(The Center Square) – Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has broken the state record for most vetoes during a single legislative session with 87.
It’s a record he set himself after the previous session in 2023 when he vetoed 75 bills. Nevada is one of four states where the Legislature meets only during odd-numbered years.
This year Lombardo signed 518 bills into law, and his 10-day window to decide on bills passed on Friday.
Despite all of the noise made around Nevada legislators’ efforts to push bills through the state’s narrow 120-day session window, they still have to make it off the Republican governor’s desk. And the Democratic majorities in the Assembly and Senate don’t have enough seats to override Lombardo’s vetoes.
“I did not take lightly the decision to veto 87 bills,” said Lombardo in a press release. “I do not enjoy using the veto pen, but as Governor, it is my responsibility to protect Nevadans from legislation that goes too far, expands government unnecessarily, or creates unintended consequences that hurt families, businesses, or our economy.”
One of the most surprising vetoes was to Assembly Bill 499, a bipartisan voting bill that Lombardo had been widely expected to support.
The legislation was designed to cater to both sides of the aisle. Half of the legislation would have required more ballot boxes be placed around counties to increase mail-in voting, which Democrats supported. The other half, which proposed to require photo ID at voting booths, was heavily supported by Republicans.
But Lombardo said he worried about potential future confusion in enforcement of the bill. “Because AB 499 would apply voter ID requirements unequally between in-person and mail ballot voters and fails to sufficiently guarantee ballot security, I cannot support it,” said Lombardo in his veto message.
AB 388 also died on the governor’s desk this session. The bill would have required paid family leave for businesses with 50 or more employees.
“Nevada has long prided itself on maintaining a business-friendly environment – one that supports growth, innovation, and job creation,” said Lombardo in his veto message. “Now is not the time to introduce broad, burdensome mandates that would significantly disrupt this balance, particularly for Nevada’s small and mid-sized businesses.”
The open primary election bill, AB 597, was a highly covered measure that would have allowed Nevada’s largest voting bloc by party, nonpartisan voters, to participate in Republican and Democratic primaries.
The bill was a contentious but milder version of a constitutional amendment that was narrowly denied in 2024 by voters. That version, known as Question 3, would have also changed the state’s voting system to ranked-choice, which was far less popular. Lombardo pointed to the voter’s 2024 disapproval of the amendment in his veto message for AB 597.
“I am proud of the meaningful progress we made this session – particularly in the areas of education and housing,” said Lombardo in a press release. “Working together, we’ve taken important steps to expand educational opportunity, begin restoring accountability in our public schools, and make housing more attainable for working families across our state.”
After just two sessions, Lombardo has chopped down 162 bills from the Democrat controlled state legislature. Before Lombardo’s then record-breaking 75 vetoes in 2023, Gov. Brian Sandoval had made the highest number of cumulative vetoes across his eight years in office at 97.
For a more extensive look at Lombardo’s vetoes, read thisCenter Square article on 10 of the biggest early vetoes this session.
