Revises provisions relating to the Office of Minority Health and Equity of the Department of Health and Human Services. (BDR 18-510)

S.B. 307

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SENATE BILL NO. 307–COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND LABOR

(ON BEHALF OF THE JOINT INTERIM STANDING
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND LABOR)

MARCH 10, 2025
____________

Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services

SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to the Office of Minority
Health and Equity of the Department of Health and
Human Services. (BDR 18-510)

FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: Yes.

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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 health and human services; requiring the Office
of Minority Health and Equity of the Department of
Health and Human Se rvices to analyze and identify gaps
in health and human services delivered to minority groups
in this State; requiring governmental agencies that receive
information related to a person’s sexual orientation or
gender identity or expression to annually subm it a
summary of the information to the Office of Minority
Health and Equity; requiring the Division of Public and
Behavioral Health of the Department to annually submit
various reports to the Office of Minority Health and
Equity; and providing other matter s properly relating
thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law creates the Office of Minority Health and Equity of the 1
Department of Health and Human Services and sets forth its duties, which include 2
taking certain actions relating to improving h ealth care services to members of 3
minority groups and other underserved communities in this State. (NRS 232.475) 4
Section 1 of this bill additionally requires the Office of Minority Health and Equity 5
to analyze and identify gaps in health and human services delivered to members of 6
minority groups in this State. 7
Existing law requires a government agency that receives information related to 8
a person’s sexual orientation or ge nder identity or expression to submit a summary 9

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of the information, reported in the aggregate, to the Director of the Legislative 10
Counsel Bureau for transmittal to either the Legislature or the Legislative 11
Commission. (NRS 239B.026) Section 2 of this bill requires a government agency 12
that receives information related to a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity 13
or expression to also submit a summary of the information, reported in the 14
aggregate, to the Office of Minority Health and Equity. 15
Existing law requires the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the 16
Department of Health and Human Services to annually compile various reports on 17
items relating to money allocated, services provided, numbers of persons served 18
and community-based organizations collaborated with in regards to addressing: (1) 19
disparities in behavioral health care and outcomes; (2) disparities in health care and 20
health outcomes based on certain categories of persons; and (3) race -based health 21
disparities relating to kidney disease and submit these reports to the Director of the 22
Legislative Counsel Bureau for transmittal to either the Legislature or the 23
Legislative Commission. (NRS 433.359, 439.259, 439.261) Sections 3-5 of this bill 24
require the Division of Public and Behavioral Health to also annually submit these 25
reports to the Office of Minority Health and Equity. 26

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

Section 1. NRS 232.475 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
232.475 1. In accomplishing its purposes, the Office shall: 2
(a) Provide a central source of information for the use of the 3
public concerning health care services for m embers of minority 4
groups and health care issues of interest to those members; 5
(b) Identify and use any available resources for the improvement 6
of the quality of health care services for members of minority 7
groups and for increased access to health care services for those 8
members; 9
(c) Develop and coordinate plans and programs to improve the 10
quality of health care services for members of minority groups and 11
to increase access to health care services for those members, 12
including, without limitation, plans and programs that primarily 13
serve local communities; 14
(d) Research and make recommendations to the Public Health 15
Resource Officer appointed pursuant to NRS 223.950 concerning 16
strategies to address disparate health outcomes in: 17
(1) Communities of Black pe rsons, Indigenous persons and 18
persons of color resulting from systemic racism and structures of 19
racial discrimination; and 20
(2) Rural communities and other underserved communities; 21
(e) Hold conferences and provide training concerning cultural 22
diversity in the workplace for public and private entities that offer 23
services in the field of health care, including, without limitation, 24
providing recommendations and opportunities for training for such 25

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public and private entities to improve recruitment of members of 1
minority groups; 2
(f) Whenever possible, incorporate the use of bilingual 3
communication in its programs and activities; 4
(g) Identify and analyze gaps in health and human services 5
delivered to members of minority groups in this State; 6
(h) Publicize hea lth care issues of interest to members of 7
minority groups; and 8
[(h)] (i) Develop and carry out such other programs and 9
activities as the Office deems appropriate. 10
2. In carrying out the duties set forth in subsection 1, the Office 11
may seek assistance fr om and cooperate with a public or private 12
entity. 13
Sec. 2. NRS 239B.026 is hereby amended to read as follows: 14
239B.026 1. A governmental agency that requests from a 15
person information related to the person’s race or ethnicity shall also 16
request information related to the person’s sexual orientation and 17
gender identity or expression. Except as otherwise provided in this 18
section, all information related to a person’s sexual orientation or 19
gender identity or expression that is received by a governmental 20
agency is confidential. 21
2. No person shall be: 22
(a) Required to provide to a governmental agency any 23
information related to th e person’s sexual orientation or gender 24
identity or expression; or 25
(b) Denied services or assistance from a governmental agency 26
for failure to provide to the governmental agency any information 27
related to the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or 28
expression. 29
3. A governmental agency that receives information related to 30
a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression may 31
only use such information for carrying out the duties of the 32
governmental agency, demographic analysis, coord ination of care 33
and services, improvement of care and services, conducting 34
research, fulfilling a reporting requirement pursuant to federal or 35
state law or informing policy or funding decisions. 36
4. On or before December 31 of each year, a governmental 37
agency shall submit [to the Director of the Legislative Counsel 38
Bureau for transmittal to the Legislature or, if the Legislature is not 39
in session, to the Legislative Commission, ] a summary of the 40
information received by the governmental agency related to sexual 41
orientation or gender identity or expression, including, without 42
limitation, the number of people who identify as lesbian, gay, 43
bisexual or transgender, according to race and gender [.] , to: 44

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(a) The Office of Minority Health and Equity of the 1
Department of Health and Human Services; and 2
(b) The Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for 3
transmittal to the Legislature or, if the Legislature is not in 4
session, to the Legislative Commission. 5
5. All information submitted pursuant to subsection 4 must be 6
reported in the aggregate and must not include any personally 7
identifiable information. 8
Sec. 3. NRS 433.359 is hereby amended to read as follows: 9
433.359 1. The Division may apply for grants available from 10
the Federal Government and other sources which have the express 11
purpose of addressing disparities in behavioral health care and 12
behavioral health outcomes based on race, color, ancestr y, national 13
origin, disability, familial status, sex, sexual orientation, gender 14
identity or expression, immigration status, primary language or 15
income level. 16
2. To the extent authorized by the terms of a grant obtained 17
pursuant to subsection 1, the Division may: 18
(a) Use a competitive process to select and award a grant of 19
money to a nonprofit organization to serve as a lead partner to 20
ensure that services supported by a grant obtained pursuant to 21
subsection 1 are funded and allocated in an equitable man ner. The 22
lead partner must: 23
(1) Be based in the community to which the services are to 24
be provided; and 25
(2) Have demonstrated experience serving that community. 26
(b) Establish and consult with an advisory committee to ensure 27
that services supported by a grant obtained pursuant to subsection 1 28
are provided in a culturally competent manner. The advisory 29
committee must be composed of representatives of nonprofit 30
organizations that have demonstrated experience serving the 31
community to which the services are to be provided. 32
3. On or before February 1 of each year, the Department shall: 33
(a) Compile a report that includes, without limitation: 34
(1) The amount of money allocated by the Department 35
during the immediately preceding calendar year to support the 36
provision of behavioral health services or other services to promote 37
emotional well-being in communities with higher risk of behavioral 38
health problems, decreased access to or usage of behavioral health 39
services or worse behavioral health outcomes or emoti onal well -40
being than the general population based on race, color, ancestry, 41
national origin, disability, familial status, sex, sexual orientation, 42
gender identity or expression, immigration status, primary language 43
or income level; 44

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(2) A description of t he services described in subparagraph 1
(1) that were provided during the immediately preceding calendar 2
year and the efforts made by the Department during the immediately 3
preceding calendar year to locate persons in need of such services 4
and provide such services to those persons; 5
(3) The number of persons who received the services 6
described in subparagraph (1) and, to the extent available, 7
information regarding the income level, age, race and ethnicity of 8
those persons; and 9
(4) Any community -based organ izations with which the 10
Department collaborated to provide those services; [and] 11
(b) Submit the report to the Director of the Legislative Counsel 12
Bureau for transmittal to: 13
(1) In even-numbered years, the Legislative Commission and 14
the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Health and Human 15
Services; and 16
(2) In odd -numbered years, the next regular session of the 17
Legislature [.] ; and 18
(c) Submit the report to the Office of Minority Health and 19
Equity of the Department. 20
Sec. 4. NRS 439.259 is hereby amended to read as follows: 21
439.259 1. The Division may apply for grants available from 22
the Federal Government and other sources which have the express 23
purpose of addressing disparities in health care and health outcomes 24
based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, disability, familial 25
status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, 26
immigration status, primary language or income level. 27
2. To the extent authorized by the terms of a grant obtained 28
pursuant to subsection 1, the Division may: 29
(a) Use a competitive process to select and award a grant of 30
money to a nonprofit organization to serve as a lead partner to 31
ensure that health care services supported by a grant obtained 32
pursuant to subsection 1 are fu nded and allocated in an equitable 33
manner. The lead partner must: 34
(1) Be based in the community to which the health care 35
services are to be provided; and 36
(2) Have demonstrated experience serving that community. 37
(b) Establish and consult with an adviso ry committee to ensure 38
that health care services supported by a grant obtained pursuant to 39
subsection 1 are provided in a culturally competent manner. The 40
advisory committee must be composed of representatives of 41
nonprofit organizations that have demonstra ted experience serving 42
the community to which the health care services are to be provided. 43
3. On or before February 1 of each year, the Department shall: 44
(a) Compile a report that includes, without limitation: 45

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(1) The amount of money allocated by the Department 1
during the immediately preceding calendar year to support the 2
provision of health care services or other services to promote 3
physical well -being in communities with higher risk of health 4
problems, decreas ed access to or usage of health care services or 5
worse health outcomes or physical well -being than the general 6
population based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, disability, 7
familial status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, 8
immigration status, primary language or income level; 9
(2) A description of the services described in subparagraph 10
(1) that were provided during the immediately preceding calendar 11
year and the efforts made by the Department during the immediately 12
preceding calendar year to locate persons in need of such services 13
and provide such services to those persons; 14
(3) The number of persons who received the services 15
described in subparagraph (1) and, to the extent available, 16
information regarding the income level, age, race and ethnicity of 17
those persons; and 18
(4) Any community -based organizations with which the 19
Department collaborated to provide those services; [and] 20
(b) Submit the report to the Director of the Legislative Counsel 21
Bureau for transmittal to: 22
(1) In even-numbered years, the Legislative Commission and 23
the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Health and Human 24
Services; and 25
(2) In odd -numbered years, the next regular session of the 26
Legislature [.] ; and 27
(c) Submit the report to the Office of Minor ity Health and 28
Equity of the Department. 29
Sec. 5. NRS 439.261 is hereby amended to read as follows: 30
439.261 1. The Division may apply for grants available from 31
the Federal Government and other sources to support the 32
identification, understanding and mitigation of health disparities 33
relating to kidney disease that are based on race. Such disparities 34
include, without limitation, disparities concerning: 35
(a) Early detection, frequency and severity of kidney disease; 36
and 37
(b) Promotion of kidney transplantation. 38
2. The Division may establish and consult with an advisory 39
committee to establish a sustainable plan to increase education 40
concerning and awareness of kidney disease through which services 41
supported by a grant obtained pursuant to subsection 1 may, to the 42
extent applicable and authorized by the terms of the grant, be 43
delivered. The advisory committee must be composed of 44
representatives of providers of health care and medical facilities 45

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who provide care for kidney disease, patients with kidney disease, 1
organ procurement organizations, national kidney organizations and 2
any other members that the Division deems appropriate. 3
3. On or before February 1 of each year, the Department shall 4
compile a report that includes, without limitation, the status of 5
grants applied for during the immediately preceding calendar year 6
pursuant to subsection 1 and submit the report to [the] : 7
(a) The Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for 8
transmittal to: 9
[(a)] (1) In even -numbered years, the Legislative Commission 10
and the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Health and Human 11
Services; and 12
[(b)] (2) In odd-numbered years, the next regular session of the 13
Legislature [.] ; and 14
(b) The Office of Minority Health and Equity of the 15
Department. 16
4. As used in this section: 17
(a) “Medical facility” has the meaning ascribed to it in 18
NRS 449.0151. 19
(b) “Organ procurement organization” means a person 20
designated by the Secretary of the United States Department of 21
Health and Human Services as an organ procurement organization. 22
(c) “Provider of health care” has the meaning ascribed to it in 23
NRS 629.031. 24

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