Here’s are highlights of new laws taking effect July 1 in Nevada:

— AB10 protects nurses against retaliation for disclosing problems that endanger patients at hospitals or other medical facilities; and SB229 seeks to ensure that foreign-trained doctors who get visas to work in “medically underserved” areas actually provide care in those areas.

— SB307 calls for a study of Nevada’s Medicaid system. The program provided insurance to an average of more than 180,000 people, including the elderly, disabled, children and pregnant women, in fiscal 2008.

— SB267 is aimed at ensuring open meeting laws are followed by government agencies when they revise their regulations. It requires public access to workshops and hearings of public agencies, along with meetings that already are open to the public. Documents relating to regulations have to be available at meetings.

* Full story available on The Mercury News