NV Governor REFUSES to Sign Nurse Staffing Bill, Vetoes SB 182
After months of advocacy and legislative debate, the Nevada Legislature passed Senate Bill 182, which would have established maximum nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals across the state. However, Governor Joe Lombardo vetoed the bill, preventing Nevada from becoming the second state after California to mandate specific nurse staffing levels by law.
According to Lombardo the bill “risks prioritizing paperwork over patients.”
“By locking specific nurse-to-patient ratios into law, this bill removes the flexibility that hospitals and care teams need to respond in real time to fluctuating patient needs, emergencies and staffing availability,” Lombardo wrote. “The real-world impact would be felt most by patients in underserved and rural areas, who could face longer wait times, fewer available services, or no access at all to critical care," Lombardo said.
Key Points:
- Bill Status: SB 182 passed both chambers of the Nevada Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Joe Lombardo, so it did not become law.
- Main Objective: The bill aimed to enhance patient safety and improve nursing retention by mandating maximum nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals.
- Scope: The law would have applied to hospitals with 70 or more beds or those in counties with populations of 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties).
Key Provisions:
- Established maximum nurse-to-patient ratios based on patient acuity and hospital unit.
- Required hospitals to create staffing committees for technical and service staff.
- Mandated development of documented staffing plans.
- Introduced accountability measures and reporting requirements.
- Included protections against retaliation for staff reporting unsafe staffing.
For Nevada's nursing workforce, the bill represented a potential turning point in addressing chronic understaffing issues. According to the Nevada State Board of Nursing, the state had approximately 48,000 licensed RNs as of early 2025, but many positions remained unfilled as nurses left the profession citing unsustainable workloads.
Governor Lombardo’s veto meant the bill did not take effect, despite strong support from nursing unions and advocates who saw appropriate staffing as a fundamental patient safety concern.
