January 24, 2025
President Donald Trump plans to visit Las Vegas at the end of a trip that starts Friday, when he visits disaster areas in North Carolina and Los Angeles. And with a stroke of his pen, President Donald Trump, commuted the sentences or ordered the dismissal of the cases of more than 1,500 people, including eight Nevadans, charged with crimes related to their conduct on the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, from assaulting police officers to destroying government property. With the start of the Nevada Legislature coming up Feb. 3, lawmakers are working on measures to address the toll of climate change on Nevada’s public health, economy, and workforce. Several lawmakers have submitted bill draft requests this session focused on protecting Nevadans from the growing impacts of climate change, an effort Nevada has lagged behind on compared to other Southwest cities. A lithium-boron project closed on an almost $1 billion loan from the Department of Energy. These Nevada news links and lots more below!
Updates from the Governor’s Office
Lombardo’s 2025 State of the State address, annotated
The Republican governor focused on combating crime, bringing more accountability to public education and overhauling the state’s health care system. (The Nevada Independent)
State and Local Government Updates
Funding will advance supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness
The Nevada Housing Division is on track to approve nearly $12 million in funding to develop roughly 200 units of permanent supportive housing throughout the state to help people experiencing homelessness. Assembly Bill 310, which was passed by state lawmakers in 2023 and went into effect in January 2024, appropriated $30 million to the division to be allocated toward permanent supportive housing projects. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Nevada to receive funds from $80 million Cash App fraud settlement. How much?
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is also requiring Cash App to make up to $120 million in total redress payments to its customers. Nevada will exactly receive $1,647,395.84, the Nevada Department of Business and Industry confirmed in response to a Reno Gazette Journal query. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Washoe County projected to have $27 million deficit in 2026
Washoe County is facing a $27 million deficit in the general fund starting in fiscal year 2026, which runs from July 1 through June 2026. As a result, budgets will be tight, requests for more personnel will be rejected and the county may be looking at a negative balance in fiscal year 2030. (Reno Gazette Journal)
‘Beyond frustrating;’ Democrats criticize $335M deficit in Lombardo’s budget
Officials said they are working diligently to fix the issue. Revisions have been made to reduce the deficit to $85 million, but no specifics were provided. (The Nevada Independent)
Shortfall in governor’s budget plan draws fire
The opening session gavel hasn’t even dropped, but legislative Democrats are already questioning the governor’s office over an unbalanced budget proposal. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Chairman of Nevada gaming regulatory agency to resign
Kirk Hendrick, the chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board for the last two years, has resigned and will leave the position at the end of the 2025 legislative session. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
State panel determines CCSD does not need fiscal oversight over deficit report
The state subcommittee determining whether the Clark County School District needs to be placed under “fiscal watch” by the Nevada Department of Taxation says CCSD does not warrant such monitoring. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
After DOJ report shows gaps in youth care, Nevada works to meet needs
Hoping to comply with federal law, the state committed more than $200 million to overhaul a children’s behavioral health system that ranked last in the nation. (The Nevada Independent)
A program to close insurance gaps for Native Americans has gone largely unused
A few years before the covid-19 pandemic, Dale Rice lost a toe to infection. But because he was uninsured at the time, the surgery at a Reno, Nevada, hospital led to years of anguish. (Nevada Current)
Rumors could cause legal action–Mayor accuses Cox of defamatory statements
Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero has threatened legal action against Carrie Cox claiming the councilwoman had been spreading “spurious rumors” about a purported extramarital affair. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
District settles over ’23 incident–Officer grabbed Black student
The Clark County School Board approved a settlement of $1 million to two families over a 2023 incident in which a school police officer pulled a student to the ground near Durango High School. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Reno council approves making homeless camping ban citywide
The Reno City Council on Wednesday approved expanding the ban on camping, sitting or lying on public property to all of Reno, not just downtown. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Federal Updates
After DOJ report shows gaps in youth care, Nevada works to meet needs
Hoping to comply with federal law, the state committed more than $200 million to overhaul a children’s behavioral health system that ranked last in the nation. (The Nevada Independent)
D.C. Download: How Rosen, Cortez Masto approached Trump nominee hearings
Each Cabinet-level nominee must go through a public hearing in the relevant Senate committee and then be confirmed by the Senate as part of the upper chamber’s “advise and consent” duty. (The Nevada Independent)
Trump granted clemency to 8 Nevadans for Jan. 6 crimes. Who are they and what did they do?
With a stroke of his pen, President Donald Trump pardoned, commuted the sentences or ordered the dismissal of the cases of more than 1,500 people charged with crimes related to their conduct on the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, from assaulting police officers to destroying government property. (The Nevada Independent)
Trump signed an order to end birthright citizenship. What is it and what does that mean?
The executive order could have major implications in Nevada, which has the largest per capita undocumented population of any state and the largest share of mixed-status families in the nation. (The Nevada Independent)
Ford backs citizenship suit–Joins 18 states fighting Trump’s birthright executive order
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford signed onto a legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order issued on his first day back in the White House Monday. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Lithium project gets $1B in loans–Energy Department aids mine development.
A lithium-boron project on Friday closed on an almost $1 billion loan from the Department of Energy. Ioneer Limited is receiving a $996 million loan from the Energy department through its Loan Programs Office under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program to support on-site processing of lithium-boron at its Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Esmeralda County, according to a news release from the company. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
OATH KEEPERS FOUNDER FREE–Rhodes among Jan. 6 offenders with state ties to gain clemency
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, a former Las Vegan whose organization was involved in the 2014 Bundy ranch standoff, was among the defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol who were pardoned or whose sentences were commuted by President Donald Trump in his first day in office. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
President planning LV stop for trip
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to visit Las Vegas at the end of a trip that starts Friday when he visits disaster areas in North Carolina and Los Angeles, he told reporters Tuesday. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Some Nevada retirees to see thousands in back pay for Social Security
More than 39,000 Nevadans will see increases to their Social Security payments thanks to a law former President Joe Biden signed this month. The Social Security Fairness Act — which became law Jan. 5. — eliminates the reduction of Social Security benefits for those who are entitled to public pensions from work not covered by Social Security. The law repealed two provisions that had reduced Social Security benefits for public sector employees including teachers, firefighters and police officers, as well as their spouses. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Some Nevada officials are hesitant to commit to Trump’s deportation plans, with questions about funding, resources and other logistics. Others are drawing the line where their participation will end. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
This Nevadan is Trump’s FBI pick
A Nevadan could be President Donald Trump’s FBI director — though he’ll have to win Senate confirmation in order to take the reins. Kash Patel, an outspoken Trump acolyte and the president’s pick for the 10-year FBI appointment, is a Las Vegas resident who has taken an active role in Nevada Republican politics. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Ex-U.S. Attorney Frierson reflects on tough political climate, building trust in DOJ role
Frierson, a Democrat who spent 10 years in the Assembly, including three years in the top leadership role of speaker, was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden in 2021. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in April 2022 for a four-year term. (The Nevada Independent)
Lombardo silent on Trump’s clemency of January 6 violent offenders
President Donald Trump’s indiscriminate release of some 1,600 January 6 insurrection defendants, including those convicted of violent crimes against police, is meeting with mixed reviews from law enforcement, and with silence from Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, who served as sheriff of Clark County before his election in 2022 as governor. (Nevada Current)
Immigration groups urge NV congressional delegation to toughen up against Trump agenda
Members of the Nevada Immigrant Coalition, who gathered in Downtown Las Vegas Tuesday to condemn a slew of recent executive orders targeting immigration, now question if the Democratic federal delegation was still just as committed. (Nevada Current)
Trump message to corporate America: Stop ‘illegal’ DEI or face investigations
Trump’s executive order aims to end DEI in the federal government and affirmative action in federal contracting. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Nevada Jan. 6 rioters react to Trump’s pardons: ‘Promise made. Promise kept’
Ronald Sandlin said he spent many long days and nights in solitary confinement during a nearly four-year prison sentence for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when loyalists of President Donald Trump stormed the building attempting to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election because of false claims the results were rigged against him. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Trump vows to release records on JFK, RFK, MLK slayings
President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the nation’s security agencies to develop plans to release all government records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Cortez Masto splits votes on Trump’s energy and natural resources nominees
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted Thursday to advance President Donald Trump’s nominees to lead the Interior and Energy Departments — but only one received a blessing from Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. (Nevada Current)
Trump’s Las Vegas visit to impact air, road traffic Friday and Saturday
Significant air and road traffic impacts are likely starting this evening in Southern Nevada as President Donald Trump makes his first visit since returning to the Oval Office. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Premier combat unit ordered to prep for border as Trump steps up anti-immigrant push
The 10th Mountain Division has received a warning order to deploy troops to the southern border and has sent planners to U.S. Northern Command for the mission, according to an Army official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The 10th Mountain Division is designed to send combat-ready forces on short notice to hotspots around the world. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Articles of Interest
Brightline’s $2.5B bond offering details estimated train ticket cost
Brightline West is looking to raise $2.5 billion through a bond offering for its planned $12.4 billion high-speed rail line linking Las Vegas to Southern California. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Prominent Nevadans who attended Trump’s 2nd inauguration
As President Donald Trump was sworn into office Monday inside the Capitol Rotunda, several people with Nevada ties were present, some sitting prominently onstage. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
TikTok back on in U.S. after brief shutdown–Chinese-owned app uses Trump reprieve
TikTok said Sunday it was restoring service to users in the United States just hours after the popular video-sharing platform went dark in response to a federal ban, which President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to pause by executive order on his first day in office. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
MLK parade returns Monday–Founder: ‘We have a city that’s embraced it’ (
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade that for decades has drawn lively crowds and joyous floats, dance and music to downtown Las Vegas is returning Monday morning. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Rapid transit project rolls on–First of 44 bus shelters added; work near UNLV seeing progress
Maryland Parkway’s major overhaul is rolling along with construction tied to the $378 million project spread out among multiple locations. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Influx of Californians helps drive Nevada to No. 6 fastest-growing state in 2024
Nevada was the second-fastest growing state in the West in 2024 and the sixth-fastest growing nationwide.
(Reno Gazette Journal)
New report predicts rough 2025 for Las Vegas Valley residential real estate
Mortgage rates, which currently sit at 7 percent, will most likely hold the housing market back as many would-be sellers and buyers will remain on the sidelines, said Jackie Benson, a vice president and economist for Wells Fargo. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Area15 developers secure $160M to fund expansion
The developers of Area15 have secured more than $160 million to fund their expansion of the immersive Las Vegas entertainment complex. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Culinary ends strike at Virgin, reaching an agreement after 69 days
The 69-day strike was Culinary’s longest in Las Vegas in 27 years, topped only by the Frontier Hotel strike that lasted six years, four months and 10 days. (The Nevada Independent)
Boston firm investing in Vegas–Over $100M on Motor Speedway, strip mall
A Boston real estate investment giant has spent more than $100 million for two very different properties on opposite sides of Las Vegas. AEW Capital Management bought a warehouse near Las Vegas Motor Speedway last month for $54.25 million, property records show. Spanning around 350,000 square feet, the building, IDV Speedway, is vacant and was built about a year ago, according to JLL Capital Markets, which represented the seller. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Election Updates
Dark money dominated donations to Nevada’s ranked-choice voting, abortion ballot questions
More than $40 million was raised by backers of the abortion and ranked choice voting ballot questions in 2024, primarily from groups that do not have to disclose their donors. (The Nevada Independent)
Legislative Updates
- Check out the 985 Bill Draft Requests that have been submitted up until now–BDR List.
- Bills from the 83rd Legislative Session – to date: 240 bills
Important Dates
- First day of session: 10
- Last day for bill introductions: 51
- First house passage deadline: 87
- Sine die: 128
Freshman Orientation: Prison paved Jovan Jackson’s path to Legislature
Jackson is believed to be the first formerly incarcerated legislator in state history. In Carson City he wants to build on his work as an organizer for progressive groups. (The Nevada Independent)
Behind the Bar: Vibe checking the State of the State
Two days after the State of the State, The Nevada Independent’s legislative team brings you the inside scoop on some of the policies discussed during the address. Keep an eye out Sunday for our annotated edition of the State of the State. (The Nevada Independent)
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Former Nevada State Senate Majority Leader Kelvin Atkinson was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison for misusing at least $249,900 of campaign donor money on personal expenses including opening a Las Vegas nightclub, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBI Las Vegas Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ismael Nevarez Jr. for the IRS Criminal Investigation. (justice.gov)
Sources say Lombardo’s administration asked Amy Stephenson to step down from her role as state budget director Friday. Tiffany Greenameyer has replaced her. The news comes as Democrats have raised concerns about the budget + ahead of an 8:30 budget meeting this morning. (X)
First details (and questions) emerge on Lombardo’s legislative priorities
In today’s edition of the Behind the Bar newsletter, a closer look at the governor’s priority bills on education, health care and housing. (The Nevada Independent)
NV lawmakers vow to target power bills, heat island effect, and extreme workplace heat
With the start of the Nevada Legislature coming up Feb. 3, lawmakers are working on measures to address the toll of climate change on Nevada’s public health, economy, and workforce. Several lawmakers have submitted bill draft requests this session focused on protecting Nevadans from the growing impacts of climate change, an effort Nevada has lagged behind on compared to other Southwest cities. (Nevada Current)
Indy Explains: Why Nevada graduate assistants are unionizing
Graduate assistants, who teach and perform research, say their stipends don’t provide livable wages. They also claim they face harassment and discrimination. (The Nevada Independent)
Freshman Orientation: Sen. Shelly Cruz-Crawford “grew up” in Vegas casinos
The newly elected Democratic senator from Southern Nevada is ready to address challenges she saw as a principal and as Nevada’s first Latino regent. (The Nevada Independent)
The Griffin Company is a full-service public policy and government affairs consulting firm based in Nevada. We believe a complete government affairs practice must be able to effectively navigate all levels of government, both with the laws and regulations, as well as with an understanding of and sensitivity to the politics associated with each issue. The Griffin Company provides clients with the breadth of experience – local, state, and federal – that enables a comprehensive approach, integrating policy and relationships at all levels of government. |

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