Despite legislative efforts to provide housing relief, Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed many bills that would do just that.

Surpassing his record-breaking actions of 75 vetoes during the 2023 Legislature, Gov. Joe Lombardo has issued 86 this session, including one that would cap rent increases at 5% for seniors and another that would hold individuals liable for discriminatory housing practices under a proposed state law. He also rejected Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford’s price-fixing bill, or Assembly Bill 44, that would criminalize the manipulation of pricing related to essential goods such as meat, rejecting the notion of such actions. 

Nevada has some of the highest housing costs in the country, ranking second for cost-burdened renters and fifth for excessively-burdened homeowners—a crisis that deepened after the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the mounting pressure on residents, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed several proposals aimed at providing checks and balances in multiple industries, from housing to food.

“At a time when Nevada is facing one of the worst housing crises in the nation, Gov. Lombardo said no to protecting working families from being ripped off by large corporations,” Ford said at a press conference Monday.

That sentiment is echoed in the former sheriff’s decision on housing issues. Lombardo continues to align with corporate investors and landlords against housing measures aimed at enhancing tenant protections and making housing more affordable.

Although real estate and commercial developers are consistently the largest contributors to both Nevada Democrats and Republicans, Lombardo’s actions reveal where his loyalty lies: with the housing leaders who contributed $1.7 million to his 2023 gubernatorial campaign. This amount ranks among his most prominent industry donations, second only to general business interests, which contributed $2.7 million.

A recent report from the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, a statewide nonpartisan policy research center, found that nearly half of Nevada’s renters are excessively cost-burdened, and extremely low-income households have fewer affordable units available than in any other state.

That disparity didn’t stop the top lawmaker in the state from rejecting laws that would help people become or remain affordably housed, protected from slum lords, or support first-time homebuyers, a category of purchasers that is increasingly in decline.

With the clock ticking, Lombardo has until tomorrow to act on all remaining bills, but these are the more notable vetoes so far:

Vetoed housing bills:

• Assembly Bill 223, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Venicia Considine, focused on apartment habitability enforcements, which would have allowed tenants to demand repairs within 48 hours or file complaints with the courts. Under the proposal, tenants would also have had the ability to reduce or withhold rent if landlords violate habitability laws and use their complaints as a defense against evictions. The governor said the proposal “needlessly disrupts a well-established balance” in housing laws that provide “adequate tenant protections” in his veto message.

• Under Assembly Bill 280, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, rent increases would have been capped at 5% for seniors for a yearlong pilot program, but the policy was rejected for its “complexity.” In his veto message, Lombardo agreed that tenant protections are “undeniably important” but argued that the proposal could make housing less affordable in the long run and discourage investment.

• Democratic Assemblymember Erica Roth introduced Assembly Bill 201, which would have authorized eviction sealing for certain cases, including for unjustified lockouts. Lombardo vetoed the policy, stating in his veto message that it would drive down the availability of affordable housing and “eviscerate judicial discretion,” which is the current authority over whether an eviction is sealed or not.

• Assembly Bill 283, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Max Carter, was another bill in a decades-long effort to modify Nevada’s unique summary eviction process, which sought to require landlords to file an affidavit of complaint with the court and establish clearer notice requirements for evictions, rather than placing the burden on renters to seek the initial court hearing. The bill also authorized the automatic sealing of certain summary eviction cases. Lombardo called the changes “disastrous” for the housing market in his veto message, stating it “imposes onerous obligations on property owners.”

• Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager and Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, chair of the Nevada Democratic Party, along with a slew of Democratic Assemblymembers, backed Assembly Bill 480, which would have created a mechanism for holding liable those responsible for discriminatory housing practices based on motivation or outcomes that result in or perpetuate segregated housing patterns because of ”race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, familial status or sex.” Lombardo said the policy would lock in federal law that could change, stating in his veto message that he couldn’t support the effort due to potential future conflicts with federal authority.

Other significant vetoed bills:

• Democratic Assemblymember Cecelia Gonzalez sponsored Assembly Bill 217, which would have restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions on school grounds. Lombardo said it was “well‑intentioned” in his veto message but that it risks legal challenges for school personnel, local authorities, and federal enforcement. 

• Assembly Bill 185, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Natha Anderson, sought to override the homeowners association’s ban on the operation of a licensed child care facility by a unit’s owner or tenant, provided that the licensed child care facility offers care for at least five but no more than 12 children. Lombardo vetoed it, stating in his message that it “undermines foundational principles of homeowners’ association,” such as restricting commercial activities.

• Democratic Assemblymembers Selena La Rue Hatch, along with a slew of Democrats, including Edgar Flores and Brittney Miller, sponsored Assembly Bill 388, which aimed to expand paid family leave to include both the public and private sectors, increase the timespane from eight weeks to twelve, and widen the reasons for taking leave to include bonding with newly placed foster children, medical recovery from certian health conditions and domestic violence, stalking, harassment, or sexual assault. Lombardo’s veto message stated that the timing was bad and that the effort was “burdensome” and disruptive to business stability.

• Senate Bill 102, sponsored by Democratic state Senator Skip Daly, would have criminalized fake electors and authorized the state to charge individuals who submit fraudulent elector certificates in elections with a category D felony, which carries a minimum term of at least 1 year and a maximum term of up to 4 years, along with a fine of no more than $5,000. Lombardo’s veto message claimed the policy risks “politically motivated” enforcement.