In the face of the governor’s veto threat, Democratic lawmakers quickly moved the five major bills used to implement the state budget through the Legislature, seeking to get a budget approved, a chief responsibility of the lawmaking body, just days before sine die.

In the face of Lombardo’s veto threat, Democratic lawmakers have swiftly advanced the budget implementation bills, even introducing them on Monday, nine days earlier than the anticipated introduction date of May 31.

Should Lombardo veto the state budget, the move could force an emergency special legislative session. 

"We are shocked and extremely disappointed by Gov. Lombardo’s vote against our agreement that seeks to raise critical funding for state police,” NPU President Dan Gordon said in a statement released Wednesday.

Over the past two years, Ford has announced settlement victories against major opioid companies totaling more than $391 million, with Tuesday’s announcement bringing that total to $543 million.

$808 million is set aside for 29 construction projects, with another $259 million budgeted for maintenance and the remainder spread across more than a dozen planning and other statewide projects.

She added that she did not believe the current language of the bill should “be the form that exits this building,” and asked to work with the committee on changes to the bill, such as increasing the proposed $500,000 threshold, which she described as “super low.”

The Nevada Independent filed a public records request for his calendar, which revealed in greater detail the many meetings the governor had with special interest groups, other elected officials and business representatives.

With the clock ticking to the end of the fiscal year in June, a state worker pay bill remains in legislative limbo — a stall that Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas), the bill’s sponsor, says has come because the governor's staff has indicated they are unable to implement it.

Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) and Senate Minority Leader Heidi Seevers Gansert (R-Reno) both sat down with The Indy this week to discuss end-of-session priorities and where things stand with just over a month left before sine die. 

Facing an unspecified “directed security threat,” Nevada officials have taken down the public-facing website for the state’s online timekeeping and payroll system and urged state employees to change their passwords and security information.

Just over half of Nevadans say they approve of Gov. Joe Lombardo’s job performance four months into his term — even as a fifth of Nevadans say they still haven’t made up their mind on the state’s new Republican governor. 

The state’s two primary revenue sources — sales and gaming tax collections — have boomed amid a period of high inflation and the state’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic, which hampered the gaming industry.

The shortfall would leave the state unable to fund compensation claims for crime victims, legislative fiscal staff told lawmakers, adding that it could even mean the state is unable to qualify for additional federal funding used to support victims.

Supporters of the bill emphasized that lifting a cap on state employee wages — set at 95 percent of the governor's annual salary, which is roughly $170,000 — would help attract workers.

A proposal from Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office to create new cabinet positions will be amended out of a major bill aiming to modernize state government — an announcement that comes just a day before the bill was set to receive its first hearing before state lawmakers.

Gov. Joe Lombardo has promised to veto a bill from Sen. Pat Spearman (D-North Las Vegas) to expand the size of the North Las Vegas city council, his chief of staff, Ben Kieckhefer, told The Nevada Independent Tuesday.

“Those folks who are licensed right now, they have frustrations with their regulator, they have frustrations with the illicit market … so that was our goal,” said Brett Scolari, who presented the bill.

Wilson wrote in his order that the increase was part of a broad cost-of-living increase meant to keep the position’s salary in line with inflation. 

During a Wednesday press briefing with reporters, Lombardo’s Chief of Staff Ben Kieckhefer described the bills as “fully consistent with what [Lombardo] outlined during the campaign,” and representing “a policy agenda that is designed to meet the needs of the state.”