Left Foot Forward: Gov. Lombardo’s vetoes show a lack of concern for Nevadans’ needs

One of the hidden effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the creation of a universal school lunch program for the nation’s children.

The United States has been very slow in acknowledging the benefits of providing free school lunches. They help not only with child nutrition and learning; they also reduce “lunch shaming,” whereby lower-income students are stigmatized with different color lunch tickets or even less-attractive food choices. Post-pandemic, the trend toward universal school lunches has grown through legislative action or ballot initiatives, even in states with Republican governors such as New Hampshire.

Nevada, sadly, will no longer support food security for its school children, as Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill to extend the provision of free breakfast and lunch at school, citing food waste and the unappealing notion of subsidizing parents who can afford to pay for the food themselves. He conveniently forgets taxpayers currently “subsidize” all sorts of public school services for higher-income families such as bus transportation, books and, in many schools, tablets or laptops. But apparently lunch is just a step too far.

Lombardo seemed to celebrate a goal of vetoing more bills in a single legislative session than any other governor in Nevada’s history, displaying his raw power for campaign donors and Democrats alike, breaking the previous record of 48 vetoes set by the hapless Jim Gibbons in 2009. Lombardo’s 75 vetoes didn’t reveal a cohesive political philosophy so much as a willful lack of communication between the executive and legislative branches, and a governor more than willing to substitute his own judgment for that of legislators who voted for many of the vetoed bills in a bipartisan manner.

Other Lombardo veto lowlights featured a trio of modest gun-violence prevention bills—particularly relevant after 22 mass shootings nationwide over the extended Fourth of July weekend—and a series of tenant protection bills designed to balance the rights of Nevadans who rent with those of predatory landlords. He also vetoed measures to cap prescription-drug costs so everyone can benefit from negotiated Medicare prices; implement “die with dignity” legislation to allow terminally ill patients to self-administer life-ending medication; and require that school districts provide a health-insurance subsidy for long-term substitute teachers. He even refused a bill to guarantee access to contraception, preferring to let local officials decide who deserves the right to purchase “morning after” medication.

In a public statement, Lombardo framed himself as Nevada’s benevolent protector, blaming Democrats for passing “legislation that raised taxes, eroded constitutional rights, and expanded bureaucracy, among countless other examples of government overreach.” He righteously declared: “Nevadans elected me to protect and serve our state—which includes protecting Nevadans from harmful and dangerous legislation,” although the harm or danger from school lunch or health insurance seems miniscule and far outweighed by the benefit to recipients.

Lombardo engaged in the biggest political stunt of the session with his insincere veto of the appropriations act just days before the session was to end, when he cited “undisciplined budgeting practices,” as well as accountability and transparency issues as justifications for throwing the state’s budget into chaos and uncertainty. Lombardo ended up approving the exact same bill with a different number just days later after leveraging the veto to get his way on a few of his most cherished bills on education and crime—even though most of his policy priorities were gutted, leaving him to crow about not very much at all.

Nevada’s governors often grow into the job, especially those like Lombardo, with little government experience beyond barking orders to subordinates who did his bidding when he was Clark County sheriff. Lombardo would do well to study the example of former Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn in the 2005 session, when he publicly announced he wouldn’t sign a bill allowing the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada unless he was convinced the measure wouldn’t violate federal law, and Nevada wouldn’t be liable if an imported drug proved harmful. He worked closely with the bill’s sponsor, Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, to address his concerns, and ultimately signed the bill.

Vetoing bills to provide food for hungry schoolchildren, health insurance for teachers, and protections for all of us from relentless and senseless gun violence isn’t putting the brakes on Democratic excess. It’s ignoring the very real needs and concerns of everyday Nevadans. So much for Lombardo’s “Nevada way.”