Lombardo vetoes 33 bills in days following Nevada Legislature, 229 signed
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Gov. Joe Lombardo has vetoed 33 bills passed by the Nevada Legislature, putting his Republican stamp on another Democrat-controlled session.
It's too early to tell if Lombardo will approach the record 75 vetoes from 2023, but it's a fast start on a pile of legislation that made it to his desk as the session adjourned in the early morning hours on Tuesday.
Lombardo has also signed 229 bills — and counting — according to the Nevada Legislature's website. Here are the highlights of the vetoes and signed bills as of early Wednesday afternoon:
VETOED: AB82, AB83, AB98, AB144, AB342, AB278 and SB297. These seven bills each had to do with designating a day or a month to recognize a person, a group or a topic. Lombardo rejected the bills and encouraged their sponsors to apply for a proclamation instead. Of the seven, AB144 had received the most attention as Democratic Assem. Shea Backus fought to move the observation of Indigenous Peoples Day to the second Monday in October. The conflict with Columbus Day brought politically-charged testimony to legislative committee hearings during the session, but the bill passed through the Democratic-controlled Legislature, meeting its end on Lombardo's desk. The specifics of the other bills:
AB82 designated 'Diwali Day,' 'Eid al-Fitr Day,' 'Vaisakhi Day' and 'Vesak Day'
AB83 designated Larry Itliong Day
AB98 designated Dolores Huerta Day
AB342 designated March as Women Veterans History Month
AB278 designated July as Muslim American Heritage Month
SB297 designated October as Menopause Awareness Month
SIGNED: SB96 designates Jan. 27 as 'International Holocaust Remembrance Day' in Nevada.
VETOED: AB205 would have changed an 'opt in' for sex education in public schools to an 'opt out.' A parent or guardian would have been required to fill out a form to refuse to participate.
SIGNED: AB116, a crackdown on unscrupulous 'ghost kitchens' that sell restaurant meals to customers who think they are buying well known brands. The bill makes it a $100 fine per order for the kitchen, and a $500 (maximum) fine per day that the online platform continues to list the product. The platform is allowed 10 days to remove the listing before it is subject to fines.
VETOED: 8 News Now reported on Tuesday that Lombardo had vetoed SB102, legislation aimed at punishing 'fake electors.' Lombardo has also vetoed AB306, which would have set up more return boxes for election ballots.
'AB 306 appears to be well-intentioned but falls short of its stated goals while failing to guarantee appropriate oversight of the proposed ballot boxes or the ballots cast. I believe additional election reforms should be considered as part of a larger effort to improve election security, integrity and allow Nevada to declare winners more quickly,' Lombard stated in his veto message.
VETOED: Three bills related to renters and landlords went down to Lombardo's veto pen as the governor continued to reject more business regulations. AB201 contained provisions to automatically seal some eviction records. AB223 would have allowed a tenant to withhold rent if the property failed to meet 'habitable' conditions. AB280 would have capped rent increases at 5% for senior citizens in an 18-month pilot program.
VETOED: SB171, also referred to as a shield law for medical professionals who provide gender-affirming care services, was vetoed because Lombardo believes it won't hold up in court. Use of the term 'prudent' makes the law subject to interpretation, according to Lombardo's veto message.
A statement from Silver State Equity, an LGBTQ civil rights organization in Nevada, criticized the veto as 'a betrayal of Nevada values and an affront to the LGBTQ+ community.'
The group added, 'This bill was a clear opportunity to ensure that transgender Nevadans can access the care they need — and that providers can offer it without fear of legal retaliation. Transgender people in Nevada deserve safety, dignity, and access to life-saving health care. The Governor's decision puts all of that at risk.'
SIGNED: AB111, 'Jaya's Law,' which makes wrong-way driving a crime again. When traffic violations became civil infractions, it removed any criminal penalties in some high-profile cases, and Republican Assem. Brian Hibbetts sponsored this bill to restore penalties for wrong-way drivers. 'Jaya's Law' remembers 3-year-old Jaya Brooks, who was one of three people killed on U.S. 95 in a wrong-way crash in December 2023 in Hibbetts' district. Wrong-way driving is a misdemeanor beginning on Oct. 1, 2025.
VETOED: AB140 would have extended how long driver authorization cards are valid, allowing the rules for ID cards to match those for drivers licenses.
SIGNED: AB309, extending domestic violence protection orders. This bill lays out requirements for notifying people who are already incarcerated when a protective order is issued, and the steps to follow in extending or challenging the protective order.
VETOED: AB244 would have banned the use of polystrene foam takeout containers, but only for chain restaurants. If a restaurant had fewer than 10 locations in Nevada, it would be exempt. But a violation by a chain restaurant would have brought a $1,000 fine.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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