Behind the Bar: Vibe checking the State of the State
In today’s edition:
- Lombardo is wishy-washy on immigration
- Reactions to Lombardo’s criminal justice plans
- Can legislative Democratic leadership and the governor work together?
From the Capital Bureau Chief:
Two days after the State of the State, The Nevada Independent’s legislative team is already investigating policy implications. Keep an eye out Sunday for our annotated edition of the State of the State.
One open question is Gov. Joe Lombardo’s proposed budget, which went live Wednesday evening. Democratic leaders say they suspect it isn’t balanced.
As legislators review the proposed budget next week, our team, including data and politics reporter Eric Neugeboren, will dive into the numbers to understand what’s behind Democrats’ concerns.
We will only have one edition of Behind the Bar next week because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Expect to receive the newsletter in your inbox Thursday.
As always, please send us your questions, comments, observations, jokes, or what you think we should pay attention to. You can reach me at tabitha@thenvindy.com.
Lombardo wishy-washy on immigration
Lombardo did not mention immigration in his address, but he told reporters afterward that he doesn’t believe mass deportation is an “appropriate policy,” citing staffing issues with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and that it will take an “exorbitant amount of time.”
The comment comes just weeks after Lombardo issued a joint statement with other Republican governors saying that he is ready to deploy state law enforcement and the National Guard to support deportation efforts under the incoming Trump administration.
Athar Haseebullah, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada, said Lombardo’s immigration position “has been and remains entirely unclear” and that he appreciated that Lombardo did not identify immigration as a legislative priority.
In a press conference after Lombardo’s address, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) said immigration is a federal issue and that Democratic legislators only have control over ensuring that state resources aren't wasted.
“I don't think there's much we can do other than stand by,” Yeager said.
— Isabella Aldrete and Eric Neugeboren
What we’re reading and writing
Lombardo State of the State takeaways: Permanent teacher raises, stricter theft laws by Tabitha Mueller, Rocio Hernandez, Isabella Aldrete and Eric Neugeboren
And so it begins?
Amazon tops list of companies tapping into taxpayer-funded Nevada Medicaid by Lizzie Ramirez
Workers aren’t booted from the insurance program for low-income families if they have a job, but critics say it’s a quiet subsidy for profitable corporations.
Sisolak appointee Watkins announces her departure from the Gaming Control Board by Howard Stutz
After Watkins leaves, all three members of the panel that regulates the state’s largest industry will be Gov. Joe Lombardo’s appointees.
Reactions to Lombardo’s criminal justice plans
- Similar to in 2023, he pitched lowering the felony theft threshold, which currently stands at $1,200 thanks to AB236, the criminal justice reform package passed in 2019.
- But Haseebullah from the ACLU said the $1,200 designation was rooted in data, and that it would “be a mistake to attempt to go in another direction there.”
- Richard P. McCann, the retired executive director of the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers, said “it's great to lower thresholds for burglaries and for thefts,” but anticipates opposition from public defenders.
- Lombardo said his most notable criminal justice proposal was to prohibit diversion courts for those who commit crimes against children and the elderly. These courts allow certain defendants to complete treatment programs as opposed to jail time.
- But Haseebullah said these courts are not typically available for these kinds of crimes: “If the governor has data to refute it, we would love to see it, but it’s simply not the case from what we've ended up seeing.”
- McCann was also more hesitant when it came to diversion courts. “Not everything can just be ‘lock them up and throw them away,’” he said, but was hesitant to make additional comments without more specifics.
- However, looking at the big picture, Haseebullah said he appreciated the “discipline” of Lombardo’s remarks, even though he disagreed with some of the policy proposals.
- “It seemed like he was still governing from a right-of-center position, but not a far-right extremist position,” Haseebullah said.
- McCann, meanwhile, praised the speech’s bipartisan nature, but called it “relatively uninspiring.”
- The Nevada District’s Attorney Association, composed of state prosecutors, said they support Lombardo’s proposals and that they align with their mission to “protect the rights of crime victims” while “ensuring justice is served in our courts.”
— Eric Neugeboren and Isabella Aldrete
Can legislative Democrats and the governor work together?
Two years ago, during his first State of the State address, Lombardo took a more confrontational tone, specifying his vision for the 2023 legislative session without much regard for where Democrats stood on his proposals. This year, his message was conciliatory, acknowledging the mutual work of his office and the Democrat-controlled Legislature to make a historic investment in K-12 education in 2023 and reiterating the need to collaborate.
Here’s what we know about the relationships between the governor and Democratic legislators:
- On Wednesday night, Speaker Yeager and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) told reporters they appreciated Lombardo’s message of bipartisanship and agreed with the governor’s calls for increasing education accountability, addressing the housing crisis and improving health care access.
- Cannizzaro said after a handshake deal with the governor fell through last session, leading to a special session, it’s vital to communicate directly with the governor instead of working through intermediaries, and their offices have made strides to do so.
- But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Democratic leadership continued to condemn some of Lombardo’s vetoes from the 2023 session, including on bills to limit prescription drug costs and implement rent caps for seniors while saying that details were thin on many of Lombardo’s proposals.
- Relationships have also been strained after an election cycle where a Lombardo-backed political action committee accused Democrats of participating in a “culture of corruption,” and Democrats paid for a mobile billboard truck with anti-Lombardo messages to circle the Legislature ahead of the State of the State address.
— Tabitha Mueller
Keeping Tabs
🏠 Summary eviction reforms on the table? — After the State of the State address, Lombardo said he is willing to consider a measure that would change the state’s unique summary eviction process, which requires tenants to make the first filing in eviction court.
- Context: Lombardo vetoed a bill in 2023 that would have required landlords, not tenants, to file first in court. He said he “could not support that bill as written” but is open to the proposal. Democratic legislative leaders say changing the unique process is a priority this session.
📽️ No mention of film tax credits — Lombardo’s State of the State address noted that Nevada is “open for business,” but we’re told that was a reference to Formula One, the Super Bowl, events held at Allegiant Stadium and the promised arrival of the Athletics, among other recent Las Vegas ventures. Without a mention of expanded film tax credits, it begs the question: Where does the governor stand on the proposal?
🏘️ The debate about public land as a solution to the housing crisis — The Nevada Conservation League issued a press release Wednesday evening calling on officials not to pit public lands against housing affordability and to protect open spaces. The statement came after Lombardo attributed the “root cause” of the housing crisis to Nevada's lack of buildable land. More than 85 percent of the state’s land area is owned and managed by the federal government.
Trina Frias, the CEO of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, agreed with Lombardo on the need for more developable land. “There is a way that we can work together and identify the land that is needed for housing,” Frias said.
- Context: Cannizzaro and Yeager said they don’t believe that land access is the sole cause of the housing crisis and criticized the governor Wednesday for not addressing renters’ struggles.
— Tabitha Mueller
Looking Ahead
- Tuesday, Jan. 21, Wednesday, Jan. 22, and Thursday, Jan. 23, at 8:30 a.m.: The Legislative Commission Budget Subcommittee will hold meetings in what will be the first close look at Lombardo’s proposed budget.
- Thursday, Jan. 30, at 10:30 a.m.: School choice groups are holding a student rally at the Nevada State Capitol to celebrate National School Choice Week.
- Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m.: Don’t miss this IndyTalks event with Gov. Joe Lombardo at the National Automobile Museum Event Center in Reno.
Days until:
- First day of session: 17
- Last day for bill introductions: 59
- First house passage deadline: 95
- Sine die: 136
And to get you going into the week, a few social media posts that caught our eye:
- The nice thing about an ice cream and soup shop is that it’s great at any time of year.
- Are cats welcome?
- Well, that’s one way to share a message.
We’ll see you Thursday.