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- 83rd Session (2025)
Assembly Bill No. 515–Committee on
Health and Human Services
CHAPTER..........
AN ACT relating to the protection of children; revising provisions
relating to certain categorical grants to fund the adoption
assistance program; providing for a study of and the
development of a plan for reinvesting certain money; making
appropriations; and providing other matters properly relating
thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing federal law requires each child welfare agency to calculate savings
realized from expanded eligibility for children under Title IV -E of the Social
Security Act, known as “adoption savings,” and reinvest an equal amount in the
state’s child welfare system. (42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(D)) Existing law requires the
Division of Child an d Family Services of the Department of Health and Human
Services to provide a categorical grant to each agency which provides child welfare
services in a county whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and
Washoe Counties) for each fiscal year for its adoption assistance program. Existing
law requires the Division to base the amount of such a categorical grant on the
estimated cost of the projected growth in the adoption assistance program.
(NRS 432B.219)
Under existing law, any money remaini ng from such a categorical grant that
has not been used or committed for expenditure by the agency by the end of the
fiscal year reverts to the State General Fund in most cases. However, existing law
provides that the portion of such money remaining at the end of a fiscal year that is
identified as adoption savings does not revert until the end of the immediately
following fiscal year. Existing law authorizes the agency which provides child
welfare services that received the categorical grant to use that mo ney for any costs
of providing child welfare services without restriction during that fiscal year. (NRS
432B.219) Section 1 of this bill instead provides that money awarded through such
a categorical grant never reverts to the State General Fund, regardless of whether
the money is identified as adoption savings. Additionally, section 1 requires an
agency which provides child welfare services to continue to use such mo ney for the
costs of providing child welfare services in a manner consistent with the
requirements and restrictions imposed by federal law. Section 2 of this bill defines
“Division” for the purposes of sections 3, 4 and 5 of this bill to refer to the
Division of Child and Family Services of the Department of Health and Human
Services. Sections 3 and 4 appropriate to the Division certain unexpended adoption
savings for expenditure in accordance with federal law to provide child welfare
services. Section 5 requires the Division and other agencies which provide child
welfare services in this State to study and develop a plan for reinvesting
unexpended adoption savings.
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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 432B.219 is hereby amended to read as
follows:
432B.219 1. The Division of Child and Family Services shall
provide a categorical grant to each agency which provides child
welfare services for each fiscal year for its adoption assistance
program to the e xtent that money has been appropriated to the
Division for that purpose. The amount of the grant must be based
upon the estimated cost of the projected growth in the adoption
assistance program.
2. The amount of the grant awarded pursuant to subsection 1
must be determined for 2 years beginning on July 1 of each odd -
numbered year and allocated each fiscal year.
3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4 , [:
(a) An] an agency which provides child welfare services that
receives a grant pursuant to subsection 1 must use the money
allocated only for costs associated with the adoption assistance
program.
[(b)] 4. Any money from the grant awarded pursuant to
subsection 1 that has not been used or committed for expenditure by
the agency which provides child welfare services by the end of the
fiscal year [reverts] :
(a) Does not revert to the State General Fund [.
4. The portion of any money remaining at the end of a fisca l
year from a grant awarded pursuant to subsection 1 that is identified
as savings pursuant to the calculation required under 42 U.S.C. §
673(a)(8)(D)(ii) does not revert to the State General Fund and may
be carried forward to the next fiscal year and used for any costs of
providing child welfare services without restriction. Any such
money identified as savings that has not been used or committed for
expenditure by the agency which provides child welfare services by
the end of the fiscal year to which the money was carried forward
reverts to the State General Fund.] ; and
(b) Must be used to pay the costs of providing child welfare
services in a manner that is consistent with the requirements and
restrictions set forth in 42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(D).
Sec. 2. As used in sections 3, 4 and 5 of this act, “Division”
means the Division of Child and Family Services of the Department
of Health and Human Services.
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- 83rd Session (2025)
Sec. 3. 1. There is hereby appropria ted from the State
General Fund to the Division for the Rural Child Welfare budget
account for the reinvestment of adoption savings calculated pursuant
to 42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(A) in Fiscal Year 2022 -2023 and Fiscal
Year 2023-2024 the following sums:
For the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 .................................... $83,824
For the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 .................................. $345,309
2. There is hereby appropriated from the State General Fund to
the Division for the Washoe County Child Welfare budget account
for the reinvestment of adoption savings calculated pursuant to 42
U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(A) in Fiscal Year 2022 -2023 and Fiscal Year
2023-2024 the following sums:
For the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 .................................. $607,022
For the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 .................................. $364,788
3. There is hereby appropriated from the State General Fund to
the Division for the Clark County Child Welfare budget account for
the reinvestment of adoption savings calculated pursuant to 42
U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(A) in Fiscal Year 2022-2023 and Fiscal Year
2023-2024 the following sums:
For the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 ............................... $1,820,305
For the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 .................................. $770,698
4. The Division shall use the money appropriated pursuant to
subsections 1, 2 and 3 for the costs of providing child welfare
services in a manner that is consistent with the requirements and
restrictions set forth in 42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(D).
5. The sums appropriated by subsections 1 , 2 and 3 are
available for either fiscal year and any remaining balance does not
revert to the State General Fund.
Sec. 4. 1. There is hereby appropri ated from the State
General Fund to the Division for the Rural Child Welfare budget
account for the reinvestment of adoption savings as a result of the
cumulative total unexpended balance reported to the United States
Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §
673(a)(8)(B) the following sums:
For the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 .................................... $83,824
For the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 .................................. $345,309
2. There is hereby appropriated from the State General Fund to
the Division for the Washoe County Child Welfare budget account
for the reinvestment of adoption savings as a result of the
cumulative total unexpended balance reported to the United States
Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §
673(a)(8)(B) the following sums:
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- 83rd Session (2025)
For the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 .................................. $607,022
For the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 .................................. $364,788
3. There is hereby appropriated from the State General Fund to
the Division for the Clark County Child Welfare budget account for
the reinvestment of adoption savings as a result of the cumulative
total unexpended balance reported to the United States Secretary of
Health and Human Services pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)( B)
the following sums:
For the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 ............................... $1,820,305
For the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 .................................. $770,698
4. The Division shall use the money appropriated pursuant to
subsections 1, 2 and 3 for the costs of providing child welfare
services in a manner that is consistent with the requirements and
restrictions set forth in 42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(D) in order to reduce
the cumulative to tal unexpended balance reported to the United
States Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to 42
U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(B).
5. The sums appropriated by subsections 1 , 2 and 3 are
available for either fiscal year and any remaining balance does not
revert to the State General Fund.
Sec. 5. 1. During the 2025 -2026 interim, the Division, in
consultation with the Office of Finance and the other agencies
which provide child welfare services in this State, shall:
(a) Study the reinvestment, in accordance with 42 U.S.C. §
673(a)(8)(D), of adoption savings as a result of the cumulative total
unexpended balance reported to the United States Secretary of
Health and Human Services pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)( B);
and
(b) Based on the findings of the study, develop a plan to reinvest
those adoption savings as described in paragraph (a).
2. The study conducted pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection
1 must include, without limitation, an internal audit by each agen cy
which provides child welfare services in this State to determine
which expenditures of state revenue by the agency may be eligible
uses under 42 U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)(D) for reinvested adoption
savings.
3. The Division shall coordinate with the United St ates
Secretary of Health and Human Services to amend the cumulative
total unexpended balance reported to the Secretary pursuant to 42
U.S.C. § 673(a)(8)( B) as necessary based on the study conducted
pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 1.
4. The Divisi on shall utilize the plan developed pursuant to
paragraph (b) of subsection 1 when developing its budget for the
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- 83rd Session (2025)
2027-2029 biennium . The Governor shall utilize that plan when
developing the proposed executive budget for the 2027 -2029
biennium.
5. On or before February 1, 2026, the Division shall submit the
plan developed pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 1 and any
recommendations resulting from the study pursuant to paragraph (a)
of subsection 1 to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for
transmittal to the Interim Finance Committee.
6. As used in this section, “agency which provides child
welfare services” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 432B.030.
Sec. 6. 1. This section and section 1 of this act become
effective upon passage and approval.
2. Sections 2 to 5, inclusive, of this act become effective on
July 1, 2025.
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