2025 vetoes: Lombardo rejects over 30 bills

CARSON CITY — Gov. Joe Lombardo has wielded his veto power since the Legislature wrapped on Monday, rejecting bills that proposed protecting the trans community and allowing certain non-U.S. citizens to work as police officers.

Last session, the governor broke a record of the most bills vetoed in a single session with 75 vetoes. Lombardo could break his own record this session. He has 10 days to either sign or veto the bills passed in the Legislature.

The governor has vetoed over 30 bills as of Wednesday afternoon.

Lombardo also vetoed similar bills legislative Democrats had pitched last session, including one that would have prohibited a person from submitting fake electoral certificates.

Here’s some of the bills Lombardo vetoed so far. The Review-Journal will update the story with more notable vetoes.

Rent control for seniors

Assembly Bill 280 would have set rent control parameters for seniors, starting at age 62, and people on Social Security. It also required rental agreements to include an appendix with explanations of each fee that may be charged during the rental term, and it makes it illegal for a landlord to charge a fee that is not in the appendix.

A similar bill failed to get the governor’s support in 2023. In his veto message then, Lombardo said the measure presents “an unreasonable restraint on standard business activity.”

Sex ed changes

The governor rejected a bill that would have changed sex education in Nevada schools from an opt-in system to an opt-out. Assembly Bill 205 would have made it so parents would be required to submit the written refusal form no later than four weeks after the start of the school year or four weeks before the course or unit will start.

Firearms restrictions

AB 245 would have prohibited someone under 21 from owning a semiautomatic shotgun or semiautomatic centerfire rifle. It would have made a violation a gross misdemeanor. It would have also created harsher penalties for a person who “aids or knowingly permits” someone under 21 to have one of those firearms, and made exceptions for certain soldiers, law enforcement officers, hunting and other circumstances.

Lombardo vetoed similar legislation in 2023. He said then the bill wouldn’t pass “constitutional muster” after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down California’s ban of the sale of semiautomatic rifles to people under 21 in the case Jones v. Bonta.

Holiday/observance designations

Multiple bills were on the table to designate certain days or months for different purposes, and so far Lombardo has vetoed all of them.

AB 144 would have designated the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day, AB 83 would have designated Oct. 25 as “Larry Itliong Day,” and AB 98 would have created a day of observance for Dolores Huerta, a labor leader.

Veto messages for those have not been published as of Wednesday afternoon.

He also vetoed SB 297, which would have designated the month of October as “Menopause Awareness Month.” Sponsored by Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D-Las Vegas, the month would have required the governor to call upon news media, health care providers, educators and other entities to bring attention to menopause through public information campaigns.

Lombardo said in the veto message that there is no need to codify additional months into law, and there is already a process to request that the governor make a proclamation.

Civil, criminal immunity for librarians

AB 445 would have provided school and public librarians civil and criminal immunity for providing access to library materials. The Assembly passed the bill 32-9, and the Senate approved it 14-7, with Sen. Lori Rogich as the lone Republican in favor.

The veto message has not been released yet.

Ban of Styrofoam containers for chain restaurants

AB 244, sponsored by Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D-Las Vegas, would have prohibited restaurants with 10 or more locations from using disposable polystyrene, or Styrofoam, containers. It would have included a $100 per day fine for restaurants that violate the law.

The bill passed the Assembly in a 36-to-6 vote and the Senate in a 16-4 vote.

Lombardo has not published his veto message yet.

Shield law for trans community

Senate Bill 171 would have enacted a shield law to protect the trans community by protecting patients who seek care from out of state and providers who perform the care, similar to a bill Lombardo signed last session that protects out-of-state abortion seekers.

Sponsored by Sen. James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, the bill passed both chambers in party-line votes, with Democrats in support.

In his veto message, the governor said the bill was well-intentioned, but that it contains ambiguous language that creates a potential for legal challenges. He also said it would put health care licensing boards in an awkward position of navigating potentially conflicting mandates in federal and state law.

Ban of animal tested products

SB 167 would have prohibited the importation and sale of household cleaning products tested on animals. The bill includes exemptions for products in which non-animal testing methods are unavailable, and for products that were tested on animals before January 2023.

The bill passed the Senate 17-4, with GOP Sens. Carrie Buck, Ira Hansen, Jeff Stone and Robin Titus in opposition. It passed the Assembly 34-8, with Republicans Danielle Gallant, Ken Gray, Melissa Hardy, Brian Hibbetts, Heidi Kasama and PK O’Neill joining their Democratic colleagues in approval.

Lombardo said the bill would introduce legal uncertainty and increase prices for Nevadans.

Hate crime gun bill

SB 89, sponsored by Sen. Julie Pazina, D-Henderson, would have prevented individuals convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes from possessing firearms for up to 10 years. The bill was another attempt from legislative Democrats to push forward a similar bill vetoed in the last session. The bill had passed both chambers on party lines.

“As explained just over two years ago, it is an undoubtedly important objective to decrease gun violence among those convicted of hate crimes,” he said in his veto message. “This bill, like last session’s bill, is critically flawed in that it would potentially deprive individuals of their Second Amendment right to bear arms for a crime with no nexus to firearms whatsoever.”

Noncitizen police officers

SB155 would have allowed non-U.S. citizens to be police officers if they are legally authorized to work in the country, have previously been employed as a police officer in another state and satisfy other relevant limits or requirements. The bill, sponsored by Las Vegas Democrat Edgar Flores, also would have prevented agencies from requiring U.S. citizenship if they meet those provisions.

The bill passed on party lines, with Democrats in both chambers in favor.

It passed the Senate 19-2, with Republicans Lori Rogich of Las Vegas and Carrie Buck of Henderson opposed. In the Assembly, two Republicans joined Democrats in approving the measure: Danielle Gallant of Las Vegas and Gregory Koenig of Fallon.

Lombardo said in his veto message that he does not support non-citizens becoming peace officers.

“All peace officers in the State of Nevada should be United States citizens,” he said in his veto message. “There are pathways to citizenship available to those legally in the United States. If someone wishes to serve as a peace officer, he or she should become a naturalized citizen before doing so.”

Care for trans prisoners

SB 141, sponsored by Sen. Melanie Scheible, D-Las Vegas, would have required detention facilities to develop a policy concerning the care, supervision, custody, security, housing and medical and mental health treatment of offenders who are transgender and non-binary.

The bill passed unanimously in the Assembly and on party lines in the Senate.

Lombardo vetoed the bill, citing possible changes to federal authority that could conflict with the provisions of the bill, “leading to decreased state and local access to vital federal funding.”

“If a conflict does arise between federal authority and SB 141, then local governments would be required to return in two years to change this law so that Nevada law conforms with federal law,” he said in his veto message.

Fake electors

Lombardo also vetoed SB 102, which would have prohibited a person from submitting fake electoral certificates. Sen. Skip Daly, D-Sparks, pushed forward the bill this session and last session, which Lombardo vetoed both times.

He said in his veto message that it presents risks to the First Amendment and undermines due process protections by granting the secretary of state broad investigative authority.

“Ensuring election integrity must not come at the expense of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution,” Lombardo said in his veto message.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com and McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah and @mckenna_ross_ on X.