Gov. Joe Lombardo plans to propose lifting a cap on wages for state employees and creating new cabinet-level secretary positions within the governor’s office to coordinate with executive branch departments.

The executive order relies not on a new audit headed by state auditors, but instead requires district leaders to send existing financial documents and third-party audits covering calendar year 2022 to the Governor’s Finance Office (GFO) by March 1.

Faced with an ongoing stalemate over raising the federal debt ceiling, Treasurer Zach Conine said lawmakers are engaging in a “political exercise” that will have damaging, real-life consequences for Nevadans.

To provide accountability for dozens of the governor’s most significant promises, The Nevada Independent is launching the “Lombardo Promise Tracker.” 

The comments came as part of a sweeping 90-minute discussion with Nevada Independent CEO Jon Ralston in Las Vegas, in an interview that ranged from the governor’s new $11 billion budget to plans to critical comments Lombardo made over the state’s universal mail-in elections.

Gov. Joe Lombardo proposed a two-year, $11 billion budget that would be the largest general fund budget in state history during his first State of the State address Monday, but many of the proposals deserve additional explanation. 

During his contentious campaign to become Nevada governor, Joe Lombardo accused the Democratic incumbent of catering to the family of a donor and their lobbyist who helped an error-prone COVID-19 testing lab get licensed in the state. 

In the wake of Gov. Joe Lombardo’s State of the State speech, Democrats — who still control both legislative chambers — were quick to criticize the partisan elements of the address, even as they signaled they may support some funding priorities on bipartisan grounds. 

The proposal, which was released Monday evening alongside the governor’s biennial State of the State address, sets the general fund budget at $11 billion over the next two years, an increase of more than $1.7 billion over the current two-year state budget.

During his inaugural State of the State speech, Lombardo announced details of his proposed two-year $11 billion budget, shared Tesla’s plans for a $3.5 billion manufacturing facility in Northern Nevada and pledged to provide raises and bonuses for state employees, although to a lesser extent than former Gov. Steve Sisolak proposed last month. 

Former Republican Gov. Bob List, who served from 1979-1983, described the speech in an interview as “an opportunity to lay your groundwork with the Legislature,” adding, though, that “it's bigger than that.”

“A review of child files yielded information that cough syrup, marijuana, and alcohol have been consumed by children in the home and confiscated on more than one occasion,” auditors wrote.

The appointment of former Republican state Sen. James Settelmeyer as director of the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) spurred questions this week over whether the appointment might clash with the Nevada Constitution.

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo signed an executive order Thursday requiring all executive branch entities to review existing state regulations and recommend at least 10 to be removed by May 1.

The son of a union electrician and the grandson of a union leader, Aguilar said that family history shapes and inspires him as he takes on a job that oversees the Silver State’s elections.

Gov. Joe Lombardo will name Las Vegas attorney Kirk Hendrick as chairman of the Gaming Control Board. Hendrick is a former chief deputy attorney.

In 2023, in spite of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo’s fierce criticism of the Steve Sisolak administration on the campaign trail, he kept even more. Ten out of the 17 cabinet appointments announced by Lombardo Friday were Sisolak holdovers

Top officials in Gov. Joe Lombardo’s administration said the governor and his staff are preparing a state budget that will make “unprecedented investments in K-12 education,” and evaluating pay for state employees.

Dzurenda was appointed to lead the agency by former Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval in May 2016, and led until his departure under Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in August, 2019. 

In a wide-ranging sit-down interview with The Nevada Independent on Tuesday, Ford discussed his role as an attorney general, his upcoming legislative priorities and his working relationship with Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.