Guv Kills Bills: Joe Don Veto Slays Democrat Duds

(Chuck Muth) – I know I shouldn’t do this, but so much happened in Carson City yesterday that I just gotta share this one with everybody, not just my Muth’s Truths PLUS+ subscribers.

So here goes…

Been one heckuva a first legislative session for Republican Gov. Joe “Don Veto” Lombardo, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting this morning that he “killed one bill after another earlier in the day” yesterday.

And it ain’t over yet.  Buckle up…this is gonna be a LONG one!

The governor has already kept his word to gun rights supporters by vetoing three gun-grabber bills, none of which have been overridden.

Yesterday he kept his word on “never” raising taxes by vetoing AB359, a gas tax hike.

Also killed: A Democrat bill (SB404) to make it easier to cheat in elections.  We have a detailed report on that one on our Pigpen Project website.  Click here to read it (and sign up for updates while there if this is an important issue to you).

He also vetoed a bogus “fake electors” bill (SB133), noting that it’s “hard to fathom how the penalty for being engaged in such a scheme should be harsher than the penalty for high-level fentanyl traffickers.”

Nevada Attorney General A.Ron “4 Grams” Ford was unavailable for comment.

“Because SB133 does nothing to ensure the security of our elections and merely provides disproportionately harsh penalties,” Don Veto wrote to Democrat Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, “I cannot support it.”

The governor also vetoed AB394, which would have prohibited Nevada counties from doing a manual hand-count of votes after an election, like what Nye County did last year, to verify the accuracy of the machine count.

If the Dems aren’t cheating, what are they so afraid of?

Hang with me.  The guv was just gettin’ warmed up.  Lots more dumb to come…

More Killed Bills

SB210, an affirmative action DEI (“diversity, equity & inclusion”) bill that would require gubernatorial appointments to “reflect the diversity of this State, including, without limitation, the age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnic and geographic diversity of this State.”

Call that one the “Jon Ralston Act.”  RIP.

AB251, an insane bill that would require pharmacies to print prescriptions and directions, as reporter Tabitha Mueller noted, “in the 10 most commonly spoken languages in Nevada.”

And some say making English our official language is a solution in search of a problem?

AB144, which would ban the sale of compact fluorescent lights and authorize the Attorney General to prosecute anyone who repeatedly does so.

SB169, which would require Clark and Washoe counties to provide “heat mitigation elements,” at taxpayer expense, for government master plan developments, including “shade over paved surfaces and urban tree canopies.”

What liberal moron gets paid to make up terms and phrases like this?

AB235, a sop the D’s union buddies which would jack up the cost of taxpayer-funded construction projects by requiring they be built using the union’s “prevailing wage” pay scale

AB282, which would give substitute public school teachers taxpayer-funded health insurance.

Rent Control

AB298 – which the lefties refer to as “rent stabilization” – was crushed for being “an unreasonable restraint on standard business activity” and “needlessly heavy-handed.”

But the rent-controllers aren’t done yet.  They have another bill (SB426) that’s been “DECLARED EXEMPT” and could be resuscitated before the session ends now that the governor has vetoed AB298.

And there’s also SB371, which is a sneaky little way to get statewide rent control by going around the Legislature the way these weasels often do on tax hikes: Passing the buck to local governments.

SB371 reads plainly…

“Except as expressly prohibited by statute, a board of county commissioners may enact any ordinance or measure relating to affordable housing, including, without limitation, rent control.”

Is there any doubt the seven Democrats on the Clark County Commission would impose such rent control measures if given such power?  It’s as certain as death and taxes.

The bill was passed out of the Senate with bi-partisan opposition, 12-9.  It’s now in the Assembly where the anti-business Killer D’s have a super-majority, so it’ll pass there as well.

Budget Buster

Now for the biggie…killed just minutes before it would have become law at midnight last night.

The governor vetoed AB520, one of the five major budget bills, noting that while it includes some of his priorities, “it spends more and saves less” by foolishly using “one-time money to fund recurring programs.”

The bill “creates the potential for Nevada to face a fiscal cliff,” Don Veto wrote to Democrat Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager.  “These undisciplined budgeting programs create an unacceptable level of risk for the people of Nevada.”

“For these reasons,” the governor concluded, “I veto this bill and return it without my signature or approval.”

Here’s what this veto means…

The Democrat majority in the Legislature now must fix this budget bill to the governor’s satisfaction before the session ends on Monday or there’ll be a post-session special session since the government cannot operate beyond July 1st without it.

Hardball. So much for the naysayers who predicted Gov. Lombardo would fold like the proverbial cheap suit when push came to shove.

The Democrats, accustomed to operating under the ol’ “our way or the highway” with ex-Gov. Sisolak at the helm, had a meltdown.  Cannizzaro threw a hissy fit and huff-and puffed…

“We will reintroduce and pass this budget bill again before the end of the session.  Instead of repeating this reckless veto charade, I sincerely hope he will realize his mistake and sign it.”

Actually, it’s Cannizzaro who made the mistake.  She underestimated Gov. Lombardo’s resolve.  She figured he’d roll over. She figured wrong. So suck it up, buttercup.

And again, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. There’s still one more budget bill that’s stalled in the Senate because it requires a 2/3 super-majority vote and, so far, the GOP minority is holding the line.

Funding Students, Not Systems

Also still hovering around the legislative building are the governor’s school choice proposals.

“Bull Connor” Democrats have refused to budge on giving low-income, minority families the means to exercise school choice through Opportunity Scholarships. They continue to stand in the schoolhouse doors, refusing to let the little dark-skinned kids out.

True racism.

The D’s “compromise” position is not one dime more for the wildly popular and successful program beyond the current $6.6 million.  The governor has proposed boosting that limit to $25 million.  And I suspect this is his “hill to die for” in the closing days of the session.

By the way, the record for vetoes in a single session is 48.  At press time, Don Veto’s tally stands at 24.  Let’s hope his veto pen doesn’t run out of ink!

Final note…

Abortion Trafficking

In the parlance of legislative-speak, please allow me to revise and extend my remarks yesterday on the abortion bill (SB131) that was passed and has now been signed by Gov. Lombardo.

I know many wish the governor hadn’t promised not to veto the bill on the campaign trail before the election last November if the Legislature passed it.  But he did.  And he got elected.  And then he kept his word.

As Melissa Clement, a bona fide pro-life warrior and head of Nevada Right to Life, said…

“We lost the fight on this bill on election night last November.  If we want more pro-life legislation, we need to elect more pro-life legislators.”

Amen and hallelujah.  And that said, let me further explain the part of the bill that was of greatest concern to many: “abortion trafficking.”

Melissa briefed me on it a few weeks ago when I was up in Carson City, but it didn’t really register until I read a fuller explanation she shared with me yesterday as it relates to underaged girls.

As Chief Falling Joe, the Great White Father in Washington, DC, would say, here’s the deal per Ms. Clement…

“Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill making abortion trafficking a crime punishable by 2-5 years in prison. Abortion trafficking is transporting a minor girl over the border to another state, like Nevada, for a secret abortion to avoid parental notification or consent.

“SB131 shields such predators and bad actor adults who traffic children to Nevada to acquire secret abortions without parental knowledge or consent. While Nevada has a parental notification requirement for minor girls seeking an abortion in statute (NRS442.255), it has never been enforced due to a judicial decision from the 1980s.

“Planned Parenthood advertises this fact on their website – minor girls can get an abortion in Nevada without parental involvement.  SB131 prohibits Nevada from helping other states seeking to prosecute predators and adult bad actors.”

So yes, Gov. Lombardo kept his word and signed the bill.

However, stopping abortion trafficking of minors without parental consent is definitely something to pursue in the next legislative session, and I suspect our governor would support it.

But again, as Melissa warned, the only way that’s gonna happen is to elect better legislators in 2024.

We now return you to our regular programming…

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FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“I don’t understand much about politics…” – Liberal blubber-blogger Jon Ralston, 1/2/20

Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com.  You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com.  His views are his own.