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- 83rd Session (2025)
Senate Bill No. 119–Senator Neal
CHAPTER..........
AN ACT relating to economic development; requiring certain
reporting relating to the NV Grow Program; requiring the
Division of Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Development of the College of Southern Nevada to develop,
create and oversee the Program; revising certain
qualifications for a business to participate in the Program;
making an appropriation; and providing other matters
properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law directs the Division of Wo rkforce and Economic Development of
the College of Southern Nevada to develop, create, oversee and manage the NV
Grow Program to provide certain informational and technical assistance to existing
small businesses in this State that are expanding or ready t o expand. ( Section 2 of
chapter 459, Statutes of Nevada 2015, as last amended by chapter 440, Statutes of
Nevada 2023, at page 2707) Existing law also requires all institutions of the
Nevada System of Higher Education to track the business decisions and gr owth of
each business that participates in the Program over the entire period of the Program
and report that data to the Division at least once every 6 months. ( Section 3 of
chapter 459, Statutes of Nevada 2015, as last amended by chapter 570, Statutes of
Nevada 2019, at page 3668) Section 2 of this bill revises the name of the Division
to the Division of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development. Section 1 of
this bill requires the Division to prepare an annual report for the previous calendar
year which must include, without limitation, an explanation of: (1) the assistance
provided by the Program to the businesses participating in the Program; and (2) the
business decisions and growth of each business participating in the Program.
Section 1 further requires the Division to post the annual report on the Internet
website of the Program.
Existing law establishes certain qualifications for a business to participate in the
Program, including that the business must generate at least $50,000 but not more
than $700,000 in revenue. (Section 2 of chapter 459, Statutes of Nevada 2015, as
last amended by chapter 440, Statutes of Nevada 2023, at page 2707) Section 2.5 of
this bill instead requires a business to generate at least $35,000 but not more tha n
$700,000 in revenue to qualify to participate.
Section 3 of this bill appropriates $1,200,000 to the College of Southern
Nevada for certain allocations and to assist and carry out the Program.
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. The NV Grow Act, being chapter 459, Statutes of
Nevada 2015, as amended by chapter 430, Statutes of Nevada 2017,
at page 2880, is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to
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be designated as section 3.5, immediately following section 3, to
read as follows:
Sec. 3.5. 1. On or before February 1 of each year,
the Division shall prepare an annual report for the previous
calendar year, which must include, without limitation, an
explanation of:
(a) The assistance provided by the program to each
business participating in the program; and
(b) The business decisions and growth of each business
participating in the program tracked pursuant to subsection
4 of section 3 of this act.
2. The Division shall post the annual report prepared
pursuant to subsec tion 1 on the Internet website of the
program.
Sec. 2. Section 1.7 of the NV Grow Act, being chapter 570,
Statutes of Nevada 2019, at page 3666, is hereby amended to read as
follows:
Sec. 1.7. As used in this act, unless the context
otherwise requires, “Division” means the Division of
[Workforce and Economic ] Small Business and
Entrepreneurship Development of the College of Southern
Nevada.
Sec. 2.5. Section 2 of the NV Grow Act, being chapter 459,
Statutes of Nevada 2015, as last amended by chapter 440, Statutes
of Nevada 2023, at page 2707, is hereby amended to read as
follows:
Sec. 2. 1. The Division, in consultation with the
stakeholders group, shall develop, create and oversee the NV
Grow Program to stimulate Nevada’s economy with a view
toward providing assistance to businesses that are already
located and operating in this State rather than recruiting
businesses from other states to relocate in Nevada.
2. Under the auspices of the program:
(a) Institutions of the Nevada System of Higher Education
located in Clark County shall, in cooperation with the
geographic information system specialist employed at the
College of Southern Nevada, mentor and track businesses
participating in the program in Clark County. The Clark
County Department of Business License will coordinate with
the College to provide such data as may be necessary for the
operation of the program in Clark County.
(b) The Nevada S mall Business Development Centers
located in Clark County and Washoe County shall each
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cooperate with the geographic information system specialist
employed to assist businesses in Clark County that are
participating in the program with marketing and other efforts.
3. The Division shall select the lead counselor and
manage the NV Grow Program, which must include, without
limitation:
(a) The employment and supervision of the lead counselor
at the College of Southern Nevada who, in addition to his or
her other duties, serves as the coordinator of the program. The
Division shall, to the extent practicable, ensure that the work
of the lead counselor of the program is supervised by at least
two employees of the Division or an advisory team appointed
by the Division.
(b) The employment and training of a geographic
information specialist at the College of Southern Nevada who
provides data to clients of the stakeholders group. To the
extent practicable, the geographic information specialist must
receive training in geographic information systems at the
Nevada Small Business Development Center located in
Washoe County.
(c) The appointment of the College of Southern Nevada
as administrator of the geographic information system and
fiscal agent for the program.
(d) An analysis and identification by the Division of
businesses and business sectors in this State that are ready to
expand and a determination of which of these businesses and
business sectors will participate in the program.
(e) Identification by the Neva da Small Business
Development Center located in Clark County and the
Division of the skilled labor that exists in this State and its
potential for growth.
(f) Targeting by the Centers and the Division of business
sectors and occupations in this State that have demonstrated
the ability to grow and stimulate the economy of the State.
(g) A focus by the Nevada Small Business Development
Center located in Clark County and the Division on the
utilization of existing resources.
(h) The harnessing of the academ ic expertise of the
College of Southern Nevada and the Centers to provide
economic and market data to contribute to the diversification
and growth of the economy of this State.
(i) The use of geographic information systems by the
College of Southern Nevad a and the Centers to map areas of
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this State to determine locations in which retail sales and
other commerce are flourishing and locations in which retail
sales and commerce demonstrate the capacity for further
growth.
(j) The elements described in subsection 2.
(k) The provision of informational and other assistance by
the College of Southern Nevada to businesses and business
sectors in this State, including, without limitation,
business training, nontraditional marketing techniques and
business mentoring.
(l) Such other components as the Division, in consultation
with the stakeholders group, determines are likely to be
necessary, advisable or advantageous for the growth and
development of businesses located in this State.
4. The program shall, insofar as is possible, use the
resources and expertise of the Centers and make available
those resources and that expertise to businesses in this State
for the purposes of:
(a) Developing business connections and business
mentorships within the program;
(b) Exchanging data and other information with and
between businesses and trade associations;
(c) Creating and facilitating peer -to-peer mentoring
sessions for participants in the NV Grow Program;
(d) Providing to businesses and business sectors data an d
other information that is calculated or otherwise generated
through the use of geographic information systems; and
(e) Providing to participants in the NV Grow Program
classes and resources on business development and business
financing.
5. To the ext ent possible, the program must be
conducted with the goal of selecting at least 30 businesses in
Clark County to participate in the program every year.
6. To qualify to participate in the program, a business
must:
(a) Have its principal place of business within the State of
Nevada and have had its principal place of business in this
State for at least 2 years;
(b) Generate at least [$50,000] $35,000 but not more than
$700,000 in revenue; and
(c) Have a business plan.
7. As used in this section:
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(a) “Business plan” means a written statement of a set of
business goals, the reasons those goals are believed to be
attainable and the plan for reaching those goals.
(b) “Centers” means all institutions of the Nevada System
of Higher Education, including, wi thout limitation, the
College of Southern Nevada and the University of Nevada,
Reno.
(c) “Geographic information system” means a
computerized database management system for the capture,
storage, retrieval, analysis and display of spatial or
locationally defined data.
(d) “Stakeholders group” means a group of persons
interested in economic development in this State selected by
the Division, including, without limitation, a representative of
the College of Southern Nevada, the University of Nevada,
Las Vegas, the Urban Chamber of Commerce of Las Vegas,
the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, the African
Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, the Vegas Chamber, the
Henderson Chamber of Commerce, the Asian Community
Development Council, the Valley Center Opportunit y Zone,
the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension in Clark
County, Clark County and incorporated cities in Clark
County and various entities affiliated with the Small Business
Administration.
Sec. 3. 1. There is hereb y appropriated from the State
General Fund to the College of Southern Nevada the sum of
$1,200,000 to, except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, allow
the College of Southern Nevada to:
(a) Provide or obtain such services as may be necessary to assist
and carry out the Program;
(b) Provide training to the geographic information system
specialist employed pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 3 of
section 2 of the NV Grow Act to assist small businesses who
participate in the Program, including, without limitation, travel
expenses to receive training from a geographic information system
specialist at the Nevada Small Business Development Center in
Washoe County at least once every 3 mont hs for not less than 1
year;
(c) Provide stipends for the counselors and members of the
faculty of the Nevada System of Higher Education who provide
services in connection with the Program; and
(d) Make direct program expenditures to assist and carry out the
Program, including, without limitation, expenditures for the data
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software, marketing tools, interns, field trips and grants to members
of the stakeholders group, as defined in subsection 7 of section 2 of
the NV Grow Act, to assist and carry out the Program.
2. Of the sums appropriated by subsection 1:
(a) An allocation of $100,000 must be disbursed each fiscal year
to the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension in Clark County
to provide counseling, training in geographic information systems
and data scrubbing services for the Program.
(b) An allocation of $30,000 must be disbursed each fiscal year
to the following partners of the NV Grow Program, the Urban
Chamber of Commerce of Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Latin Chamber
of Commerce, the Henderso n Chamber of Commerce, the African
Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and the NV AAPI Chamber of
Commerce, to employ or contract with a marketing professional on
a part-time basis to provide marketing services for the Program.
3. Any remaining balance of t he appropriation made by
subsection 1 must not be committed for expenditure after June 30,
2027, by the entity to which the appropriation is made or any entity
to which money from the appropriation is granted or otherwise
transferred in any manner, and any portion of the appropriated
money remaining must not be spent for any purpose after
September 17, 2027, by either the entity to which the money was
appropriated or the entity to which the money was subsequently
granted or transferred, and must be reverte d to the State General
Fund on or before September 17, 2027.
4. As used in this section, “Program” means the NV Grow
Program created pursuant to section 2 of the NV Grow Act, chapter
459, Statutes of Nevada 2015, as last amended by chapter 440,
Statutes of Nevada 2023, at page 2707.
Sec. 4. Any remaining balance of the money received by the
Division of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development of
the College of Southern Nevada from any gifts, grants or donations
accepted by the Division pursuant to section 4.5 of the NV Grow
Act, chapter 459, Statutes of Nevada 2015, as last amended by
chapter 570, Statutes of Nevada 2019, at page 3669, that has not
been committed for expenditure before July 1, 2025, must be
transferred to an account in the State General Fund, administered by
the College of Southern Nevada for the purposes of carrying out the
provisions of the NV Grow Act.
Sec. 5. Upon acceptance of the money appropriated by section
3 of this act, the College of Southern Nevada agrees to:
1. Prepare and transmit a report to the Interim Finance
Committee on or before December 18, 2026, that describes each
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expenditure made from the money appropriated by section 3 of this
act, other than the money allocated pursuant to subsection 2 of
section 3 of this act, from the date on which the money was received
by the College of Southern Nevada through December 1, 2026;
2. Prepare and transmit a final report to the Interim Finance
Committee on o r before September 17, 2027, that describes each
expenditure made from the money appropriated by section 3 of this
act, other than the money allocated pursuant to subsection 2 of
section 3 of this act, from the date on which the money was received
by the College of Southern Nevada through June 30, 2027; and
3. Upon request of the Legislative Commission, make available
to the Legislative Auditor any of the books, accounts, claims,
reports, vouchers or other records of information, confidential or
otherwise, of the College of Southern Nevada, regardless of their
form or location, that the Legislative Auditor deems necessary to
conduct an audit of the use of the money appropriated pursuant to
section 3 of this act.
Sec. 6. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025.
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