CARSON CITY, NEV. • Nevada’s Joe Lombardo on Tuesday became one of the first Republican governors to enshrine protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers, adding the Western swing state to the list of those passing new laws to solidify their status as safe havens for abortion patients.

The legislation codifies an existing executive order from former Gov. Steve Sisolak last year — who lost reelection to Lombardo — that bars state agencies from assisting in out-of-state investigations that could lead to the prosecution of abortion patients who travel to Nevada. It also ensures medical boards and commissions that oversee medical licenses do not discipline or disqualify doctors who provide abortions.

Lombardo, who describes himself as “pro-life” and was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee, said on the campaign trail that he would respect the will of voters who codified abortion rights up to 24 weeks in a 1990 referendum vote. He was the only Republican to defeat a state Democratic incumbent in the last election.

“I want to thank (Lombardo) for following through on his commitment to ensuring that Nevada won’t participate in prosecutions of women who come here to exercise their reproductive rights,” said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, who sponsored the legislation, in a statement Tuesday.

Lombardo is one of the only Republican governors — after Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker — to sign a law enshrining protections for abortion.

The provisions were a major flashpoint in one of the closest governor’s races of the 2022 midterms and became the latest reflection point for how Republican lawmakers and candidates navigate abortion policy debates in blue to purple states. Lombardo originally said he would repeal the executive order, but said months later he would uphold it, a reversal that Sisolak’s campaign repeatedly emphasized.