Flanked by the region’s top law enforcement and agency leaders, Gov. Joe Lombardo unveiled his crime bill Tuesday, called the Nevada Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act, at a press conference held on the steps of the Carson City Sheriff’s Office.

The bill, which was announced Monday, aims to address crime and public safety that would hold repeat criminal offenders accountable, invest in drug abuse prevention, strengthen laws related to DUI offenses, domestic violence, bail policies, stalking and cyberstalking, among other criminal matters.

The legislation is a followup to last session’s Crime Reduction Act.

The Nevada Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act is “legislation that was drafted to put teeth back into Nevada’s penal code, hold criminals accountable, empower judges and prosecutors and support victims of crime,” said Lombardo.

Calling it an “extensive” bi-partisan bill, the Republican governor said the legislation demands tougher penalties for theft, burglary and repeat offenders. The bill also cracks down on fentanyl drug trafficking, which is in alignment with Lombardo’s commitment to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. Lombardo said the bill introduces harsher sentencing for fentanyl, including mandatory minimums and increased penalties for large quantities.

The bill also implements stronger protections for vulnerable populations by eliminating diversion programs for crimes involving abuse and exploitation of children and elderly or vulnerable adults, ensuring justice for Nevada’s most at-risk populations, Lombardo said.

The legislation further “restores traditional discretion” and advises access for sealed records, which allows the state to prioritize public safety and accountability in the judicial system, in particular into criminal enhancement and firearm background checks. Lombardo also emphasized the legislation holds violent offenders and repeat DUI offenders accountable.

“As a law enforcement officer for 34 years and former sheriff, I’ve seen public safety legislation impact our communities and neighborhoods firsthand, both for better and for worse,” Lombardo said. “As governor it is now my responsibility to pass legislation that makes our streets safer and our communities more secure.”

Historically, partisanship has prevented meaningful progress for public safety, the governor stated.

“I am hopeful we can push past that this session,” he said.

Among presenters at Tuesday’s press conference were Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong, who gave the opening introduction to the governor, Washoe County District Attorney Christopher Hicks, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam and Nevada Department of Public Safety Director George Togliatti. Each outlined what the bill is intended to do.

Also in attendance was Lori Fralick of National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Storey County Sheriff Mike Cullen, Douglas County Sheriff Daniel Coverley and Churchill County Sheriff Richard Hickox.

Carson Now has reached out to the Governor’s Office for legislation details outlined Tuesday. We will post that information when the update becomes available. Meanwhile, The Nevada Independent’s Isabella Aldrete provided some information in the bill and broke down some of its measures below.

Gov. Joe Lombardo’s sweeping criminal justice measure finally dropped Monday, taking aim at fentanyl trafficking, domestic violence laws and firearm possession — but at a potential cost of $42 million more for prisons in the biennium, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections. 

Lombardo has pledged that the bill would enhance public safety and “restore a sense of law and order” to the state. 

 Here’s what we know: 

  • Top lines: The bill cracks down on repeat offenders, especially those with multiple felony convictions or those who committed a crime while on bail.
    • It would change the prosecution threshold for a “habitual criminal” charge to mean someone who has been convicted of a felony twice (five to 20 years in prison) or three times (a minimum of 10 years to life without parole). This would significantly decrease the previous felony conviction thresholds of five and seven charges, respectively. 
    • John Abel, government affairs director for the Las Vegas Police Protective Association (LVPPA), said it would help ease officers’ workload by targeting “serial criminals.”
      • “They’re people that get up every day, and all they do is get up to commit crimes. This bill should target those people,” he said.
  • Lombardo’s bill would also dramatically lower fentanyl trafficking charges, reflective of a larger debate between law enforcement and harm reduction advocates since 2019, when, as part of a larger set of criminal justice changes, legislators established low-level trafficking charges at 100 grams.
    • Lombardo’s proposal would make possession of 28 grams or more of fentanyl possession a category A felony — punishable with life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years. 
    • It would also designate possession of between 4 to 14 grams of fentanyl as a category B felony, punishable by as long as six years in prison. 
  • The bill also would lower the felony theft threshold from the current rate of $1,200 to $750 (Lombardo proposed the same change in 2023).
    • Abel said that lowering the threshold would help discourage retail theft.
      • “It’s just like in California. I’ve seen video after video of people being recorded walking out of these shopping centers with hands full of clothes or handbags, saying, ‘Oh, you can’t touch me,’” Abel said. 
      • State data, however, indicates that property theft has significantly declined during the past year.
    • Legislators made changes to the threshold just a few sessions ago as part of a broader effort to decrease the number of Nevadans incarcerated for nonviolent crimes. That bill raised the felony theft threshold from $650 to $1,500. 
  • Though those proposals have drawn attention, Lombardo says his most significant proposal is prohibiting diversion courts for those who commit crimes against children and the elderly, similar to another proposal that failed in 2023.
  • It would also take a stab at a broad set of other public safety issues, including DUI laws and domestic violence laws.
    • It expands domestic violence offenses to include robbery, kidnapping and conspiracies to commit domestic violence.
    • The bill would also clarify that driving under the influence of marijuana would constitute certain felony offenses, although it remains difficult to detect marijuana without a blood test. 
  • Opponents of the measure say the introduction of Lombardo’s bill comes at the wrong time as it would increase prison populations at a time when Nevada’s prison system is already facing immense staffing shortages and a $53 million budget shortfall. 
    • The financial impacts of the bill could be massive, with the increase in offenders expected to eventually cost the state over $42 million per biennium, according to a fiscal note attached to the bill from the Department of Corrections.
      • Per that note, NDOC expects the bill to lead to an eventual increase in about 630 incarcerated offenders per year. 
    • “I don’t know who in their right mind would vote for a proposal like this,” said Athar Haseebullah, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada. “I think you’d have to actually be totally delusional, or just assume there’s a never ending supply of money to be able to pay for this.”
    • LVPPA, however, said it “will definitely support the bill,” although Abel said that he could see the proposal further straining the state budget.

Information in italics is used with permission of the Nevada Independent. Go here for updates to this and other Nevada Independent stories.