Latest news with #AB144
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbus Day dispute simmers in Nevada as lawmaker pushes Indigenous Peoples' Day change
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A day after President Donald Trump declared he was 'bringing Columbus Day back,' a Nevada Democrat presented a bill in Carson City that would officially move Indigenous Peoples' Day to the second Monday in October. State law currently designates Aug. 9 as Indigenous Peoples' Day, but it is widely celebrated on the same day as Columbus Day. Assem. Shea Backus, who represents District 37 in the northwest Las Vegas valley, calls herself an 'urban Indian,' one of 60,000 who call Nevada home. She noted there are 20 federally recognized tribes including tribal members from 28 bands and colonies. Nevada is the ancestral homeland to people of the Northern Paiute, Southern Paiute, Western Shoshone, Washoe and Fort Mojave tribes. Backus emphasizes that the bill doesn't change Columbus Day, but the issue still touches a nerve for Jill Douglass, who calls it 'the bill that seeks to erase Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples' Day.' Most people used the phone line to protest, but Douglass showed up in person at the Legislature's Las Vegas offices on Warm Springs Road. 'We should not tear down another important part of our history. We should not rewrite our shared story to fit a political agenda,' Douglass said. Joshua Skaggs, legislative affairs director for the Nevada Republican Party, read Trump's statement, posted Sunday on social media: 'I'm bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes. The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation and all of the Italians that love him so much.' Assembly Bill 144 (AB144) was first heard on Feb. 11. It advanced to the Senate on April 15 on a 27-15 vote. The resentment voiced by the bill's opponents was matched by the passion of people who support the change. Noé Orosco, government affairs manager for Make the Road Nevada, invoked indigenous names — including Abya Yala — of the lands that we think of now as the Americas. 'These are more than just words. They are the memories of migration, of knowledge systems that understood the land as a relative, not as a resource,' he said. 'Our stories have been systematically overlooked, distorted or silenced through centuries of colonization, violence and cultural genocide. Recognizing Indigenous Peoples' Day is not solely for the benefit of indigenous people, it is an opportunity for all of us to gain a fuller, more accurate understanding of our shared histories,' Orosco said. Sydney Williams, a member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe, said, 'AB144 is not about creating something new, it's about aligning state law with the truth of what already exists.' Williams said the holiday is already being celebrated in October. 'Passing this bill is a necessary step towards respect, visibility and a good-faith relationship with Nevada's indigenous peoples. It costs nothing, yet it carries a profound meaning for communities that have long been overlooked,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nevada lawmaker moves to put Indigenous Peoples' Day on Columbus Day
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — If you Google it, Indigenous Peoples' Day is Oct. 13, 2025. Well, that's awkward. Nevada law says it falls on Aug. 9, but Democratic Assem. Shea Backus is trying to change that with Assembly Bill 144 (AB144), which would set the observation on the second Monday in October. It's not merely that Nevada law doesn't follow nationwide observance of the day. Backus, who represents District 37 in the northwest Las Vegas valley, found last year that her bank is also not marking the day on Aug. 9. Signs on the door said the bank was observing the holiday on the same day as Columbus Day. As it turns out, that's the biggest reason behind opposition to AB144. 'I don't oppose an Indigenous Peoples' Day, but when you put it on Columbus Day, you essentially erase Columbus Day,' Janine Hansen, leader of Nevada Families for Freedom, said. Hansen is a frequent candidate for public office in Nevada. Both sides carefully stepped around any suggestion that the conflict in holidays has a greater meaning as the bill was presented to the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs Tuesday in Carson City. 'Indigenous Peoples' Day isn't just about a day of recognition, it's about placing indigenous voices at the forefront of decisions that shape the future of the state,' Backus said in presenting the bill. 'It is this deep cultural connection that has shaped the character of the state of Nevada and should be celebrated.' Backus said she is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. On 'Nevada Tribes Legislative Day' Tuesday, speakers lined up in support of AB144. Members of at least four tribes spoke in favor of the bill. 'Our history exists whether or not it's in your textbooks. Our contributions have shaped this state long before Nevada was even a name on a map,' Mathilda Guerrero Miller said, representing the Native Voters Alliance of Nevada. In addition to 20 federally recognized tribes in Nevada comprising 28 bands and colonies, Backus pointed out that there are more than 60,000 'urban indians' who call Nevada home. Testimony in support of the bill included Make the Road Nevada, UNLV and members of Walker River Paiute Tribe. Now that AB144 has had a hearing, it can be considered by the Assembly. If it passes there, it would go to the Senate for approval. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
