Lombardo Veto Tracker: medical debt collection, mental health consortium rejected

With Democrats in control of the Legislature and a Republican in the governor’s office, it was only a matter of time before the vetoes started.

Gov. Joe Lombardo has begun issuing vetoes in earnest ahead of the end of the state’s 120-day legislative session, striking down measures ranging from gun control bills to mental health care reforms and a medical debt collection change.

Click here to see a summary of the latest measures that have been vetoed.

Once a governor vetoes a measure, the bill returns to the Senate or Assembly, depending on whichever house first sponsored it. Members of the house have to vote by a two-thirds majority to override the veto or the veto remains. The bill then needs to receive a two-thirds majority in the other house to complete the veto override.

Though Democratic lawmakers in the Assembly hold a two-thirds majority and can easily override a veto, Senate Democrats need to convince at least one Republican to join them if they hope to overturn the governor’s veto. 

Throughout the legislative session, Lombardo’s administration has maintained that the governor will evaluate legislation as it arrives across his desk and will comment and respond to legislation in its final form. However, the governor has threatened to veto several measures this session, including two health care measures proposed by the state’s Patient Protection Commission and a bill proposing to expand the North Las Vegas City Council, which died after it failed to pass the May 19 second house committee deadline.

Since 1899, only two governors have ended a legislative session without vetoing a bill — Democratic Gov. Mike O’Callaghan in 1975 and Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn in 2003. The most vetoes in a single legislative session came from Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons in 2009 with 48 vetoes, followed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who vetoed 41 bills in 2017. 

The only other session that saw a governor veto more than 30 bills was the state’s first legislative session in 1864, which saw Gov. H.G. Blasdel veto 32 measures. Overall, Sandoval holds the highest veto record for any Nevada governor, having vetoed 97 bills during his eight years in office, besting the previous record of 59 held by Gibbons.

Veto overrides are relatively rare. Outside of Gibbons, who had 25 vetoes overridden, no Nevada governor has had more than three vetoes overridden during their time in office. Neither of the state’s last two governors — Sandoval and Gov. Steve Sisolak — have had a veto overridden.

Here’s a brief look at all of the bills Lombardo has vetoed so far. The Nevada Independent will continue to update this story as additional vetoes are issued.

Click here for a spreadsheet containing all vetoes.

VETOED MEASURES

Gun control bills

In mid-May, Lombardo vetoed a trio of Democrat-proposed gun control measures, all of which had passed on party-line votes out of the Legislature. The governor said in a statement that he will “not support legislation that infringes on the constitutional rights of Nevadans” and raised several constitutional concerns in his veto messages for the three bills.

The bills included:

SB171, which would have prevented someone who was convicted of a hate crime within the past 10 years from purchasing a gun

AB354, which would have criminalized bringing a gun within 100 feet of an election site

AB355, which would have raised the legal age to purchase certain semi-automatic rifles and shotguns to 21, as well as closed a legal loophole in the state’s 2021 attempt to ban so-called “ghost guns.” 

Democratic lawmakers opted not to proceed with a veto override vote on SB171 on May 29.

Medical debt collection

AB223, sponsored by Assemblyman Max Carter (D-Las Vegas), would have modified medical debt collection law and required creditors to issue debtors “payoff letters,” which detail exactly how much debt is owed. The measure was passed by the Assembly on a 38-2 vote and unanimously by the Senate. 

Lombardo’s veto called the measure “well intended,” but criticized its creation of a “private right to action” — essentially one private party forcing another private party to do something — and argued existing regulatory structures under the state Department of Business and Industry could handle debtor complaints. 

Statewide mental health consortium

AB265, sponsored by Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow (D-Las Vegas), would have created a statewide mental health consortium, a body that would have connected similar regional groups and would have been able to file one bill draft request per legislative session. It was passed by both chambers unanimously. 

Though calling the intent “noble,” Lombardo’s veto criticized an unfunded mandate from the bill, the lack of a new fiscal note this year despite a $200,000 fiscal note on a similar measure from 2021, as well as a new layer of “unnecessary bureaucracy.” 

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