2023 Legislative Session
We accomplished a lot this session!
When I ran for this office, I pledged to always work for a brighter Nevada for all, and that was absolutely my guiding star during my first term of office. The bills I introduced were intended to make that promise a reality. I introduced bill to tackle our out of control class sizes (still largest in the nation), address climate change in Nevada, to protect the basic rights of all Nevadans. As a freshman legislator, it is perhaps unsurprising that not all of my bills made it through the legislative process. However, I am still incredibly proud of the work I undertook on behalf of our community and I am excited to share some of our wins with you today:
Strong Public Schools
- Adjusted our laws on student discipline to ensure all students can learn and all educators can teach in a safe and respectful environment.
- Secured $250 million in guaranteed funds for educator raises.
- Increase funding for public education by a record 26% in Washoe County!
- Stopped a reckless plan by the governor to siphon away $500 million from our public schools for a private school voucher scheme.
- Invested a record $140 million in early childhood education.
- Reduced standardized testing by eliminating End of Course (EOC) exams – so teachers can focus on helping their students learn and grow.
Civil & Voting Rights
- Protected and in fact expanded access to the ballot across Nevada.
- Increased protections for LGBTQ members of our community so that all Nevadans can live happy, fulfilled lives.
- Ensured that women maintain control over their own bodies by strengthening abortion protections in our state.
Environmental Protections
- Addressed the increasing threat of climate change by promoting zero-emission policies across state agencies and incentivizing the shift to zero-emission vehicles for private entities.
- Protected wildlife by creating an account for the creation of wildlife crossings across major roads and highways.
Public Safety
- Preserved the right to privacy for all Nevadans by banning the placement of a GPS tracker on a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
- Helped protect our children from rising gun violence by strengthening our safe storage laws.
- Sundown Recognized the wrongs of the past and made our communities more welcoming to all by fully banning the sound of sundown sirens across the state and making Juneteenth an official Nevada holiday.
- In the face of increased violence against our public servants, increased protections for our healthcare workers, election workers, utility workers, and educators.
We still have work to do!
In spite of all that we accomplished we still have a lot of work to do. With a record 75 vetoes, bills intended to make life better for all Nevadans were rejected by Governor Lombardo. Here are some of the most disappointing vetoes of the session:
Housing
Almost every housing bill passed this session was vetoed. That includes protections for tenants, a cap on outrageous rental fees, required transparency from landlords, rent stabilization for seniors, and a fix for our outdated summary eviction process.
Gun Safety
Three critical gun safety measures – including raising the age to purchase an assault rifle to 21, banning firearms in polling places, and removing access to firearms for those convicted of a hate crime.
Climate Change
Nearly every bill meant to address climate change or protect Nevadans from harmful chemicals in our homes and environment was vetoed by the governor.
Prescription Drug Cost
The governor vetoed a bill that would cap the cost of prescription drug costs to ensure that all Nevadans, ensuring that Nevadans will continue to struggle to pay for their life saving medication
Worker Protections
A bill to allow our colleagues in the Nevada System of Higher Education to collectively bargain and ensure a fair wage for fair work died on the governor’s desk.