Governor Vetoes Key Labor & Employment Bills
Nevada’s 83rd Legislative Session has ended, with many labor and employment bills sent to Nevada’s Governor, Joe Lombardo, for approval. Governor Lombardo has vetoed several bills that would have had a significant impact on Nevada’s employers.
First, the Governor vetoed AB 388 which sought to create a Nevada family and medical leave act requiring every private employer and local government employer with 50 or more employees to provide 12 weeks of paid family leave after 90 days of employment. He explained, in part: “Nevada has long prided itself on maintaining a business-friendly environment–one that supports growth, innovation, and job creation. Now is not the time to introduce broad, burdensome mandates that would significantly disrupt this balance, particularly for Nevada’s small and mid-sized businesses.”
Second, the Governor vetoed SB 198 which sought to significantly increase the penalty an employer would pay for failing to pay a departing employee within the time frames required by Nevada’s wage law. The Governor explained: “waiting-time penalties like those imposed under SB 198 have proven disastrous in California. Even minor, unintentional delays in payment have exposed employers to substantial legal liability. These penalties have disproportionately impacted small businesses, which often lack the dedicated accounting, HR, and legal resources needed to defend against lawsuits, especially when practically sufficient, but legally imprecise recordkeeping weakens their case.”
Third, the Governor vetoed AB 112 which sought to amend Nevada’s care-giver sick leave law, NRS 608.01975, to remove the exemption for employees covered by collective bargaining agreements. He explained that AB 112 “represents yet another effort to mandate benefits for unionized employees outside the negotiation of their collective bargaining agreements, thereby undermining the integrity of those agreements.”
Fourth, Governor Lombardo vetoed SB 160 which sought, in part, to move the Nevada Equal Rights Commission from the Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation (DETR) to the Office of the Attorney General. The Governor vetoed this bill because it “risks shifting [NERC’s] role from a neutral administrative body to an elected, thereby potentially politically oriented, enforcement agency, fundamentally altering its mission and potentially undermining its effectiveness,” and because he believes DETR is “structurally and operationally best suited to support” NERC’s functions.
KZA Employer Report articles are for general information only; they are not intended and should not be construed to be legal advice. Reading or replying to such articles does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In addition, because the subject matters and applicable laws discussed in Employer Report articles are often in a state of change and not always applicable to every type of business entity or organization, readers should consult with counsel before making decisions based on the same.