Joe Lombardo

Lombardo signed Assembly Bill 370, which became effective in February 2026 and made Nevada the first state to allow insurance companies to issue homeowners policies that exclude wildfire coverage. The bill was approved unanimously by the state legislature and creates a regulatory sandbox permitting insurance carriers to propose omitting specific coverage types, including wildfire insurance. The policy is intended to address escalating insurance costs in the state.

Lombardo signed the final bills from Nevada's special legislative session in December 2025, completing action on five remaining bills that had not yet received his signature. The crime bill included provisions establishing the Resort Corridor Court, which had faced opposition from civil liberties organizations regarding First Amendment concerns, while removing fentanyl trafficking penalties that appeared in earlier iterations. The signed legislation also included a provision preventing Nevada schools from allowing law enforcement access to school grounds or records without a warrant.

Lombardo called the Nevada Legislature into special session on November 13, 2025, to address unfinished business from the regular legislative session, including legislation on criminal justice and other matters. The criminal justice measure AB4, which would reestablish the Resort Corridor Court to prevent trespassers and criminal offenders from entering a special jurisdiction surrounding the Las Vegas Strip, passed out of the Senate with amendments limiting immigration enforcement on school campuses and affecting detention facilities. The bill remained in flux as the special session proceeded.

Lombardo announced that Nevada's recovery from a cyberattack discovered on August 24 is proceeding ahead of schedule, with essential services including motor vehicle registration, Medicaid, and nutrition assistance programs returning to normal operations. The governor stated that to his knowledge, compromised data did not include state financial information, bank accounts, treasury funds, or budget payment systems. Lombardo indicated that an ongoing investigation into the attack's source continues while recovery efforts focus on restoring systems and exfiltrated information.

On Sunday, August 25, 2025, Nevada state officials detected a cyberattack on state government systems, prompting the activation of the state's cyber action plan that afternoon. Governor Lombardo announced the state was taking steps to restore essential services while acknowledging that forensic investigation had confirmed data exfiltration outside the state network, with specialists analyzing the compromised information to determine next steps. Lombardo stated that state agencies were working with federal partners including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to investigate the attack, contain the threat, and restore systems and services safely and securely.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo authorized a contingent of up to 35 Nevada National Guard members to provide administrative and logistical support to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in response to a federal request made in May 2025 and extended to 20 states by July 2025. The guardsmen, all volunteers, were designated to perform clerical, administrative, and logistical duties with no direct detainee contact, law enforcement responsibilities, or weapons involvement, operating under Title 32 status through November 15, 2025. Lombardo's office stated that this assignment represented less than 1 percent of Nevada's approximately 4,500 uniformed National Guard personnel and that the governor and state military leadership would maintain full command authority over the deployed troops.

Governor Lombardo signed Senate Bill 97 and Senate Bill 312 during the 2025 Nevada legislative session, two pieces of legislation designed to expand healthcare opportunities for Nevada's 28 tribal nations. Senate Bill 312, which established a Tribal Health Authority Board, was authored to address healthcare disparities in rural tribal communities and increase tribal participation in healthcare delivery. The bills were among a limited number of measures Lombardo approved during a session in which he vetoed 87 bills.

Brett Compston, Nevada's Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security director, announced that the state faces significant reductions in federal emergency preparedness funding due to the elimination of the Urban Areas Security Initiative program and new Trump administration requirements mandating that states allocate 10 percent of homeland security grants to border enforcement activities. Nevada expects to receive approximately $4 million in State Homeland Security Grants but must dedicate roughly $400,000 to immigration enforcement support, leaving $3.6 million for traditional emergency management activities across the entire state. The compressed funding timeline and new requirements forced Nevada's Resilience Advisory Committee to prioritize emergency management projects under an accelerated schedule, condensing a typically 60-day process into 13 days.

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation released a new $72 million unemployment insurance system on July 7, 2025, completing the project on schedule and within budget. The system provides claimants with mobile access to accounts, self-service tools for filing and viewing claims and appeals, direct deposit options, a chatbot, and resources in 15 languages. The rollout replaced an outdated platform that had struggled during the pandemic when a surge in unemployment claims overwhelmed the decades-old system.

Governor Lombardo vetoed a bill that would have changed Nevada's Indigenous Peoples Day observance from August 9 to the second Monday in October, aligning the state's observance with the national date. The bill had passed both the Nevada Assembly and Senate with Republican opposition before reaching Lombardo's desk. The legislation was sponsored by Assemblymember Shea Backus, the only Indigenous sitting lawmaker in the Nevada State Legislature.

The Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act passed the state Senate on June 2, 2025, and was sent to Governor Lombardo for consideration. Lombardo introduced the bill in April with an initial proposal allocating $200 million in state funding toward affordable housing projects, though the Senate-approved version reduced this to $133 million. The amended bill broadened the definition of affordable housing to include applicants earning up to 150% of the area median income and was intended to increase affordable housing availability and accelerate home construction across Nevada.

The 2025 Nevada legislative session concluded without advancing four of Governor Lombardo's five priority bills, including his healthcare bill, crime bill, and a proposal to expand Nevada's film tax credit program, though his housing bill passed in the final minutes. Lombardo's healthcare bill secured passage on a party-line vote but failed to receive the required two-thirds support needed to waive procedural rules for immediate consideration. The Governor did not immediately indicate whether he would call a special session to revisit the failed legislation.

Governor Lombardo and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro reached a compromise on education policy in June 2025, resulting in an amendment to Cannizzaro's bill SB460 that incorporated provisions from Lombardo's AB584. The agreement included establishment of a statewide open enrollment system, transportation subsidies funded at $7 million for students transferring from low-rated schools, expanded pre-K eligibility, expanded school and district rating systems, corrective action measures for underperforming schools including leadership replacement and state oversight, and immunity provisions for school employees intervening in physical altercations. The Nevada Senate unanimously passed the proposal less than 32 hours before the end of the 2025 legislative session.

Lombardo signed Senate Bill 500 on Thursday night, allocating 12.4 billion dollars to fund Nevada's K-12 public schools for the next two years. The signing followed lawmakers' approval of Assembly Bill 398, which allocates nearly 38 million dollars for charter school teacher raises and an additional 45 million dollars for compensation in hard-to-fill teaching positions. Lombardo had previously indicated he would veto the education funding bill if charter school teachers were not included in compensation increases.

On April 7, Governor Lombardo introduced Senate Bill 457, the "Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act," an 84-page criminal justice measure designed to increase penalties for various offenses including repeat felonies, fentanyl trafficking, and retail theft. The bill reduces the threshold for habitual criminal charges from five and seven prior convictions to two and three respectively, lowers fentanyl trafficking thresholds from 28 grams to 4 grams for the lowest level, and reduces the felony retail theft threshold from $1,200 to $750. Lombardo's legislation also prohibits diversion court eligibility for those who commit crimes against children and the elderly, expands domestic violence offenses to include robbery and kidnapping, and enhances penalties for DUI causing death and driving under the influence of marijuana.

Governor Lombardo indicated he would veto Assembly Bill 346, legislation that would authorize physician-assisted suicide in cases of painful end-of-life situations, mirroring laws in eleven other states. The bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Joe Dalia and co-sponsored by Assemblymember Danielle Gallant, passed the Nevada Assembly with a vote of 23-19 and proceeded to the state Senate for consideration. Religious leaders representing the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and other denominations published newspaper advertisements urging Lombardo to maintain his stated veto position.

Governor Lombardo introduced the Nevada Accountability in Education Act on Friday in Henderson, a comprehensive education reform bill designed to improve student proficiency rates and create funding equity across K-12 schools. The legislation establishes performance accountability measures for school boards, administrators, and teachers, provides financial incentives from education surplus funds, and expands school choice options including open enrollment and transportation support to charter and private schools for students in low-performing schools. The act authorizes the state to restructure school boards and transfer schools to local government oversight when necessary, establishes a Nevada Integrity and Academic Funding Program for families, and creates an Excellence in Education Account to provide performance-based compensation to high-performing teachers and administrators.

In April 2025, Governor Lombardo introduced the Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act, legislation designed to increase housing availability in the state. According to Lombardo's projections, the bill would generate approximately four dollars in economic benefit for every one dollar invested. The introduction of this legislation occurred during a period when Nevada's median home price reached a record $485,000 and Las Vegas experienced an eviction rate of approximately 13 percent.

Governor Lombardo introduced a crime bill during the 2025 legislative session that would increase penalties for repeat offenders, lower the threshold for felony fentanyl possession, and reduce the theft threshold required to charge someone with a felony from $1,200 to $750. The bill would also extend the period of time for bail hearings, allowing rural areas with limited staff to prepare more thoroughly for such proceedings. The proposal emerged eight weeks before the end of the 2025 legislative session.

Governor Lombardo sponsored Question 7, a Nevada state constitutional amendment requiring voter identification at the polls, which received 73.3% support from voters in November. The amendment, if passed again in 2026, would enshrine voter ID requirements in the Nevada Constitution, preventing future legislative changes to the policy. This measure aligns with similar efforts in other states, including Wisconsin's constitutional amendment on voter ID that passed with 63% support in April 2025.

Nevada Governor Lombardo introduced Senate Bill 457, the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act, which seeks to reverse criminal justice reforms enacted in previous legislative sessions. The 84-page legislation increases penalties for repeat offenders, driving under the influence, and domestic violence; lowers the fentanyl trafficking charge threshold; and reduces the felony theft threshold from $1,200 to $750. Lombardo announced the measure at the Carson City Sheriff's Office alongside law enforcement officials and stated his expectation of bipartisan legislative support.

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo introduced Senate Bill 457, the Nevada Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act, on April 8, 2025, at the Carson City Sheriff's Office alongside law enforcement officials. The 84-page bill proposes modifications to Nevada's penal code including eliminating specialty court diversion options for those who abuse, exploit, or neglect children or the elderly; enhancing sentences for felonies committed while on bail; clarifying stalking and cyberstalking statutes; lowering felony theft thresholds from $1,200 to $750; extending the time between arrest and bail hearings from 48 to 72 hours; and reducing quantity thresholds for felony fentanyl trafficking charges. The legislation also includes provisions for medication-assisted treatment for opioid-use disorders through collaboration between local law enforcement and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, with projected costs exceeding $10 million in the current biennium.

Lombardo introduced legislation during the 2025 Nevada legislative session seeking $200 million in funding for attainable housing initiatives. The bill includes provisions for mortgage and rental assistance, eviction prevention programs, homeownership assistance for essential workers such as teachers, credit score improvement programs for renters, and support for rural counties addressing contractor labor shortages. The measure represents one of five bills prioritized by Lombardo during the legislative session.

Governor Joe Lombardo issued a proclamation on March 10 honoring 105-year-old Navy veteran Mercedes Starr for her service during World War II in the Navy WAVES. The proclamation was presented to Starr by Mary Devine, director of the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, during a ceremony at Pershing General Hospital in Lovelock as part of Women's History Month recognition. Starr enlisted in the Navy in February 1944 and completed basic training at Hunter College in New York before serving in shore-duty assignments.

Governor Lombardo signed a letter of support in December 2024 endorsing President Trump's immigration enforcement policies, including increased deportations. Attorney General Ford subsequently released model immigration policies under Nevada Revised Statutes 228.206 and 228.208 following a multi-year stakeholder engagement process. The two officials' actions reflect differing approaches to federal immigration enforcement in a state with an estimated 160,000 residents lacking legal status.

Governor Lombardo signed Assembly Bill 171, which authorized temporary suspension of Nevada's cage-free egg regulations for up to 120 days during emergencies. The Nevada Department of Agriculture State Quarantine Officer Director J.J. Goicoechea issued an order on Thursday, February 20, 2025, invoking this authority to allow the sale of eggs from any producer meeting food-safety guidelines, regardless of cage-free sourcing requirements, in response to supply shortages caused by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza affecting the poultry industry. The temporary order also permits the sale of "Grade B" quality eggs that meet food safety standards but may differ in color, shape, and size from standard grades.

Governor Joe Lombardo nominated Beverly Singleton, a special education paraprofessional at Fritsch Elementary School in Carson City, and Vyron Wallace, a campus security monitor at Foothill High School in Clark County, to represent Nevada in the national selection process for the Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award. Lombardo selected the two nominees from a pool of five finalists identified by the Nevada Department of Education through an anonymous selection process. The RISE Award, established by Congress in 2019 and administered by the U.S. Department of Education, recognizes classified school employees who provide exemplary service in pre-kindergarten through high school settings.

Nevada lawmakers approved a measure to temporarily suspend a state law requiring retailers to sell cage-free eggs, with the stated purpose of reducing egg costs during a bird flu outbreak that had increased prices. The bill passed the Nevada Senate unanimously and was sent to Governor Lombardo for signature. Lombardo was expected to sign the measure into law.

Lombardo's office presented Nevada lawmakers with an updated budget recommendation during a hearing in Carson City on Wednesday that eliminated the structural deficit contained in the governor's previous proposal submitted three weeks earlier. The revised recommendation achieved a balanced budget by removing duplication errors, adjusting program funding mechanisms, and revising the state's accounting for year-end savings. The governor's budget recommendation serves as a starting point for negotiations between lawmakers and Lombardo's office regarding state government funding for the subsequent two-year period.

Governor Lombardo presented an executive budget of $12.7 billion in his State of the State address on January 15, 2025, which included a proposed Excellence in Education Fund designed to provide permanent pay raises for public and charter school teachers and administrators based on performance. The budget also allocated $2.3 billion toward education priorities including early literacy resources, support for at-risk youth, and accountability and equity policies in Nevada's education system. Educators in the state responded positively to the teacher wage increase proposal, though some charter school administrators expressed concerns about how accountability measures would be implemented alongside the funding changes.

Governor Lombardo submitted a proposed executive budget to the Nevada Legislature that included a $335 million deficit, with spending exceeding projected revenue. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro characterized the budget proposal as containing "major structural issues" that made it unworkable and unsustainable, stating that the budget did not balance mathematically. Cannizzaro indicated this represented an unusual circumstance in which a gubernatorial budget proposal failed to reconcile revenues and expenditures.

During his State of the State address on January 15, 2025, Lombardo announced a proposal to make permanent the teacher pay raises approved in the 2023 legislative session and to extend those raises to charter school teachers, ending the uncertainty surrounding the $250 million matching fund set to expire after two years. Lombardo also proposed open enrollment policies allowing students to attend schools outside their assigned public school district. The proposal to extend raises to charter school teachers creates a point of divergence with Democratic legislators, who have proposed renewing raises for another biennium while continuing to exclude charter school teachers.