LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Gov. Joe Lombardo led a ceremonial signing of his signature crime bill, passed in November's special session, as law enforcement leaders from around the state said it would make communities safer.
Lombardo, a former two-term sheriff of Clark County, said the bill fulfills a campaign promise to ensure law and order for Nevadans.
"As a former law-enforcement officer, I understand the realities faced by our law-enforcement officers and the devastating impact crime has on victims and families," Lombardo said. "That experience continues to guide my approach as governor. Nevada elected me to put public safety first, and that's exactly what this bill does."
Although Lombardo had backed a similar bill in the regular 2025 session, it failed to pass by the deadline. But the bill was brought back in the November special session, where it passed with big, bipartisan majorities in both houses.
Under the measure:
- Penalties for assault against hospitality employees are increased.
- The definition of stalking is expanded to include crimes committed electronically.
- The penalty for possession of child pornography is amended to include each image as a separate offense.
- Retail thieves will get enhanced penalties if the amount of theft and property damage caused in the commission of that theft is more than $750.
- There will be aAutomatic mental health evaluations for students who commit battery against school employees.
- Criminal records won't automatically be sealed in the case of abuse or neglect of children or elderly people.
- Clark County is required to create a special corridor along the Las Vegas Strip, from which people can be banned if they've been convicted of committing certain crimes.
- The county's Justice Court is allowed, but not required, to establish a special court to police violations in special corridors, such as the Strip.
- Law enforcement officers are prohibited from going on school grounds, except in certain circumstances. This provision — added by Democrats — is aimed at limiting enforcement by federal immigration authorities.
"The mission of of the Nevada State Police and Highway Patrol is pretty simple: We protect lives and keep our communities safe," said George Togliatti, director of the Nevada Department of Public Safety. "For our Nevada State Police, Highway Patrol troopers, and our traffic safety partners throughout the state, this legislation matters."
Added Chris Hicks, district attorney of Washoe County: "This act strengthens protections for victims, closes gaps that offenders have exploited and gives our justice system the tools it needs to respond effectively and responsibly."
But not everyone agreed the bill would help. Athar Haeesbullah, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, said the measure fails to address the root causes of crime. He especially took issue with the special Strip corridor idea.
"What the bill did, from our vantage point, is is just created another carve out to allow major casino operators to have greater influence over the judicial process in the judiciary and that's really dangerous," he said. "So I don't think this is going to have a positive impact on public safety overall."
Haeesbullah said a prior Strip corridor court — created under a separate bill but later disbanded — mostly targeted people experiencing homelessness, not dangerous criminals.
Haeesbullah also said a better approach to retail theft would have been greater police presence to deter criminals in problem areas, and more expeditious restitution for small business owners who are victimized. Most of them just want to be made whole and get back to work, rather than participating in a lengthy criminal trial, he said.
But Haeesbullah did say the restrictions on law enforcement on school grounds were a positive feature of what he called "an otherwise really regressive and problematic bill."
During the special session, some wondered if Lombardo might veto the crime bill because it contained that language, after he'd rejected a similar measure during the 2025 session.
Last year, the federal government listed Nevada as a so-called sanctuary state, a designation only lifted after Lombardo signed a memo with the U.S. Justice Department confirming actions the state had already taken to cooperate with immigration authorities.
But Togliatti said on Friday that he wasn't concerned about that portion of the bill being used against Nevada.
"No," he said. "I met last week with federal authorities, including ICE and immigration folks, and I can honestly say, in the time I've served as director of the Department of Public Safety, nothing has changed through different administrations. We get along well with the feds. We're not a sanctuary city. We're not a sanctuary state. We keep people safe."
