Latest news with #Lombardo
37 minutes ago
- Business
Nevada's regular 2025 legislative session ends. Voter ID is among the key bills to pass
CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Nevada lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled Legislature ended their 2025 regular session early Tuesday after a flurry of final day action. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is expected to take action by next week on the hundreds of bills that passed. The first-term governor vetoed a record 75 bills in 2023. Nevada lawmakers meet every other year in odd years. Ahead of the session, Lombardo had urged the Legislature to put politics aside and come together to find solutions for such issues as affordable housing and education. Some of his major bills failed, including a wide-ranging bill that would have created stiffer penalties for certain crimes, but he won in other areas including elections and education. Here is a look at some of the notable bills that passed and failed during this year's 120-day session in Carson City. VOTER ID AND MORE BALLOT BOXES: Signaling a major compromise, lawmakers passed a bill on the final day of the session that revived Democrats' vetoed effort to add more mail ballot drop boxes around the state ahead of an election in exchange for new voter ID requirements that Lombardo supports. It marks a significant shift for Nevada Democrats, who have long opposed GOP-led efforts to require photo identification from voters at the polls and comes on the heels of voters in November passing a voter ID ballot measure. It would have to pass again in 2026 in order to amend the state constitution. PRIMARY ELECTIONS FOR NONPARTISAN VOTERS: A week before the session ended, Yeager introduced a bill as an emergency request that would allow nonpartisan voters to cast a ballot in Republican or Democratic primary elections, excluding presidential primaries. It passed. Voters registered as nonpartisan outnumber both major parties in the swing state. The bill is different from the effort voters rejected in November that would have implemented open primaries and ranked-choice voting for all voters. TEACHER RAISES: Lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly approved a bill that includes pay raises for teachers at charters schools. Lombardo had said he would not approve the state's education budget if it left out raises for charter school teachers, which Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, a Democrat, then added to the bill. SCHOOL POLICE USE OF FORCE: The proposal approved by lawmakers would require the Clark County School District's police department to make public its data on officer use of force, including the use of stun guns, batons and pepper spray. The school district is the fifth-largest in the nation and has its own police department. 'ATTAINABLE' HOUSING: Lombardo's bill aimed at expanding affordable housing, one of his top priorities this session, would allocate $133 million in state funds for housing projects for what he calls the 'missing middle" who can't afford to buy a home but don't currently qualify for affordable housing. It passed. RENTER PROTECTIONS: A handful of bills aimed at expanding protections for renters passed on party lines. They include a proposal that would create a pilot program capping rent prices for seniors for a year, and another that would allow tenants to quickly file legal complaints against landlords for unsafe living conditions like broken air conditioning or broken locks. CRIMINAL PENALTIES: The governor, who was a longtime police officer and the former elected sheriff in Las Vegas, had vowed ahead of the session to crack down on crime. But his crime bill failed after last-minute changes were added and lawmakers ran out of time Monday night. It would have created stiffer penalties for certain crimes, including 'smash-and-grab' retail thefts and violent crimes against hospitality workers, a newly designated protected class under the proposal. FILM TAX CREDITS: The closely watched bill backed by Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment failed. It would have given massive tax credits aimed at bringing film production to southern Nevada, including a 31-acre film studio in an affluent neighborhood west of the Las Vegas Strip. A similar bill failed in 2023. DEFINING ANTISEMITISM: Lawmakers approved a bill that creates a definition of antisemitism for state-led investigations into discrimination in housing, employment and other accommodations. It passed, but sparked a debate because some thought the definition was too broad and could limit free speech criticizing Israel. STATE LOTTERY: The proposal, backed by the powerful Culinary Workers Union that represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers, would have ended Nevada's longstanding ban on lotteries. It failed after the Legislature's first major deadline in April.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Nevada's regular 2025 legislative session ends. Voter ID is among the key bills to pass
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled Legislature ended their 2025 regular session early Tuesday after a flurry of final day action. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is expected to take action by next week on the hundreds of bills that passed . The first-term governor vetoed a record 75 bills in 2023. Nevada lawmakers meet every other year in odd years. Ahead of the session, Lombardo had urged the Legislature to put politics aside and come together to find solutions for such issues as affordable housing and education. Some of his major bills failed, including a wide-ranging bill that would have created stiffer penalties for certain crimes, but he won in other areas including elections and education. Here is a look at some of the notable bills that passed and failed during this year's 120-day session in Carson City. ELECTIONS VOTER ID AND MORE BALLOT BOXES: Signaling a major compromise , lawmakers passed a bill on the final day of the session that revived Democrats' vetoed effort to add more mail ballot drop boxes around the state ahead of an election in exchange for new voter ID requirements that Lombardo supports. It marks a significant shift for Nevada Democrats, who have long opposed GOP-led efforts to require photo identification from voters at the polls and comes on the heels of voters in November passing a voter ID ballot measure. It would have to pass again in 2026 in order to amend the state constitution. PRIMARY ELECTIONS FOR NONPARTISAN VOTERS: A week before the session ended, Yeager introduced a bill as an emergency request that would allow nonpartisan voters to cast a ballot in Republican or Democratic primary elections, excluding presidential primaries. It passed. Voters registered as nonpartisan outnumber both major parties in the swing state. The bill is different from the effort voters rejected in November that would have implemented open primaries and ranked-choice voting for all voters. EDUCATION TEACHER RAISES: Lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly approved a bill that includes pay raises for teachers at charters schools. Lombardo had said he would not approve the state's education budget if it left out raises for charter school teachers, which Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, a Democrat, then added to the bill. SCHOOL POLICE USE OF FORCE: The proposal approved by lawmakers would require the Clark County School District's police department to make public its data on officer use of force, including the use of stun guns, batons and pepper spray. The school district is the fifth-largest in the nation and has its own police department. HOUSING 'ATTAINABLE' HOUSING: Lombardo's bill aimed at expanding affordable housing, one of his top priorities this session, would allocate $133 million in state funds for housing projects for what he calls the 'missing middle' who can't afford to buy a home but don't currently qualify for affordable housing. It passed. RENTER PROTECTIONS: A handful of bills aimed at expanding protections for renters passed on party lines. They include a proposal that would create a pilot program capping rent prices for seniors for a year, and another that would allow tenants to quickly file legal complaints against landlords for unsafe living conditions like broken air conditioning or broken locks. HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY CRIMINAL PENALTIES: The governor, who was a longtime police officer and the former elected sheriff in Las Vegas, had vowed ahead of the session to crack down on crime. But his crime bill failed after last-minute changes were added and lawmakers ran out of time Monday night. It would have created stiffer penalties for certain crimes, including 'smash-and-grab' retail thefts and violent crimes against hospitality workers, a newly designated protected class under the proposal. OTHER ISSUES FILM TAX CREDITS: The closely watched bill backed by Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment failed. It would have given massive tax credits aimed at bringing film production to southern Nevada, including a 31-acre film studio in an affluent neighborhood west of the Las Vegas Strip. A similar bill failed in 2023. DEFINING ANTISEMITISM: Lawmakers approved a bill that creates a definition of antisemitism for state-led investigations into discrimination in housing, employment and other accommodations. It passed, but sparked a debate because some thought the definition was too broad and could limit free speech criticizing Israel. STATE LOTTERY: The proposal , backed by the powerful Culinary Workers Union that represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers, would have ended Nevada's longstanding ban on lotteries. It failed after the Legislature's first major deadline in April. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Nevada's regular 2025 legislative session ends. Voter ID is among the key bills to pass
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled Legislature ended their 2025 regular session early Tuesday after a flurry of final day action. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is expected to take action by next week on the hundreds of bills that passed. The first-term governor vetoed a record 75 bills in 2023. Nevada lawmakers meet every other year in odd years. Ahead of the session, Lombardo had urged the Legislature to put politics aside and come together to find solutions for such issues as affordable housing and education. Some of his major bills failed, including a wide-ranging bill that would have created stiffer penalties for certain crimes, but he won in other areas including elections and education. Here is a look at some of the notable bills that passed and failed during this year's 120-day session in Carson City. ELECTIONS VOTER ID AND MORE BALLOT BOXES: Signaling a major compromise, lawmakers passed a bill on the final day of the session that revived Democrats' vetoed effort to add more mail ballot drop boxes around the state ahead of an election in exchange for new voter ID requirements that Lombardo supports. It marks a significant shift for Nevada Democrats, who have long opposed GOP-led efforts to require photo identification from voters at the polls and comes on the heels of voters in November passing a voter ID ballot measure. It would have to pass again in 2026 in order to amend the state constitution. PRIMARY ELECTIONS FOR NONPARTISAN VOTERS: A week before the session ended, Yeager introduced a bill as an emergency request that would allow nonpartisan voters to cast a ballot in Republican or Democratic primary elections, excluding presidential primaries. It passed. Voters registered as nonpartisan outnumber both major parties in the swing state. The bill is different from the effort voters rejected in November that would have implemented open primaries and ranked-choice voting for all voters. EDUCATION TEACHER RAISES: Lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly approved a bill that includes pay raises for teachers at charters schools. Lombardo had said he would not approve the state's education budget if it left out raises for charter school teachers, which Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, a Democrat, then added to the bill. SCHOOL POLICE USE OF FORCE: The proposal approved by lawmakers would require the Clark County School District's police department to make public its data on officer use of force, including the use of stun guns, batons and pepper spray. The school district is the fifth-largest in the nation and has its own police department. HOUSING 'ATTAINABLE' HOUSING: Lombardo's bill aimed at expanding affordable housing, one of his top priorities this session, would allocate $133 million in state funds for housing projects for what he calls the 'missing middle' who can't afford to buy a home but don't currently qualify for affordable housing. It passed. RENTER PROTECTIONS: A handful of bills aimed at expanding protections for renters passed on party lines. They include a proposal that would create a pilot program capping rent prices for seniors for a year, and another that would allow tenants to quickly file legal complaints against landlords for unsafe living conditions like broken air conditioning or broken locks. HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY CRIMINAL PENALTIES: The governor, who was a longtime police officer and the former elected sheriff in Las Vegas, had vowed ahead of the session to crack down on crime. But his crime bill failed after last-minute changes were added and lawmakers ran out of time Monday night. It would have created stiffer penalties for certain crimes, including 'smash-and-grab' retail thefts and violent crimes against hospitality workers, a newly designated protected class under the proposal. OTHER ISSUES FILM TAX CREDITS: The closely watched bill backed by Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment failed. It would have given massive tax credits aimed at bringing film production to southern Nevada, including a 31-acre film studio in an affluent neighborhood west of the Las Vegas Strip. A similar bill failed in 2023. DEFINING ANTISEMITISM: Lawmakers approved a bill that creates a definition of antisemitism for state-led investigations into discrimination in housing, employment and other accommodations. It passed, but sparked a debate because some thought the definition was too broad and could limit free speech criticizing Israel. STATE LOTTERY: The proposal, backed by the powerful Culinary Workers Union that represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers, would have ended Nevada's longstanding ban on lotteries. It failed after the Legislature's first major deadline in April.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nevada's regular 2025 legislative session ends. Voter ID is among the key bills to pass
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled Legislature ended their 2025 regular session early Tuesday after a flurry of final day action. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is expected to take action by next week on the hundreds of bills that passed. The first-term governor vetoed a record 75 bills in 2023. Nevada lawmakers meet every other year in odd years. Ahead of the session, Lombardo had urged the Legislature to put politics aside and come together to find solutions for such issues as affordable housing and education. Some of his major bills failed, including a wide-ranging bill that would have created stiffer penalties for certain crimes, but he won in other areas including elections and education. Here is a look at some of the notable bills that passed and failed during this year's 120-day session in Carson City. ELECTIONS VOTER ID AND MORE BALLOT BOXES: Signaling a major compromise, lawmakers passed a bill on the final day of the session that revived Democrats' vetoed effort to add more mail ballot drop boxes around the state ahead of an election in exchange for new voter ID requirements that Lombardo supports. It marks a significant shift for Nevada Democrats, who have long opposed GOP-led efforts to require photo identification from voters at the polls and comes on the heels of voters in November passing a voter ID ballot measure. It would have to pass again in 2026 in order to amend the state constitution. PRIMARY ELECTIONS FOR NONPARTISAN VOTERS: A week before the session ended, Yeager introduced a bill as an emergency request that would allow nonpartisan voters to cast a ballot in Republican or Democratic primary elections, excluding presidential primaries. It passed. Voters registered as nonpartisan outnumber both major parties in the swing state. The bill is different from the effort voters rejected in November that would have implemented open primaries and ranked-choice voting for all voters. EDUCATION TEACHER RAISES: Lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly approved a bill that includes pay raises for teachers at charters schools. Lombardo had said he would not approve the state's education budget if it left out raises for charter school teachers, which Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, a Democrat, then added to the bill. SCHOOL POLICE USE OF FORCE: The proposal approved by lawmakers would require the Clark County School District's police department to make public its data on officer use of force, including the use of stun guns, batons and pepper spray. The school district is the fifth-largest in the nation and has its own police department. HOUSING 'ATTAINABLE' HOUSING: Lombardo's bill aimed at expanding affordable housing, one of his top priorities this session, would allocate $133 million in state funds for housing projects for what he calls the 'missing middle" who can't afford to buy a home but don't currently qualify for affordable housing. It passed. RENTER PROTECTIONS: A handful of bills aimed at expanding protections for renters passed on party lines. They include a proposal that would create a pilot program capping rent prices for seniors for a year, and another that would allow tenants to quickly file legal complaints against landlords for unsafe living conditions like broken air conditioning or broken locks. HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY CRIMINAL PENALTIES: The governor, who was a longtime police officer and the former elected sheriff in Las Vegas, had vowed ahead of the session to crack down on crime. But his crime bill failed after last-minute changes were added and lawmakers ran out of time Monday night. It would have created stiffer penalties for certain crimes, including 'smash-and-grab' retail thefts and violent crimes against hospitality workers, a newly designated protected class under the proposal. OTHER ISSUES FILM TAX CREDITS: The closely watched bill backed by Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment failed. It would have given massive tax credits aimed at bringing film production to southern Nevada, including a 31-acre film studio in an affluent neighborhood west of the Las Vegas Strip. A similar bill failed in 2023. DEFINING ANTISEMITISM: Lawmakers approved a bill that creates a definition of antisemitism for state-led investigations into discrimination in housing, employment and other accommodations. It passed, but sparked a debate because some thought the definition was too broad and could limit free speech criticizing Israel. STATE LOTTERY: The proposal, backed by the powerful Culinary Workers Union that represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers, would have ended Nevada's longstanding ban on lotteries. It failed after the Legislature's first major deadline in April.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nevada Legislature: 11th hour sprint on final day not enough for film studio, two Lombardo bills
The Nevada State Senate as the clock ran down on the final day of the 2025 Legislative Session. (Photo: April Corbin Girnus/Nevada Current) Tha tha that's all, folks! The Nevada State Legislature channeled their inner 'Looney Tunes' and ended this year's session in dramatic fashion, with a Senate Republican-led filibuster and the death of several high-profile bills. Most prominent among the casualties was the heavily lobbied proposal to give $1.4 billion in transferable tax breaks to the film industry, as well as two of Gov. Joe Lombardo's priority bills. Lawmakers did, however, pass the constitutionally required budget bills, meaning no special session is required. That's an improvement over the 2023 session when lawmakers were forced into a brief 1-day session to pass one of five budget bills. As the clock ticked toward midnight on Monday, Lombardo's crime bill and health care bill, as well as the Summerlin Studios film tax credit bill, appeared to have a chance at sprinting across the finish line. But all three fell victim to Nevada's constitutional rule that legislative sessions only last 120 days and must end precisely at midnight. In the Senate, the Republican caucus chose to use a series of parliamentary motions to protest and delay votes on two last-minute resolutions introduced by Democrats. In the Assembly, there were less theatrics but a procedural rule delayed an immediate vote and the clock ran out. Here's a recap of what happened. Democratic Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui's proposal to provide Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Howard Hughest Holdings with the largest public subsidy in state history went further in this year's legislative session than a similar proposal did two years ago. But ultimately, Assembly Bill 238 met the same fate as its predecessor: It died in the Senate. The bill would have massively expanded Nevada's film tax credit program to support the build out and operation of a 31-acre film studio currently referred to as the Summerlin Studios. It was one of two film tax credit bills introduced this session. The other film tax credit bill, sponsored by Democratic State Sen. Roberta Lange, centered on a film studio in southwest Las Vegas. It received a committee hearing earlier in the session but never received a full floor vote. Both film studios were included in a combined bill in the 2023 session. On Monday, Lange proposed an amendment to turn Jauregui's bill into an interim study. The move came after lobbyists for Lange's film tax credit bill unsuccessfully pushed for the two bills to be merged into one. Sony Pictures executives have said Summerlin Studios is 'shovel ready' but contingent on the approval of a massive expansion of the state's film tax credit program. It was not immediately clear Monday how the developer and film studios will proceed. Going into the session, Lombardo announced he would introduce five 'priority bills' — on education, housing, crime, health care, and economic development. At sine die, an amended version of the housing bill had inched across the finish line, and provisions of the education bill had passed after being amended into a competing omnibus education bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro. The governor's crime bill and health care bill looked as if they had a chance of passing in the last hour of the session. Both had been significantly amended, but ultimately failed. Lombardo's economic development bill had received a hearing May 22 but appeared to move very little after that. A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment on the end of the legislative session or the prospect of a possible special session to consider his priority bills. Lombardo will likely shift his focus to signing or vetoing the dozens of bills now on his desk. He has 10 days to veto the bills or they automatically become law. Senate Concurrent Resolution 8 would have changed the partisan split of the Legislative Commission, according to Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus. The language of the resolution was not available on the Legislature's website. Titus said the caucus received the resolution 30 minutes prior to the vote. Democrats used parliamentary rules to cut off debate on the resolution. Republicans responded with a confusing series of parliamentary motions that were overlapped with Democrats attempting to shut them down and move the proceedings along. Republican State Sen Ira Hansen called for voice votes to be retaken using the chamber's electronic voting system. Republican State Sen. Lori Rogich at one point delayed voting electronically and when prompted to replied, 'I'm thinking.' After the clock struck midnight, there was a debate over whether any additional actions could be taken. Legislative Counsel Bureau staff offered a legal interpretation, but Republican Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony, who presides over the Senate, rejected it, saying he needed to see the explanation in writing. The stalemate ended with Titus explaining the caucus's protest and saying they were willing to move on. 'We will look at what we have as a body and as a minority moving forward in protest of what happened,' she said. 'Unfortunately, it leaves a bad taste in what was otherwise a very good session.' Titus told media the protest had nothing to do with any other bills. When asked if she thought the governor should call a special session, she said no.
