Lombardo Promise Tracker: What pledges has the governor kept in his first two years?
In his 2025 State of the State address, Gov. Joe Lombardo pledged to take action on dozens of issues ranging from education to health care, adding to the growing list of promises the Republican governor made on the campaign trail and in his first two years in office.
As we did for his first legislative session, The Nevada Independent is tracking the progress and outcomes of Lombardo’s most significant pledges and promises to “get shit done.”
We evaluate each promise on verifiable outcomes, not on the governor’s intentions or efforts to enact his agenda. We previously tracked the promises of Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Since entering office, Lombardo has completed about one-third of his promises, while more than half of the promises — including any pledges made during this year’s State of the State address — have either not been addressed or are in progress. He also failed to fulfill several of his promises made ahead of the 2023 legislative session.
We think the fairest way to track promises is to label the ones that have been completed and point out the ones that have not been addressed. Many promises may be considered in progress, especially before the end of the governor’s second legislative session. They may also be characterized as a compromise if fulfilled only in part, or as failed if abandoned or not achieved during his time in office. The Nevada Independent will update a rating if the status of a pledge changes in the future.
The promises below feature new promises made by the governor and their status at the start of the 2025 legislative session. To see a complete and updated list of promises, head to our full Lombardo Promise Tracker.
If you have questions or suggestions, or if something doesn’t look right, feel free to reach out through our contact page or by emailing Capital Bureau Chief Tabitha Mueller.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Promise: Said the state’s new human resources system “is on track to be fully implemented this summer, on time and within budget!”
Status: In progress
Explanation: The state’s new human resources platform — part of the CORE.NV project — is slated to be rolled out July 1. This promise will be updated depending on when the system goes live.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Pledged to have $1.3 billion in the state’s Rainy Day reserve fund for the 2025-2027 budget cycle.
Status: In progress
Explanation: Nevada’s Rainy Day Fund — a reserve account for times of emergency — stood at $1.243 billion in September 2024, and Lombardo’s proposed budget includes $378 million in transfers to the fund in the next biennium.
The status of this promise will depend on the 2025-2027 budget legislators and the governor agree upon at the end of the legislative session.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Pledged “to streamline” and “to consolidate” state boards and commissions.
Status: In progress
Explanation: SB78, proposed by the Department of Business and Industry, would overhaul the state’s regulatory approach to its many occupational licensing boards. It would require the existing Office of Nevada Boards, Commissions and Councils Standards to conduct periodic reviews of the state’s boards and commissions, and then recommend whether there should be consolidation or elimination of certain boards.
The Department of Business and Industry has already recommended that 37 occupational and licensing boards be reduced to 19, by merging 20 boards into six and eliminating three other entities.
Source: State of the State 2025
EDUCATION
Promise: Said his budget would “make teacher pay raises permanent” and extend those pay raises to all charter school teachers.
Status: In progress
Explanation: In 2023, legislative Democrats passed a bill creating a $250 million matching fund to support pay raises for school teachers and support staff, excluding educators at charter schools. With those raises set to sunset in mid-2025, Lombardo has proposed allocating $288 million over the next two years to make those raises permanent, while also including charter school educators.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said his education legislation would impose “stricter” accountability measures on schools, districts and school boards.
Status: In progress
Explanation: During his 2025 State of the State address, he said his bill proposes taking “decisive action” against a school that is found to be consistently underperforming. The governor’s bill has not been introduced.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said his education legislation would expand open enrollment policies for schools.
Status: In progress
Explanation: Lombardo has yet to introduce this legislation, but his Chief of Staff Ryan Cherry told lawmakers during a Jan. 21, 2025, budget committee meeting the bill’s education accountability program would allow students in underperforming one- and two-star schools to transfer to another public school or an approved private school if there are seats available. Oversight will be provided through the treasurer’s office.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said his education legislation would dedicate “targeted resources” to support early literacy in struggling schools.
Status: In progress
Explanation: No legislation has been introduced yet on this promise. During a January 2025 budget committee meeting, Nevada Department of Education officials told lawmakers that the governor has proposed allocating $140 million over the next two years for early literacy programs such as expanding access to pre-kindergarten.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said he would establish a fund to reward Nevada’s highest-performing teachers and administrators.
Status: In progress
Explanation: Lombardo has not introduced legislation related to this proposal, but his Chief of Staff Ryan Cherry told lawmakers during a Jan. 21, 2025, budget committee meeting that the governor is proposing to create a dedicated account within the State Education Fund to reward high-performing teachers, administrators and education support professionals. The fund would have no more than $30 million per year and would be filled by any surplus from the state’s Education Stabilization Account (which functions as a rainy day fund for the K-12 budget).
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said he would use “all of the state’s authority to investigate the [Clark County School District’s] budget and help determine corrective next steps.”
Status: In progress
Explanation: In November 2024, Lombardo and the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) appointed a compliance monitor to oversee the district following a series of budget errors. Lombardo also directed a state committee under the Nevada Department of Taxation to evaluate the budget problems at the district. In December 2024, the district submitted a corrective action plan that outlines steps being taken to get into compliance with state regulations around schools budgetary practices. NDE approved the plan in January 2025.
Source: Statement 2024
HEALTH CARE
Promise: Said the state “will be splitting up the Department of Health and Human Services” and creating the Nevada Health Authority, which would oversee Medicaid, the state health insurance exchange and state employee benefits.
Status: In progress
Explanation: Lombardo built the split agency into his proposed budget. Lawmakers will ultimately decide whether to split Nevada’s second-largest state agency.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said “by 2028, all health insurance plans in Nevada will be required to adopt standardized and digitized prior authorization plans, thus reducing delays for patients and providers.”
Status: In progress
Explanation: The proposal has not been formally introduced, but the governor said it would be coming before the Legislature this year.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said he would double the investment in graduate medical education.
Status: In progress
Explanation: Lombardo has not formally proposed his omnibus health care bill, but it is expected to include funding for graduate medical education, such as residencies.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said the state would establish an Office of Mental Health.
Status: In progress
Explanation: The proposal has not been formally introduced, but the governor said it would be coming before the Legislature in 2025.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said his “first priority” for spending remaining American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act funds is mental health.
Status: Completed
Explanation: Mental health projects made up the highest share of ARP allocations since Lombardo took office in January 2023, with $67 million in new allocations. The state as of January 2025 no longer has unallocated ARP funds.
Source: IndyTalks 2024
ECONOMY
Promise: Said he would establish targeted tax credits for child care facilities.
Status: In progress
Explanation: Lombardo’s proposed budget for the 2025-2027 biennium includes $24 million in tax credits for child care facilities. The proposal still has to pass the Legislature.
Source: State of the State 2025
HOUSING
Promise: Said his priority affordable housing legislation would include funding for $1 billion in new attainable housing units across Nevada, while creating “pathways to homeownership for essential workers like teachers, nurses, and first responders, and [support] transitional housing for those starting over.”
Status: In progress
Explanation: The proposal has not been formally introduced, but the governor said it would be coming before the Legislature in 2025.
Source: State of the State 2025
CRIME AND PUBLIC SAFETY
Promise: Said his criminal justice legislation would reduce the felony theft threshold and “implements enhanced penalties for repeat offenders, regardless of the value involved.”
Status: In progress
Explanation: The proposal has not been formally introduced, but the governor said it would be coming before the Legislature in 2025.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said his criminal justice legislation would prohibit the use of diversion courts for offenders who commit crimes against children and the elderly.
Status: In progress
Explanation: The proposal has not been formally introduced, but the governor said it would be coming before the Legislature in 2025.
Source: State of the State 2025
Promise: Said his criminal justice legislation would reduce drug trafficking thresholds.
Status: In progress
Explanation: The proposal has not been formally introduced, but the governor said it would be coming before the Legislature in 2025.
Source: State of the State 2025
IMMIGRATION
Promise: If the state deploys the Nevada National Guard to the border at the federal government’s request, Lombardo pledged that there would be two requirements: that the state would be able to recall the National Guard in a time of need, and that the federal government would pay for the deployment.
Status: Not yet addressed
Explanation: There has yet to be a request from the federal government to deploy the Nevada National Guard to the border.
Source: IndyTalks 2025
ELECTIONS
Promise: Said he would support a ballot question prohibiting ballots from being counted after Election Day if the Legislature did not act on the issue in 2025.
Status: In progress
Explanation: Legislative Republicans want all mail ballots to be received by the end of the early voting period — as has been proposed through SB103 — but it’s highly unlikely to pass in a Democrat-controlled Legislature. If Lombardo wants to amend the Constitution through a 2026 ballot question, it must be introduced by Sept. 1, 2025.
Source: State of the State 2025