Gov. Brian Sandoval has vetoed a bill that would have required contractors on public works projects that cost $1 million or more to use apprentices for at least 3 percent of the total work hours.

The Republican governor rejected SB357, which was sponsored by Democratic Sen. Kelvin Atkinson and others. It passed on party lines in both houses.

While public works projects are also subject to prevailing wage and rule on fair employment practices, the bill would have added requirements about the use of apprentices for projects awarded Feb. 1, 2019 and later.

The Labor Commissioner could grant an exemption for small cities or counties where there aren’t enough qualified apprentices.

In his veto message, Sandoval said the idea of advancing apprenticeship programs is a good one, but said the outcome of the bill would be to give some contractors a significant advantage over others not on their merits but on the basis that they can hire more apprentices. He also objected to the idea that contractor must certify they’re using a certain percentage of apprentice labor, and could pay a penalty if they fail to do so before submitting a bid.

“These provisions are not only restrictive and burdensome, they are also unrelated in any rational way to ensuring that contracts are awarded to businesses based on their competitiveness, their demonstrated quality of work, or whether their offer constitutes the best value for taxpayer-funded projects,” he wrote.

The governor also indicated that there may not be an adequate supply of apprentices considering the state has one of the lowest numbers of active, certified apprenticeship programs. And he indicated that the bill was opposed by the Nevada Association of General Contractors, chambers of commerce and private construction businesses.

The bill is the 25th the governor has vetoed from the 2017 session.

Sandoval also signed dozens of other bills on Monday and Tuesday, including:

• AB122, which allows people to tap into a crime victims compensation fund even if they aren’t a U.S. citizen or lawful resident.
• AB124, which calls for a state Model Code of Educator Ethics to guide teachers on how to have  appropriate relationships with students.
• AB288, raising penalties for crimes against older people.
• AB291, allowing courts to order the correction of factual information in a pre-sentence investigation report
• AB354, calling for data in unemployment reports to be broken out by age, race and gender.
• AB205, allowing for alkaline hydrolysis or “liquid cremation.
• AB127, requiring schools ramp up their lockdown procedures and design their buildings to maximize safety in the event of an emergency.
• AB23, authorizing the Division of Parole and Probation to run “day reporting centers” where offenders can get services, counseling and supervision.
• AB322, pushing out the expiration date for driver authorization cards from one year to four years out from the holder’s nearest birthday.
• AB428, allowing pharmacists to provide an opioid antagonist without a prescription to a person or family members of a person who is at risk of an opioid overdose.
• SB398, giving more legal recognition to bitcoin and  preventing local governments from impeding its use.
• SB415, to ask voters whether feminine hygiene products should be exempted from the sales tax.
• SB407, establishing the Nevada Clean Energy Fund to facilitate financing for clean energy projects.
• AB327, authorizing people who have  been dishonorably discharged from parole to get their records sealed.

Feature photo: The South Beach apartments under construction in Las Vegas on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. Jeff Scheid/The Nevada Independent @jeffscheid

Sandoval Veto Message - SB357 by Michelle Rindels on Scribd