certificate renewed without payment of any fee if he or she files an application for renewal, an affidavit of such service with the Board within 2 years after the – 4 – - 83rd Session (2025) termination of the service and all information required to complete the renewal. Sec. 11.7. NRS 656.220 is hereby amended to read as follows: 656.220 1. The Board shall, in accordance with subsection 3, prescribe by regulation reasonable initial fees [required by this chapter are fixed by] for the following : [schedule:] (a) The fee for filing an application for an examination . [must be fixed by the Board annually at not more than $250 and not less than $90.] (b) The fee for the original issuance of a certificate . [must be fixed by the Board annually at not more than $250 and not less than $150.] (c) [For a certificate issued after July 1, 1973, the fee is an amount equal to the renewal fee in effect on the last regular renewal date before the date on which the certificate is issued, except that if the certificate will expire less than 1 year after its issuance, then the fee is 50 percent of the renewal fee in effect on the last regular renewal date before the date on which the certificate is issued. The Board may by regulation provide for the waiver or refund of the initial certificate fee if the certificate is issued less than 45 days before the date on which it will expire. (d)] The annual renewal fee for a certificate . [must be fixed by the Board annually at not more than $250 and not less than $150.] Every holder of a certificate desiring renewal must pay the annual renewal fee to the Board on or before May 15 of each year. [(e) For] (d) The fee for the renewal of a certificate which was suspended for failure to renew, [the fee is] which must be an amount equal to all unpaid renewal fees accrued plus a reinstatement fee . [that must be fixed by the Board annually at not more than $125 and not less than $75. (f)] (e) The fee for the original issuance of a license as a court reporting firm . [is $250. (g)] (f) The fee for the annual renewal of a license as a court reporting firm . [is $175. (h)] (g) The fee for the reinstatement of a license as a court reporting firm . [is $175.] 2. In addition to the fees set forth in subsection 1, the Board may charge and collect a fee for the expedited processing of a request or for any other incidental service it provides. The fee must not exceed the cost incurred by the Board to provide the service. 3. The initial fees prescribed by the Board pursuant to subsection 1 must be equal to the fees established in this section or – 5 – - 83rd Session (2025) prescribed by regulation, as applicable, as such fees existed on December 31, 2025. 4. After the Board prescribes the initial fees pursuant to subsection 1, the Board may by regulation increase or decrease a fee to an amount that is not less than 90 percent and not more than 125 percent of the current fee. Secs. 11.9, 12, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6 and 13-15. (Deleted by amendment.) Sec. 16. NRS 3.370 is hereby amended to read as follows: 3.370 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, for his or her services the official reporter or reporter pro tempore is entitled to the following compensation: (a) For being available to report civil and criminal testimony and proceedings when the court is sitting during traditional business hours on any day except Saturday or Sunday, [$250] $395 per day, to be paid by the county as provided in subsection 4. (b) For being available to report civil and criminal testimony and proceedings when the court is sitting beyond traditional business hours or on Saturday or Sunday: (1) If the reporter has been available to report for at least 4 hours, [$35] $75 per hour for each hour of availability; or (2) If the reporter has been available to report for fewer than 4 hours, a pro rata amount based on the daily rate set forth in paragraph (a),  to be paid by the county as provided in subsection 4. (c) For transcription: (1) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (2), for the original draft and any copy to be delivered: (I) Within 24 hours after it is requested, [$8.03] $10 per page for the original draft and one copy, and [$3.62] $3.75 per page for each additional copy; (II) Within 48 hours after it is requested, [$6.01] $8 per page for the original draft and one copy, and [$2.72] $2.80 per page for each additional copy; (III) Within 4 days after it is requested, [$5.01] $7 per page for the original draft and one copy, and [$2.26] $2.30 per page for each additional copy; or (IV) More than 4 days after it is requested, [$3.80] $5.50 per page for the original draft and one copy, and [$1.00] $1.50 per page for each additional copy. (2) For civil litigants who are ordering the original draft and are represented by a nonprofit legal corporation or a program for pro – 6 – - 83rd Session (2025) bono legal assistance, for the original draft and any copy to be delivered: (I) Within 24 hours after it is requested, [$5.50] $7 per page and $1.10 per page for each additional copy; (II) Within 48 hours after it is requested, [$4.13] $5 per page and [83 cents] $1 per page for each additional copy; (III) Within 4 days after it is requested, [$3.44] $4 per page and [69 cents] $1 per page for each additional copy; or (IV) More than 4 days after it is requested, [$2.75] $3.50 per page and [55 cents] $1 per page for each additional copy. (3) For any party other than the party ordering the original draft, for the copy of the draft to be delivered: (I) Within 24 hours after it is requested, [$1.10] $1.50 per page; (II) Within 48 hours after it is requested, [83 cents] $1 per page; (III) Within 4 days after it is requested, [69 cents] $1 per page; or (IV) More than 4 days after it is requested, [55 cents] $1 per page. (d) For reporting all civil matters, in addition to the compensation provided in paragraphs (a) and (b), $40 for each hour or fraction thereof actually spent, to be taxed as costs pursuant to subsection 5. (e) For providing an instantaneous translation of testimony into English which appears on a computer that is located at a table in the courtroom where the attorney who requested the translation is seated: (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subparagraph, in all criminal matters in which a party requests such a translation, in addition to the compensation provided pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (b), [$140] $300 for the first day and [$90] $200 per day for each subsequent day from the party who makes the request. This additional compensation must be paid by the county as provided pursuant to subsection 4 only if the court issues an order granting the translation service to the prosecuting attorney or to an indigent defe [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]