Lombardo announces there will be a special legislative session… at some point

By April Corbin Girnus, Nevada Current

Gov. Joe Lombardo on Monday announced he plans to call the Nevada State Legislature into a special session “at some point over the next few months.”

His two-sentence statement did not include a timeline beyond that, nor did it identify what topics would be considered during the special session.

“The goal will be to finish what the Legislature left unfinished — plain and simple,” Lombardo’s statement read.

Governors in recent years have not provided much advance notice of special sessions, often officially announcing them just days in advance after weeks of rumors and speculation. But two recent vacancies in the Nevada State Assembly may have forced the early public acknowledgement.

Republican Assemblymember Toby Yurek, who represents part of Clark County, resigned last week, saying in a statement he will instead serve the state in a new role. Lombardo in the same announcement said Yurek would serve as policy advisor and as a member of a statewide finance committee.

Republican Assemblymember Ken Gray, who represents part of Douglas and Lyon counties, resigned in August to accept an appointment to the National Cemetery Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In Nevada, vacancies in the state Legislature are filled by county commissions, but only if the Legislature is expected to convene before the next public election.

Both vacant Assembly seats will be on the ballot next year. The next regular legislative session isn’t until 2027.

By publicly announcing there will be a special session, Lombardo has effectively triggered commissions to fill the vacancies. The Clark County Commission will now need to appoint someone to fill Yurek’s Assembly District 19 vacancy.. Gray’s Assembly District 39 vacancy will be filled by an appointment jointly made by the Douglas and Lyon county commissions.

By state law, their replacements must be members of the same political party.

Special sessions are limited by law to issues included in its proclamation.

Lombardo has previously said the failed film tax credit expansion bill and his crime bill from the regular session earlier this year may reemerge in a special session. Democratic legislative leaders have publicly stated they want to address the financial impact of Trump policies, specifically on programs like Medicaid, as well as issues like the recent cyberattack on the state government.

Jokes about an inevitable special session were commonplace in the waning days of this year’s regular session. November has been the rumored month, though the governor’s office and legislative leaders have only confirmed that discussions are ongoing.

Legislators and statewide elected officials like the governor and attorney general are prohibited from soliciting or accepting campaign contributions in the 15 days before and the 15 days after a special session. If a special session proclamation is issued with less than 15 days notice, the ban on soliciting donations begins immediately.

Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: [email protected].