Nevada's Republican governor extended a hand Wednesday to the Democratic-controlled state Legislature, saying they need to come together to find solutions for urgent issues like affordable housing and access to adequate health care.
Gov. Joe Lombardo's address in the state capital of Carson City sets the tone for how he plans to advance his policies even as his party is outnumbered.
“I would ask that before some of you say no, work with me, collaborate with my agency heads, ask questions, give input, offer alternatives and set aside partisan politics,” he said. “The stubborn reality is that if we do nothing these challenges will only become more difficult.”
Nevada lawmakers meet every other year in odd years. The 2025 session begins Feb. 3.
Lombardo, who is up for reelection next year, announced Wednesday as part of his goal to bolster access to health care that he will restructure the state Department of Health and Human Services by turning over responsibilities for managing services like Medicaid, mental health funding and health insurance programs to a new agency, the Nevada Health Authority. He called it a “streamlined agency” that will focus on securing better insurance options for state employees and those enrolled in Medicaid.
Beyond Carson City, the first-term governor said he is looking to President-elect Donald Trump for help to bring more affordable housing to Nevada, where more than 80% of land is federally managed. Lombardo, placing the blame squarely on what he called the “federal government's reluctance to release the land we need for housing," said he has “great confidence” that Trump will help.
Lombardo is also looking to build on his previous efforts in 2023 to expand school choice, give pay raises to teachers, create stiffer penalties for certain crimes and diversify Nevada’s economy, which is heavily reliant on tourism and casinos. Pay raises for teachers will also be extended to charter schools, Lombardo said, adding that his budget seeks to make these increases permanent.
The state Democratic Party said in a statement that Lombardo has had more than two years to lower costs for Nevadans.
“While rent costs and food insecurity rise across the state, Joe Lombardo has offered no serious plan to fix these issues while directly obstructing and vetoing Democratic legislation that offered serious solutions to these serious problems," the statement said.
Lombardo, the former elected sheriff in Las Vegas, vetoed a record 75 bills during the 2023 legislative session, including bills that would have added protections for renters, reformed Nevada's eviction summary system, provided free lunches at K-12 schools and given insurance stipends to long-term substitute teachers.
A similar dynamic is playing out in Arizona, where Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday at the start of their legislative session that she sees room for bipartisan compromise as she looks to advance her legislative goals in a GOP-controlled Legislature.
Rio Yamat, The Associated Press
