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May 28, 2023

Lombardo blasts Legislature after school safety bill set aside; more vetoes appear likely

by: Greg Haas Posted: May 19, 2023 / 06:57 PM PDT Updated: May 19,

by: Greg Haas

Posted: May 19, 2023 / 06:57 PM PDT

Updated: May 19, 2023 / 11:13 PM PDT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Friday deadline at the Nevada Legislature brought pressure to hammer out agreements on bills that needed committee approval to stay alive.

And as work continued into the night Friday, a statement by Gov. Joe Lombardo's office indicated more vetoes could be on the horizon.

"We expect school safety legislation to actually make schools safer. Governor Lombardo will not sign legislation that allows a student to commit battery against a teacher and have the only mandatory punishment be a meeting with their parents," Lombardo Chief of Staff Ben Kieckhefer said. "This is not good enough. We need to do better for our teachers and children."

The statement came as Assembly Bill 285 — the Democrats’ version of an education bill — was passed in committee while Lombardo's bill was set aside. Both bills contain provisions repealing "restorative justice" approaches to discipline, but the details of the bills differ.

According to the Governor's Office, leaders in the Legislature have agreed to waive the deadline on AB330, Lombardo's bill. That will allow further negotiations that could merge the two bills, or put two choices on Lombardo's desk. The statement listed unions and organizations that backed Lombardo's education bill and said 71% of Nevadans support his plan.

On Monday, Lombardo vetoed three gun control bills.

Committees in the Nevada Assembly and Senate met in work sessions all day to review lists of bills. Passing the bills was hardly a formality, with questions drawing out committee meetings and new amendments causing additional arguments. The meetings could continue late into the night.

Democrats hold the majority in the Assembly and Senate, and most of the votes on committee bills were either unanimous approval or split along party lines. Bills that require funding questions to be addressed face a later deadline, and will be the focus of debate after Friday.

Here's a look at some of the bills that have already been approved on Friday:

Two resolutions on changes to the Nevada Constitution also passed. Both would require approval in two consecutive sessions of the Legislature before going to a vote of the people:

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