Wrapping Up Nevada’s 82nd Legislative Session with LVGEA

Nevada’s 82nd Legislative Session wrapped up back in June, and Nevadans paid close attention as the Lombardo Administration and the state legislature met in Carson City to address pressing public policy issues for the state. Despite Governor Lombardo’s whopping 75 vetoes, more than 200 bills were signed and turned into law by July 1st, including billions in education spending and capital improvement projects, locking devices with all gun sales, health insurance protection for gender affirming care, public funding for the Athletics to relocate to Vegas and the renaming of Nevada State College to Nevada State University, just to name a few. 

Several of our Public Affairs team members in Reno and Las Vegas recently attended legislative wrap up events hosted by Tom Clark Solutions in Reno and Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA) in Las Vegas. There, they gained some insight about the recent legislative session and learned a thing or two from the folks who spent a great deal of time in Carson City this year lobbying for bills and making sure their clients’ perspectives were heard. Join us as we dive into a few of the things we learned from these legislative wrap-ups.

• The new GOP governor entered the ring for his first session, but with a Democratic-led Legislature, the early days of session were much like the beginning of a boxing match, a bit of testing the waters. Regardless, both sides were able to get bills passed with a fair amount of compromise and bipartisan support.
• Throughout the 5-month session, Nevada’s lawmakers continued to address complex issues across the state, spanning from water to education, infrastructure to housing, and even bringing a new sports team to the state (with the help of a special session). 
• If you’re tired of the “melting pot” metaphor by now, you could say Nevada is more like a potluck.

A lot of people bringing a little bit to the table can feed a large party.

In other words, Nevada thrives off bipartisan support and connections and can make impactful change when everyone – big groups or small – comes together and contributes their support. It’s not uncommon to see Republicans and Democrats come together on issues such as education, housing, infrastructure and energy— it all spins into the spiderweb of economic development. For example, Governor Lombardo dubbed himself the “education governor” after getting elected in November and promised to solve many of Nevada’s issues in education. During this session, Republicans and Democrats worked together to compromise on passing the largest education funding plan in the state’s history. It was messy and contentious, and at the end of session, every group had to compromise for progress to be made.

As a Nevada-based government and public affairs firm, many of our clients across the state worked vigorously to gain support of bills regarding education, economic development, transportation, health care and more. Because of this, we understand the complexities of these statewide issues, but also understand how critical stakeholders, coalitions and partnerships can be in making a greater impact. Through our PR and marketing services, we help clients find the right message to engage their partners, reach bipartisan audiences and garner support for the causes that are important to their organization. 

This interconnectedness we have in Nevada is an example of how coalitions and groups are able to see the full picture of the state and address the collective issues that impact its constituents. Though there were still many who didn’t get their bills over the finish line, that doesn’t mean it’s over for good— there’s still a chance to have success next session. It’s time for those folks to start acting now, engaging with their target audience, garnering statewide support and developing messaging that resonates with voters and lawmakers.

If that sounds like a lot of work, The Abbi Agency is here to help! Start your Rocky-style training montage for the next legislative session and let us help you navigate complex public policy issues with ease (and style).