As President Joe Biden and leading members of Congress were in the throes of debt ceiling negotiations, Nevada was having its own partisan standoff over the state’s biennial budget. But while Washington, D.C., reached an agreement on the debt ceiling, at press time Nevada was still uncertain about its budget with just hours to go until the end of the latest session.
With just four days to go, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo announced that he was vetoing the Appropriations Act, one of several major budget bills proposed by the Democratic-majority Legislature that would determine the allocation of $7 billion for public services.
Soon after, Democratic lawmakers introduced what analysts have described as a virtually identical bill and highly recommended the governor to sign it. After some negotiations on Lombardo’s legislative priorities, including charter school funding and election reforms, he ultimately signed the bill on the final day of the legislative session. But at the same time, legislative Republicans voted against a final budget bill for state capital improvements, meaning a special session will likely be called to work out remaining critical details.
“On this final day of the 82nd Regular Session, it has become clear that there will be a Special Session to address the needs of all Nevadans,” reads a statement in part from Nevada Senate Republicans, also claiming that their priority to fund charter schools was not addressed by Democrats in legislation.
Lombardo said he anticipated calling a special session the morning after the final day of the session, with formal proclamation and agenda items forthcoming.
Although Lombardo’s veto of the Appropriations Act got a lot of attention for throwing the final few days of the legislative session into chaos, it wasn’t the first legislation to cross the governor’s desk. Notably, Lombardo also vetoed three gun safety bills, a bill that would have allowed long-term substitute teachers to apply for health insurance and a bill that would have set rent caps for seniors and Nevadans with disabilities.
On the other hand, the governor signed a bill requiring equitable treatment of transgender and gender nonconforming people who are incarcerated. Lombardo also signed off on a bill that codifies into law abortion protections enacted by executive order by the governor’s Democratic predecessor—making Lombardo one of the first Republican governors to sign such a bill. And although every member of his party voted against them, Lombardo also approved a $12 billion K-12 education budget and a bill raising pay for state employees.
In the 10 business days following the end of session, Lombardo is expected to announce more signings and vetoes of bills. As lawmakers continue to iron out a budget and other legislative priorities—a $1.5 billion Major League Baseball stadium in Las Vegas and a $190 million expansion of Nevada’s film tax credit program among them—here’s a snapshot of what was (and wasn’t) accomplished during Nevada’s 82nd legislative session.
Gun safety
Lombardo sided with Republican lawmakers who made it clear even before safety bills could be heard that they would vote against them. “Standing against infringements on the Second Amendment is one of the most important priorities of the Nevada Assembly Republican Caucus. This is why every one of our members will vote against Assembly Bills 354 and 355,” read an April 5 statement by the Nevada Assembly Republican Caucus.
The governor provided a succinct explanation for his vetoes of the bills, along with Senate Bill 171, proposed by Sen. Dallas Harris, which would have made it illegal for a person convicted of a hate crime to possess a firearm. “I will not support legislation that infringes on the constitutional rights of Nevadans. … Much of the legislation I vetoed today is in direct conflict with legal precedent and established constitutional protections,” read a statement from the governor.
Assembly Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui, the sponsor of the two Assembly bills, reacted to the news on Twitter, saying that the governor “put the gun lobby over Nevadans” by vetoing the “common sense policies.”
Reproductive health care
Abortion rights advocates celebrated the passing of one bill and one joint resolution that will be deliberated by lawmakers again in 2025 and, if passed, put on the 2026 general election ballot.
The resolution would put a question on the 2026 general election ballot, whether Nevada should have a constitutional amendment protecting abortion, in addition to the current statute that protects abortion up to 24 weeks.
Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada and the nonprofit NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada marked the occasion on social media. “It’s official—SB131 has been signed into law, meaning that everybody who seeks abortion care in Nevada, regardless of where they’re from, can safely access the care they need without fear of prosecution,” read a May 30 statement from NARAL.
The bill, originally proposed by Cannizzaro, codifies into law former Gov. Steve Sisolak’s 2021 executive order that the state not provide information or assistance to any state seeking to prosecute abortion providers or patients.
Housing
Lombardo vetoed a bill that would have set rent caps for seniors and Nevadans with disabilities, calling it “an unreasonable restraint on standard business activity.” During hearings for the bill, it received the support of the Nevada Association of Realtors and Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, the latter of which provides legal services and assistance with evictions.
“Since this bill is too rigid in its approach to addressing suspect pre-contract lessor practices, I cannot support it,” Lombardo’s veto message read.
Democrats said the decision to veto was “bankrolled” by real estate magnate Robert Bigelow, one of the largest donors to Lombardo’s gubernatorial campaign in 2022. “After a billionaire real estate mogul bought him the governor’s mansion last year, Lombardo is returning the favor at the expense of seniors and Nevadans with disabilities,” said Nevada Democrats spokesperson Mallory Payne.
At press time, the fate of three major housing bills still hung in the balance. SB371, which would allow local governments to impose rent control, appears to have stalled in the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs, meaning it might not make it to Lombardo’s desk at all, after much support from the Culinary Union and affordable housing advocates.
According to the Legislature’s website, two bills seeking to reform eviction proceedings had passed both houses at press time but had yet to be deliberated by the governor.
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong, AB340 would reform Nevada’s summary eviction process, which currently requires tenants to file an affidavit in court. If the tenant doesn’t respond in court within a week of receiving an eviction notice, the landlord has the right to evict them. AB340, which has been delivered to the governor, would require landlords to file an eviction lawsuit in court before an eviction notice is served.
Sponsored by Senator James Ohrenschall, SB335 would extend a pandemic-era practice of prohibiting landlords from evicting a tenant who has filed an application for rent assistance. The bill provides that the stay of the eviction would last no longer than 60 days. A version of the bill was passed by both houses; however, it has not yet been delivered to Lombardo’s desk.
Elections
Lombardo signed into law Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar’s SB406, which makes threatening an election worker a felony offense.
The governor vetoed SB133, which would have made it a felony to act as a fake elector. During the 2020 election, six Nevada GOP members did just that, falsely signing certificates stating that Donald Trump had won the state and sending them to Washington, D.C. Attorney General Aaron Ford testified in support of the legislation, saying such a law would allow his office to prosecute those who attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
“Because SB133 does nothing to ensure the security of our elections and merely provides disproportionately harsh penalties for an, admittedly, terrible crime, I cannot support it,” the governor wrote in a veto message.
The election reform bill that Lombardo touted during his January State of the State address did not make it out of committee. SB405 would have eliminated universal mail balloting, required voter ID when casting ballots, shortened the deadline to have mail ballots postmarked and added certain requirements to disclose identifying information in mail
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