A Victory for Nevada Court Reporters: Senate Bill 191 Signed, Rate Increases Effective January 2026

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In a major legislative win for the stenographic court reporting community, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed Senate Bill 191 into law on July 19, 2025, setting the stage for long-awaited pay increases for certified court reporters working in Nevada’s state district courts. The changes, which take effect January 1, 2026, are more than symbolic—they represent a material recognition of the skill, precision, and constitutional importance of human court reporters in an increasingly automated legal landscape.

While this milestone directly impacts official reporters, the effects are expected to trickle down to freelancers and deposition specialists as market rates recalibrate. It’s not just a pay bump—it’s a professional validation.

Breaking Down SB 191: What It Changes

Senate Bill 191 (2025), sponsored by Senator Daly, makes several critical updates to the Nevada Revised Statutes:

  1. Increased Compensation for official court reporters and reporters pro tempore in district courts, including:
    • Daily appearance fee: Raised from $250 to $395.
    • Transcript rates: For example, transcripts delivered more than 4 days after request increased from $3.80 to $5.50 per page for the original plus one copy.
    • Expedited transcripts (within 24 hours): Jumped from $8.03 to $10 per page.
    • Realtime translation: First day increased from $140 to $300; subsequent days from $90 to $200.
  2. Regulatory Authority Shift: The Certified Court Reporters’ Board of Nevada is now responsible for setting and adjusting fees by regulation, rather than having rates codified in statute (NRS 656.220). Initial fees will mirror those in effect as of December 31, 2025, and may be adjusted within a range of 90% to 125% of the existing rates.
  3. Municipal Court Exceptions: Allows non-certified individuals to operate sound recording equipment in municipal courts, a concession that raises ethical and quality concerns, but is limited in scope.

These changes align Nevada with broader regional and national movements to modernize compensation and stabilize a dwindling workforce.

A Parallel in California – Lessons from 2021

Nevada is not the first state to address stagnant pay for court reporters. In September 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation increasing the per-page statutory rate for regular 30-day delivery from $3.00 to $3.99—the first rate change in over 50 years. That adjustment, while still modest, sparked broader industry shifts in freelance and deposition pricing across the state.

Just like Nevada’s SB 191, California’s increase was fueled by a critical mass of advocacy, hard data on inflation and staffing shortages, and an urgent need to retain qualified reporters. It also signaled a turning point – that state governments were finally listening.

A Moment to Celebrate—and Mobilize

On Saturday, June 14, 2025, members of the Nevada Court Reporters Association (NVCRA) gathered at Café du Central on Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas to celebrate the passage of SB 191. Over coffee and camaraderie, past and current members reflected on the grassroots efforts that led to this victory and discussed the path forward for professional advocacy.

It wasn’t just a celebratory gathering—it was a strategic inflection point. NVCRA leadership emphasized that ongoing engagement will be necessary to hold the Board accountable as it sets future rates, enforces quality standards, and responds to threats posed by AI transcription and non-certified recording practices.

Why This Matters—For Everyone

While the immediate beneficiaries of SB 191 are official reporters working in court, freelancers and deposition reporters should not underestimate its significance. Statutory rate increases have a domino effect: law firms recalibrate their budgets, agencies adjust contract terms, and reporters gain stronger leverage in negotiations.

In an industry where digital encroachment continues to challenge ethical and procedural norms, rate increases are more than financial—they’re political. They signal that human court reporters are not optional. They are vital.

“This statute validates what we’ve always known—accurate, realtime, verbatim records are not a luxury; they’re a necessity. And they’re worth paying for.”
— NVCRA Member, at the June 14 event

The Devil in the Details: Implementation Watchouts

There are, of course, areas to watch closely:

  • Municipal Court Recording Exception: SB 191 allows non-certified individuals to operate recording devices in municipal court under certain conditions. While framed as an administrative efficiency, this sets a precedent that must be closely monitored to ensure it doesn’t seep into broader judicial venues.
  • Board Regulation vs. Statute: By moving fee-setting authority to the Certified Court Reporters’ Board, the legislature enables greater flexibility—but also introduces potential risk. Reporters must remain active in board rulemaking, as future increases (or reductions) will occur via regulation, not public vote.
  • Delayed Effective Date: While the bill was signed in mid-2025, the new rates won’t take effect until January 1, 2026. That gives counties and courts time to adjust budgets—but it also provides time for opponents to organize. Staying vigilant through the transition period is essential.

What’s Next?

SB 191 is a powerful legislative win, but it’s not the end of the fight. NVCRA and its allies are now focused on:

  • Ensuring fair implementation of the new pay structure;
  • Monitoring fee-setting regulations by the Board;
  • Strengthening freelance reporter protections by using this statutory win as a benchmark for private contract negotiations;
  • Educating attorneys and judges on the differences between certified human reporters and inferior digital substitutes;
  • Training and mentoring new reporters to fill the pipeline with qualified professionals committed to stenographic excellence.

Final Thoughts

Senate Bill 191 is more than a budget adjustment—it is a statement of value. It says that Nevada respects the accuracy of its legal record, the integrity of its court proceedings, and the trained professionals who make both possible.

Like California’s 2021 raise from $3.00 to $3.99 per page for regular and up to $6.00 per page for expedites, Nevada’s increase in 2025 from $3.80 to $5.50 and beyond for expedites is a long-overdue course correction. It empowers not only the individuals behind the steno machines, but also the legal system itself.

Whether you’re an official reporter in court or a freelancer in the field, this victory belongs to you. Use it. Leverage it. Protect it.

StenoImperium
Court Reporting. Unfiltered. Unafraid.

Disclaimer

The content of this post is intended for informational and discussion purposes only. All opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are based on publicly available information, industry standards, and good-faith concerns about nonprofit governance and professional ethics. No part of this article is intended to defame, accuse, or misrepresent any individual or organization. Readers are encouraged to verify facts independently and to engage constructively in dialogue about leadership, transparency, and accountability in the court reporting profession.

  • The content on this blog represents the personal opinions, observations, and commentary of the author. It is intended for editorial and journalistic purposes and is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
  • Nothing here constitutes legal advice. Readers are encouraged to review the facts and form independent conclusions.

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Published by stenoimperium

We exist to facilitate the fortifying of the Stenography profession and ensure its survival for the next hundred years! As court reporters, we've handed the relationship role with our customers, or attorneys, over to the agencies and their sales reps.  This has done a lot of damage to our industry.  It has taken away our ability to have those relationships, the ability to be humanized and valued.  We've become a replaceable commodity. Merely saying we are the “Gold Standard” tells them that we’re the best, but there are alternatives.  Who we are though, is much, much more powerful than that!  We are the Responsible Charge.  “Responsible Charge” means responsibility for the direction, control, supervision, and possession of stenographic & transcription work, as the case may be, to assure that the work product has been critically examined and evaluated for compliance with appropriate professional standards by a licensee in the profession, and by sealing and signing the documents, the professional stenographer accepts responsibility for the stenographic or transcription work, respectively, represented by the documents and that applicable stenographic and professional standards have been met.  This designation exists in other professions, such as engineering, land surveying, public water works, landscape architects, land surveyors, fire preventionists, geologists, architects, and more.  In the case of professional engineers, the engineering association adopted a Responsible Charge position statement that says, “A professional engineer is only considered to be in responsible charge of an engineering work if the professional engineer makes independent professional decisions regarding the engineering work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional engineer’s physical presence at the location where the engineering work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the engineering work.” If we were to adopt a Responsible Charge position statement for our industry, we could start with a draft that looks something like this: "A professional court reporter, or stenographer, is only considered to be in responsible charge of court reporting work if the professional court reporter makes independent professional decisions regarding the court reporting work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional court reporter’s physical presence at the location where the court reporting work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the court reporting work.” Shared purpose The cornerstone of a strategic narrative is a shared purpose. This shared purpose is the outcome that you and your customer are working toward together. It’s more than a value proposition of what you deliver to them. Or a mission of what you do for the world. It’s the journey that you are on with them. By having a shared purpose, the relationship shifts from consumer to co-creator. In court reporting, our mission is “to bring justice to every litigant in the U.S.”  That purpose is shared by all involved in the litigation process – judges, attorneys, everyone.  Who we are is the Responsible Charge.  How we do that is by Protecting the Record.

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