On Wednesday, Governor Joe Lombardo delivered his second State of the State address to the Nevada Legislature.
In the tradition of addressing the members of Nevada’s Assembly and Senate two weeks before the start of the 120-day legislative session, Governor Lombardo offered a conciliatory message.
“It’s no secret that in the coming months, we won’t always see eye to eye on everything and that’s OK,” Lombardo said. “What I do know, however, is that there will be absolutely no disagreement among us on two essential mandates: fulfilling the people’s trust and giving them nothing less than our very best.”
Following the contentious 2024 election, Republican lawmakers gained traction, especially in Clark County. While Democrats hold majorities in both chambers, they did not secure supermajorities, allowing Governor Joe Lombardo the power to veto bills his administration opposes.
We spoke with Republican Senate Caucus Leader Robin Titus about the work of collaborating with legislative Democrats in the upcoming session.
“We’re still the minority here in Carson City, and so we have to include the Democrats in the discussion moving forward. They will determine what bills get a hearing and the governor will determine what bills will get passed, but if the bills that solve problems never get to his desk, we’re not going to move forward,” said (R – Douglas County) State Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus.
Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva, a high school teacher, intends to urge Governor Lombardo to focus on education accountability, an area he believes offers valuable opportunities for improvement.
“Will the governor address accountability measures on school districts? And how will the government implement legislation that’s passed? Because in the end, when it’s the end of the session, constitutionally we don’t have lawmaking ability anymore, but it’s the governor who has the ability to execute,” said (D – North Las Vegas) Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva.
Touted as the Education Governor, Lombardo allocated over $2 billion in new education funding for the 2023 biennial state budget, including $250 million for educator raises, which he proposes to make permanent for charter school teachers as well.
He emphasized that lawmakers can no longer accept funding shortages as excuses for underperformance. His upcoming Nevada Accountability in Education Act will enforce stricter accountability, equity, and high performance across the school, district, and board level.
While the upcoming 120-day session is expected to be contentious, after Governor Lombardo’s State of the State address, Speaker Yeager and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro expressed their appreciation for the Governor’s message about the importance of bipartisanship on issues such as education accountability, addressing the housing crisis, and improving healthcare access.