Revises provisions relating to education. (BDR S-45)

EXEMPT
(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 21, 2025)
FIRST REPRINT S.B. 176

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SENATE BILL NO. 176–SENATOR DOÑATE

PREFILED FEBRUARY 3, 2025
____________

Referred to Committee on Education

SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to education.
(BDR S-45)

FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: May have Fiscal Impact.
Effect on the State: Yes.

CONTAINS UNFUNDED MANDATE (§ 11.3)
(NOT REQUESTED BY AFFECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT)

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

AN ACT relating to education; requiring certain school districts that
offer a program of career and technical education for
certified nursing assistants to establish a pilot program to
cover the costs of examinations for certain pupils enrolled
in the program to obtain an industry-recognized credential
as a certified nursing assistant; making appropriations;
and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law requires the board of trustees of a school district in a county 1
whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties) and 2
authorizes any other board of trustees of a school district to establish a program of 3
career and technical education. (NRS 388. 380) Existing law additionally authorizes 4
the State Board of Education to administer career and technical education in this 5
State and establish certain policies governing career and technical education. (NRS 6
388.360) Under existing regulations, the board o f trustees of a school district is 7
authorized to offer a program of career and technical education with a course of 8
study designed to allow a pupil to pursue an industry -recognized credential as a 9
certified nursing assistant. (NAC 389.800, 389.803) As part of such a course of 10
study, a pupil enrolled in the program is required to either: (1) take an end -of-11
program assessment prescribed by the Department of Education to measure the 12
proficiency of the pupil in the course of study; or (2) obtain an industry -recognized 13
credential in the program area. (NAC 389.800, as amended by LCB File No. 14
R019-24) 15
Section 11.3 of this bill requires the boards of trustees of the Clark County 16
School District, Elko County School District, Lyon County School District and 17
White Pi ne County School District, in coordination with the State Board of 18
Nursing, to establish a pilot program for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years 19

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to cover the costs for pupils enrolled in a program of career and technical education 20
to be a certified nu rsing assistant to register for an examination to obtain an 21
industry-recognized credential as a certified nursing assistant. Under the pilot 22
program, a pupil is eligible for the school district to cover the cost of registering for 23
such an examination, in a n amount not to exceed $300, if the pupil: (1) completes 24
the final course of instruction in a course of study to be a certified nursing assistant; 25
(2) elects to participate in the pilot program by opting to take an examination to 26
obtain an industry -recognized credential as a certified nursing assistant instead of 27
an end -of-program assessment prescribed by the Department; (3) satisfies all 28
prerequisites to take the examination; and (4) registers for and completes the 29
examination. Section 11.3 requires each s chool district required to establish the 30
pilot program to coordinate with the State Board of Nursing to: (1) establish a 31
process to allocate an d distribute funding to eligible pupils; (2) facilitate the 32
scheduling and administration of examinations at site s approved by the State Board 33
of Nursing; (3) inform pupils concerning eligibility for the pilot program; (4) 34
monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the pilot program to ensure 35
equitable access to opportunities for certification as a certified nur sing assistant for 36
all pupils; and (5) track and compile certain information concerning the pilot 37
program. Section 11.7 appropriates money to the Department of Education for 38
distribution to the school districts required to establish the pilot program for t he 39
purpose of covering the costs for eligible pupils to take the examination for an 40
industry-recognized credential as a certified nursing assistant. 41

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. (Deleted by amendment.) 1
Sec. 2. (Deleted by amendment.) 2
Sec. 3. (Deleted by amendment.) 3
Sec. 4. (Deleted by amendment.) 4
Sec. 5. (Deleted by amendment.) 5
Sec. 6. (Deleted by amendment.) 6
Sec. 7. (Deleted by amendment.) 7
Sec. 8. (Deleted by amendment.) 8
Sec. 9. (Deleted by amendment.) 9
Sec. 10. (Deleted by amendment.) 10
Sec. 11. (Deleted by amendment.) 11
Sec. 11.3. 1. The boards of trustees of the Clark County 12
School District, the Elko County School District, the Lyon County 13
School District and the White Pine County School District shall, in 14
coordination with the State Board of Nursing, establish and carry 15
out a pil ot program during the 2026 -2027 and 2027 -2028 school 16
years to cover the costs of registering for examinations to obtain an 17
industry-recognized credential for pupils enrolled in a program of 18
career and technical education with a course of study designed to 19
allow the pupil to obtain an industry -recognized credential as a 20
certified nursing assistant. 21

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2. Pursuant to a pilot program established pursuant this section, 1
the Clark County School District, Elko County School District, 2
Lyon County School District an d White Pine County School 3
District, as applicable, shall cover the cost for a pupil enrolled in the 4
school district to register for an examination to obtain an industry -5
recognized credential, in an amount not to exceed $300 per pupil, if 6
the pupil: 7
(a) Is enrolled in a program of career and technical education 8
with a course of study designed to allow the pupil to obtain an 9
industry-recognized credential as a certified nursing assistant and 10
completes the final course of instruction for that particular cour se of 11
study; 12
(b) Elects to participate in the pilot program by opting to take an 13
examination to obtain an industry -recognized credential as a 14
certified nursing assistant in lieu of taking an end -of-program 15
assessment prescribed by the Department of Educa tion for the 16
course of study; 17
(c) Satisfies all prerequisites to take the examination to obtain an 18
industry-recognized credential as a certified nursing assistant that 19
are established by the entity administering the examination; and 20
(d) Registers for and completes the examination to obtain an 21
industry-recognized credential as a certified nursing assistant. 22
3. A pupil who elects to participate in the pilot program 23
established pursuant to this section by opting to take an examination 24
to obtain an industry -recognized credential as a certified nursing 25
assistant in lieu of taking an end -of-program assessment prescribed 26
by the Department for the course of study and who obtains such an 27
industry-recognized credential must not be required to take an end -28
of-program assessment prescribed by the Department in order to 29
obtain a certificate indicating completion of the program of career 30
and technical education. 31
4. The Clark County School District, Elko County School 32
District, Lyon County School District and White Pin e County 33
School District shall coordinate with the State Board of Nursing and 34
any other relevant licensing or certification entity to: 35
(a) Establish a process for allocating and distributing funding 36
pursuant to subsection 2; 37
(b) Facilitate the scheduling and administration of examinations 38
described in subsection 2 at testing sites approved by the State 39
Board of Nursing; 40
(c) Inform pupils concerning eligibility to participate in the pilot 41
program established pursuant to this section; 42
(d) Monitor the impl ementation and effectiveness of the pilot 43
program established pursuant to this section to ensure equitable 44

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access to opportunities to obtain an industry -recognized credential 1
as a certified nursing assistant through the pilot program; and 2
(e) Track and co mpile information concerning the number of 3
pupils who: 4
(1) Elect to participate in the pilot program by opting to take 5
an examination to obtain an industry -recognized credential as a 6
certified nursing assistant in lieu of taking an end -of-program 7
assessment prescribed by the Department for the course of study; 8
and 9
(2) Obtain such an industry -recognized credential through 10
participation in the pilot program. 11
Sec. 11.7. 1. There is hereby appropriated from the State 12
General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $148,800 13
for the purpose of making distributions to the Clark County School 14
District, Elko County School District, Lyon County School District 15
and White Pine County School District to enable those school 16
districts to carry out the provisions of section 11.3 of this act. The 17
Department shall distribute the money appropriated pursuant to this 18
subsection as follows: 19
(a) To the Clark County School District, $ 60,000 for the 2026 -20
2027 school year and $60,000 for the 2027-2028 school year. 21
(b) To the Elko County School District, $ 3,000 for the 2026 -22
2027 school year and $3,000 for the 2027-2028 school year. 23
(c) To the Lyon County School District, $ 9,000 for the 2026 -24
2027 school year and $9,000 for the 2027-2028 school year. 25
(d) To the White Pine County School District, $ 2,400 for the 26
2026-2027 school year and $2,400 for the 2027-2028 school year. 27
2. Any remaining balance of the appropriation made by 28
subsection 1 must not be committed for expenditure after June 30, 29
2028, by the entity to which the appropriation is made or any entity 30
to which money from the appropriation is granted or otherwise 31
transferred in any manner, and any portion of the appropriated 32
money remaining must not be spent for any purpose after 33
September 2 2, 202 8, by either the entity to which the money was 34
appropriated or the entity to which the money was subsequently 35
granted or transferred, and must be reverted to the State General 36
Fund on or before September 22, 2028. 37
Sec. 12. (Deleted by amendment.) 38
Sec. 13. (Deleted by amendment.) 39
Sec. 14. (Deleted by amendment.) 40
Sec. 15. 1. This section becomes effective on July 1, 2025. 41
2. Sections 1 to 14, inclusive, of this act become effective: 42
(a) On July 1, 2025, for the purpose of adopting any regulations 43
and performing any other preparatory administrative tasks that are 44
necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; and 45

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(b) On January 1, 2026, for all other purposes. 1

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