VICTOR JOECKS: Parents need Lombardo to veto these bills
Gov. Joe Lombardo wouldn’t be governor without the backing of parents. Now Democrats want to send those parents to jail if they object to pornography in schools.
On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee heard Assembly Bill 416. It would make it extremely onerous for parents and even school board members to remove sexually explicit material from school libraries. Doing so would require a court order. Further, the bill would make it a Category E felony for a person to use any “undue influence” to “prevent a pupil from using or accessing library materials.”
Let me translate. Democrats want to make it a felony for parents to object to obscene material in their children’s public school libraries. Even writing something like this could be considered illegal if that bill passes. So much for the First Amendment.
Consider this context. In 2019, Democrats passed a bill making it a misdemeanor to steal an item worth $1,100 from Walmart. In 2025, Democrats want to make it a felony for parents to object to material so vulgar that I couldn’t quote it in this newspaper.
This is a winning contrast — if only Lombardo were willing to make it. He has the platform to expose the sexually explicit material that Democrats are defending when they drone on about “book bans.” If this bill passes the Senate, Lombardo should veto it.
Lombardo should also veto Assembly Bill 205, which has passed both houses. Nevada currently requires parents to opt their children in to sex education. That bill would require parents to opt out. If schools want to talk to students about sex, parents should be required to sign off on it.
Another concerning bill is Senate Bill 171, which has also passed the Legislature. It would make Nevada a sanctuary state for doctors who perform illegal genital mutilation surgeries in other states. The bill would limit the ability of Nevada law enforcement to arrest those criminals. Nevada should be trying to stop genital mutilation procedures on minors, not protecting those who engage in such barbarism.
Bills such as these are why it’s a red flag that Lombardo’s legislative director, Madeline Armstrong, previously worked for former Gov. Steve Sisolak and Harry Reid. If you surround yourself with Democrats and other liberals, you’re more likely to govern like a leftist.
This is no idle speculation. Two years ago, Lombardo signed a bill mandating that Medicaid and insurance companies pay for genital mutilation surgeries — including for children. And it didn’t even require parental consent for minors on Medicaid.
On the merits, these should be obvious vetoes. Rejecting these bills would be smart politics, too. Donald Trump won the most votes in Nevada history by running on a conservative agenda. Mass deportations. Parental rights. Protecting girls’ sports. Tax cuts.
Lombardo hasn’t led on these issues. He’s acting more like Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown, who ran toward the middle and lost. Tellingly, the most momentum Brown had was when he finally fought to protect women’s sports.
If Lombardo wants parents to support him in 2026, he needs to support them and veto these bills.
Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.