Governor Lombardo was given the Nevada Children's Champion Award for his work in supporting the silver state in prosecuting abusers.

In recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Washoe County Child Advocacy Center held a pinwheel planting ceremony and awarded Governor Joe Lombardo the inaugural Nevada Children's Champion Award.

During the 2025 legislative session the governor championed the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act, which changed how child sexual predators are charged.

More details on the act can be found here: Governor Lombardo intends to sign his crime bill into law despite amendments | News | 2news.com

The Executive Director of the advocacy center, Lisa Ruggerio, says the act is positively impacting our area and their work.

"This legislation is so important is victims of child abuse, victims of crime have many hurdles to overcome," said Ruggerio. "It's so important that we have all of the supports that we possibly can in place to help them heal so they can move on to be productive citizens. And so that's exactly what it does, it really puts an emphasis on the needs of our victims."

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks presented the inaugural award to a representative of Governor Joe Lombardo and spoke about how he's seen the act make a difference in his office's work.

"Let's say a defendant possessed ten images of child pornography. We were only able to prosecute him for one charge under the law. And that's not right, because there could be multiple victims," said Hicks. "Now, under the new law that the legislature passed and he signed, that same defendant can be prosecuted for ten counts of that child pornography. So, it allows us to really strike at those dangerous offenders."

Following the ceremony, Governor Lombardo said in a statement, "I'm honored to receive the Nevada Children's Champion Award from District Attorney Hicks and the Nevada chapter of Children's Advocacy Centers. From my time as Sheriff to now serving as Governor, protecting the safety of Nevadans has always been my priority. I was proud to champion the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act and the enhanced protections put into place for children and victims."

A representative of Senator Jacky Rosen also read off a proclamation about the importance of the event and work of the center during the ceremony.