In his first State of the State address, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo laid out plans for aggressively saving for a potential economic downturn, cutting gas and payroll taxes, boosting public school spending and expanding a much-fought-over school choice program.

During his inaugural State of the State speech, Lombardo announced details of his proposed two-year $11 billion budget, shared Tesla’s plans for a $3.5 billion manufacturing facility in Northern Nevada and pledged to provide raises and bonuses for state employees, although to a lesser extent than former Gov. Steve Sisolak proposed last month. 

Speaking before members of Nevada’s Assembly and Senate, he also took aim at recently passed Democratic policies — calling for a rollback of universal vote-by-mail and seeking harsher sentences for certain drug-related crimes. 

Lombardo’s remarks to the Democrat-controlled Legislature set the stage for likely partisan policy fights during the upcoming legislative session as he pledged to take certain policies, such as requiring voter ID, to the ballot box if legislators oppose his agenda. 

Continuing messaging from his inaugural address earlier this month, Lombardo again spoke about the “Nevada Way,” highlighting Nevadans’ history of perseverance, and highlighting “exciting opportunities within our grasp” because of an “unprecedented budget surplus.”

To read the full article, visit the Nevada Independent. This story was written by Sean Golonak, Jacob Solis, and Tabitha Mueller on the 23rd of January and shared with Noticiero Móvil.