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- 83rd Session (2025)
Assembly Bill No. 486–Committee on Natural Resources
CHAPTER..........
AN ACT relating to transportation; requiring the Department of
Transportation to report certain information on the progress
and need for certain transportation projects relating to
wildlife; revising the qualifications for a Deputy Director of
the Department; revising provisions relating to the proposal
for certain highway projects the Department must submit to
the Board of Directors of the Department; and providing
other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to develop an inventory
of connectivity needs on the state highway system where the implementation of
wildlife crossings and other related highway features will support certain purposes
relating to wildlife. (NRS 408.661) Existing law also requires: (1) the Board of
Directors of the Department to adopt a plan for measuring the performance of the
Department; and (2) the Director of the Department to prepare a report, based upon
certain performance measurements, on the level of achievement of each division of
the Department and the Department as a whole which must include, among other
requirements, the scheduling, scope, cost and progress of any current or proposed
highway projects. (NRS 408.133) Section 1 of this bill requires that the information
in the report prepared by the Director relating to current and proposed highway
projects include the progress of any current or proposed project identified in the
inventory of connectivity and the need for such a project.
Existing law requires each Deputy Director of the Department to: (1) hold a
master’s degree in public or business administration, or meet certain other
educational requirements ; and (2) have at least 15 years of progressively
responsible experience in engineering or project management, or meet certain other
experiential requirements. (NRS 408.178) Section 1.1 of this bill instead requires
each Deputy Director to : (1) hold a bachelor’s degree in business, economics or
public or business administration, or meet certain other ed ucational requirements;
and (2) have at least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in
engineering, project management, business or economics, or meet certain other
experiential requirements.
Existing law further requires the Department to prepare a written analysis of the
costs and benefits of each proposal for a highway project that will cost $25 million
or more. (NRS 408.3195) Section 1.3 of this bill instead requires that the
Department prepare such an analysis of each proposal for a highway project that
will cost $50 million or more. Section 1.3 additionally requires the Department to
include in the analysis for a highway project proposal a discussion of the number of
wildlife-vehicle collisions in the highway district and the value of any mitigation of
wildlife-vehicle collisions from the design, construction and use of wildlife
crossings.
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- 83rd Session (2025)
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. NRS 408.133 is hereby amended to read as follows:
408.133 1. The Board shall adopt a plan for measuring the
performance of the Department, which must include separate sets of
performance measurements for each division of the Department and
for the Department as a whole.
2. The Director shall, not later than December 31 of each year:
(a) Prepare a report, based upon the relevant performance
measurements adopted pursuant to subsection 1, on the level of
achievement of each division of the Department and of the
Department as a whole during the immediately preceding fiscal
year. The report must include a discussion of:
(1) The goals and objectives of the Department, and the
current status of the Department in relation to meeting those goals
and objectives;
(2) Any applicable directives from the Board or Legislature
since the most recent report prepared pursuant to this section;
(3) The scheduling, scope, cost and progress of any current
or proposed highway projects [;] , including, without limitation, the
progress of any c urrent or proposed project identified in the
inventory of connectivity pursuant to NRS 408.661 and the need
for any such project;
(4) The sources, amount and expenditure of any funding
received during the immediately preceding fiscal year;
(5) The rati onale used to establish priorities for the
completion of highway projects; and
(6) Any recommendations for amendments to the plan
adopted pursuant to subsection 1.
(b) Submit the report to:
(1) The Board; and
(2) The Director of the Legislative Coun sel Bureau for
transmittal to the Interim Finance Committee.
Sec. 1.1. NRS 408.178 is hereby amended to read as follows:
408.178 1. Each Deputy Director:
(a) Is in the unclassified service of the State.
(b) Must [hold] :
(1) Hold a [master’s] bachelor’s degree in business,
economics or public or business administration [, hold] ;
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- 83rd Session (2025)
(2) Hold the degree of bachelor of science in civil, structural,
mechanical or industrial engineering [,] ; or [be]
(3) Be a licensed professional engineer.
(c) Must have at least:
(1) Two years of administrative experience as an assistant
director or the Chief Engineer; or
(2) Fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in
engineering , [or] project management [.] , business or economics.
2. The Chief Engineer:
(a) Is in the unclassified service of the State.
(b) Must be a licensed professional engineer.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, must have at
least 3 years of experience as the final engineering authority for a
state’s agency which has duties similar to those of the Department.
3. If the Director or the Deputy Director appointed pursuant to
paragraph (a) of subsection 1 of NRS 408.175 is a licensed
professional engineer, he or she may also act as the Department’s
Chief Engineer.
Sec. 1.3. NRS 408.3195 is hereby amended to read as follows:
408.3195 1. Before the Department submits a proposal for a
highway project to the Board for approval, the Department shall
prepare a written analysis of the costs and benefits of th e project.
The analysis must state, for each highway district in which the
project is proposed:
(a) The limits of the project;
(b) The period of analysis;
(c) The discount rate used in the analysis;
(d) The initial costs of the Department for the proje ct, including
any costs for design, engineering, the acquisition of land and
construction;
(e) The future costs of the Department to preserve and maintain
the project, discounted to present value;
(f) Any other costs of the Department for any other construction
or any mitigation associated with the project;
(g) The costs to highway users for any loss of safety, delays in
the time of travel and costs for the operation of vehicles that are
associated with the project;
(h) The costs of any environment al impacts, including vehicle
emissions and noise, that are associated with the project; and
(i) The value of the benefits of the project, including the value of
any:
(1) Savings in the time of travel;
(2) Improvements to safety; and
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(3) Savings in the cost of operating vehicles.
2. The analysis required by this section:
(a) Must include a discussion of [any] :
(1) Any additional increases in costs that would result from
any delays in the performance of any routine maintenance scheduled
under the maintenance program of the Department; and
(2) The number of wildlife-vehicle collisions in the highway
district and the value of any mitigation of wildlife -vehicle
collisions from the design, construction and use of wildlife
crossings;
(b) May include a discussion of:
(1) The costs of the project for any other persons and
governmental agencies;
(2) The value of any other social, economic or environmental
benefits or costs of the project; and
(3) Any costs or benefits which may result from the use of
any alternative design, construction or financing practices; and
(c) Must be prepared in a format that allows for the comparison
of proposed highway projects.
3. The analysis required by this section must be made available
to the Board and the pu blic when the agenda is posted for the
meeting at which the proposal will be submitted to the Board for its
approval.
4. As used in this section, “highway project” means a project
that is expected to increase the capacity of the state highway system
and cost at least [$25 million.] $50,000,000.
Secs. 1.5 and 2. (Deleted by amendment.)
Sec. 3. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025.
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