Revises provisions relating to the Office of Federal Assistance in the Office of the Governor. (BDR 18-1148)

EXEMPT

S.B. 456

- *SB456*

SENATE BILL NO. 456–COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

(ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE OF FINANCE
IN THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR)

APRIL 1, 2025
____________

Referred to Committee on Finance

SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to the Office of Federal
Assistance in the Office of the Governor.
(BDR 18-1148)

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

~

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

AN ACT relating to governmental administration; transferring the
Office of Federal Assistance in the Office of the Governor
to the Office of Finance in the Office of the Gover nor;
making the Director of the Office of Federal Assistance a
Deputy Director for the Office of Federal Assistance;
revising the membership of the Nevada Advisory Council
on Federal Assistance; and providing other matters
properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law creates the Office of Federal Assistance within the Office of the 1
Governor. (NRS 223.472) Sections 2 and 4 of this bill transfer the Office of 2
Federal Assistance to the Office of Finance. 3
Existing law authorizes the Governor, within the limits of available money to 4
employ such persons as he or she deems n ecessary to provide an appropriate staff 5
for the Office of the Governor, including the Office of Federal Assistance. (NRS 6
223.085) Section 1 of this bill el iminates the authority of the Governor to employ 7
appropriate staff in the Office of Federal Assistance to account for the transfer of 8
the Office to the Office of Finance. 9
Existing law requires the Governor to appoint a Director of the Office of 10
Federal A ssistance, who serves at the pleasure of the Governor. (NRS 223.474) 11
Section 5 of this bill provides instead that the Director of the Office of Finance is 12
required to appoint a Deputy Director for the Office of Federal Assistance, who 13
serves at the pleasure of the Director of the Office of Finance. Sections 3 and 5-15 14
of this bill change references in existing law from the Director of the Office of 15
Federal Assistance to the Deputy Director for the Office. 16

– 2 –

- *SB456*
Existing law creates the Nevada Advisory Council on Federal Assistance, 17
which consists of 11 members including the Chief of the Budget Division. (NRS 18
358.020) Section 14 replaces the Chief of the Budget Division with the Director of 19
the Office of Finance or his or her designee. 20

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

Section 1. NRS 223.085 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
223.085 1. The Governor may, within the limits of available 2
money, employ such persons as he or she deems necessary to 3
provide an appropriate staff for the Office of the Governor, 4
including, without limitation, the Office of Economic Development, 5
[the Office of Federal Assistance,] the Office of Science, Innovation 6
and Technology, the Public Health Resource Office and the 7
Governor’s mansion. Except as otherwise provided by specific 8
statute, such employees are not in the classified or unclassified 9
service of the State and, except as otherwise provided in NRS 10
231.043 and 231.047, serve at the pleasure of the Governor. Such 11
staff and employees include, without limitation: 12
(a) Executive staff; 13
(b) Administrative and clerical staff; 14
(c) Outreach and communications staff; 15
(d) Research and analytical staff; and 16
(e) Any other persons the Governor determines are necessary to 17
effectively fulfill the duties, responsibilities and obligations of the 18
Office of the Governor. 19
2. Except as otherwise provided by specific statute, the 20
Governor shall: 21
(a) Determine the salaries and benefits of the persons employed 22
pursuant to subsection 1, within limits of money available for that 23
purpose; and 24
(b) Adopt such rules and policies as he or she deems appropriate 25
to establish the duties and employment rights of the persons 26
employed pursuant to subsection 1. 27
3. The Governor shall appoint a Chief Information Officer of 28
the State who is responsible for: 29
(a) Information technology leadership and accountability; 30
(b) Strategic planning for information technology; 31
(c) Information technology workforce for the State; 32
(d) Budgeting and planning for information technology for the 33
State; 34
(e) Data storage and integrity; 35
(f) Investment management for information technology; 36

– 3 –

- *SB456*
(g) Information technology security, cyber security and privacy; 1
and 2
(h) Any other duties or responsibilities prescribed by statute or 3
regulation. 4
4. The Governor shall appoint a Chief Innovation Officer of 5
the State who is responsible for: 6
(a) Providing overall leadership and guidance relating to 7
employee acquisition, career development, succession planning, 8
retention, professional development and training, leadership 9
development, compensation and benefits; 10
(b) Developing human resource plans and strategies 11
prospectively by at least 10 years; 12
(c) Reviewing and monitoring the efficiency of the State 13
Government and providing recommendations on how to reduce 14
costs, improve the delivery of services and ensure the cost -15
effectiveness of all state governmental programs; 16
(d) Evaluating, overseeing and administering the 17
competitiveness, appropriateness and effectiveness of the wages, 18
salaries, benefits and work environment of public employees; 19
(e) Evaluating, overseeing and administering the training and 20
readiness programs for public employees; and 21
(f) Developing comprehensive and strategic recruitment and 22
retention plans to meet the human resource needs of the State. 23
Sec. 2. NRS 223.400 is hereby amended to read as follows: 24
223.400 1. The Office of Finance is hereby created in the 25
Office of the Governor. 26
2. The Office of Finance consists of a Director and the 27
following: 28
(a) The Budget Division; [and] 29
(b) The Division of Internal Audits [.] ; and 30
(c) The Office of Federal Assistance. 31
Sec. 3. NRS 223.462 is hereby amended to read as follows: 32
223.462 [“Director”] “Deputy Director” means the Deputy 33
Director [of] for the Office [.] of Federal Assistance. 34
Sec. 4. NRS 223.472 is hereby amended to read as follows: 35
223.472 1. There is hereby created within the Office of [the 36
Governor] Finance the Office of Federal Assistance for the purpose 37
of obtaining and maximizing federal assistance. 38
2. The [Governor] Director of the Office of Finance shall 39
propose a budget for the Office [.] of Federal Assistance. 40
3. The Office of Federal Assistance shall maintain an office 41
located in an urban area in northern Nevada and an office located in 42
an urban area in southern Nevada. 43

– 4 –

- *SB456*
Sec. 5. NRS 223.474 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
223.474 1. The [Governor] Director of the Office of Finance 2
shall appoint a Deputy Director [of] for the Office of Federal 3
Assistance who must possess: 4
(a) Extensive expertise and experience in applying for and 5
receiving federal assistance; 6
(b) Specialized knowledge of the process of grant writing and 7
approval in the public and private sectors; and 8
(c) Proven experience in designing and managing progra ms 9
which rely solely or partially upon federal assistance. 10
2. The Deputy Director shall devote his or her entire time and 11
attention to the business of his or her office and shall not engage in 12
any other gainful employment or occupation. 13
3. The Deputy Director is in the unclassified service of the 14
State and serves at the pleasure of the [Governor.] Director of the 15
Office of Finance. 16
Sec. 6. NRS 223.476 is hereby amended to read as follows: 17
223.476 The Deputy Director shall, within the limits of money 18
appropriated or authorized to be expended for this purpose, employ 19
such persons in the classified or unclassified service of the State as 20
he or she deems necessary to carry out the provisions of NRS 21
223.460 to 223.498, inclusive. 22
Sec. 7. NRS 223.478 is hereby amended to read as follows: 23
223.478 1. The Deputy Director [of] for the Office of Federal 24
Assistance shall: 25
(a) Coordinate and collaborate with state agencies, local 26
agencies, triba l governments and nonprofit organizations to 27
implement the State Plan for Maximizing Federal Assistance 28
developed pursuant to NRS 223.486; 29
(b) To the extent money is available, administer a grant 30
management system; 31
(c) Develop a manual of policies and procedures relating to 32
federal assistance and post the manual on the Internet website 33
maintained by the Office; 34
(d) Serve as the entity designated by the State to review and 35
coordinate proposed federal financial assistanc e and direct federal 36
development for purposes of 47 Fed. Reg. 30,959 (July 14, 1982); 37
(e) To the greatest extent practicable, coordinate with the 38
members of Congress representing this State to combine efforts 39
relating to identifying and managing available federal assistance; 40
(f) To the greatest extent practicable, if requested by a state 41
agency, research the availability of federal assistance for the state 42
agency. 43

– 5 –

- *SB456*
(g) To the greatest extent practicable, ensure that state agencies 1
are aware of any opportunities to obtain federal assistance for which 2
they are or may be eligible. 3
(h) To the greatest extent practicable, if requested by the 4
executive head of a state agency, advise the state agency concerning 5
the requirements for receiving and managing federal assistance; 6
(i) To the greatest extent practicable, coordinate with state 7
agencies and local agencies that have received federal assistance for 8
similar projects to ensure that the efforts and services of those 9
agencies are not duplicated. 10
(j) To the greatest extent practicable, serve as a clearinghouse 11
for disseminating information relating to unexpended grant money 12
of state agencies by: 13
(1) Compiling and updating periodically a list of the grants 14
and unexpended amounts thereof for which the Office received 15
notification from state agencies pursuant to subsection 3 of NRS 16
223.480; and 17
(2) Making the list available on the Internet website 18
maintained by the Office; 19
(k) To the greatest extent practicable, develop and provide to 20
state agencies, local agencies, tribal governments and nonprofit 21
organizations, training opportunities relating to the acquisition and 22
administration of grants, including, without limitation, compliance 23
with requirements during the term of the grant; and 24
(l) On or before January 1 of each odd-numbered year, submit to 25
the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for transmittal to the 26
Legislature a report regarding all activity relating to the application 27
for, receipt of and use of grants in this State. 28
2. The Deputy Director may: 29
(a) Adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of this section 30
and NRS 223.480 and 223.482. 31
(b) If requested by a state agency, local agency, tribal 32
government or nonprofit organization, write grant proposals and 33
applications and otherwise ass ist such an entity in obtaining federal 34
resources. 35
(c) Provide administrative support to the Nevada Advisory 36
Council on Federal Assistance created by NRS 358.020. 37
Sec. 8. NRS 223.484 is hereby amended to read as follows: 38
223.484 1. The Account for the Office of Federal Assistance 39
is hereby created in the State General Fund. The Account must be 40
administered by the Deputy Director. 41
2. Any money accepted pursuant to NRS 223.482 must be 42
deposited in the Account. 43

– 6 –

- *SB456*
3. The i nterest and income earned on the money in the 1
Account, after deducting any applicable charges, must be credited to 2
the Account. 3
4. The money in the Account which is donated for a purpose 4
specified by the donor, within the scope of the duties of the Deputy 5
Director, must only be used for that purpose. If no purpose is 6
specified, the money in the Account must only be used to carry out 7
the duties of the Deputy Director. 8
5. Claims against the Account must be paid as other claims 9
against the State are paid. 10
Sec. 9. NRS 223.486 is hereby amended to read as follows: 11
223.486 1. The Deputy Director shall, in consultation with 12
the Nevada Advisory Council on Federal Assistance created by NRS 13
358.020, develop and may periodically revise a State Plan for 14
Maximizing Federal Assistance, which must identify: 15
(a) Methods for expanding opportunities for obtaining federal 16
assistance, including, without limitation, expanding opportunities 17
for obtaining matching funds for federal assistanc e through the 18
Nevada Grant Matching Program created by NRS 223.490; 19
(b) Methods for streamlining process, regulatory, structural and 20
other barriers to the acquisition of federal assistance that exist at 21
each level of federal, state or local government; 22
(c) Methods for the effective administration of grants, including, 23
without limitation, best practices relating to indirect cost allocation; 24
(d) Opportunities for: 25
(1) Reducing administrative costs associated with obtaining 26
federal assistance; and 27
(2) Coordination between state agencies, local agencies, 28
tribal governments and nonprofit organizations to avoid duplication 29
and achieve common goals; 30
(e) Specific tasks which must be performed to improve the 31
administration of grants and maximize the amount of federal 32
assistance received by this State and a schedule for implementing 33
any such tasks; 34
(f) Performance metrics and targets relating to obtaining and 35
maximizing federal assistance and improving the administration of 36
grants; and 37
(g) Best practices f or considering whether to respond to a grant 38
opportunity, including, without limitation, the monetary and 39
programmatic cost of implementing a grant. 40
2. The Deputy Director shall post the State Plan for 41
Maximizing Federal Assistance on the Internet websi te maintained 42
by the Office. 43

– 7 –

- *SB456*
Sec. 10. NRS 223.490 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
223.490 The Nevada Grant Matching Program is hereby 2
created within the Office. The Program must: 3
1. Allow state agencies, local agencies, tribal governments and 4
nonprofit organizations to request grants from the Grant Matching 5
Account created by NRS 223.492 for the purpose of satisfying the 6
matching funds requirement for a federal grant; 7
2. Provide a clear, streamlined and timely process for state 8
agencies, local agencies, tribal governments and nonprofit 9
organizations to apply for matching funds for a specific federal 10
grant and receive a prompt decision from the Deputy Director; and 11
3. Prioritize grants that: 12
(a) Add services to constituents; 13
(b) Align with the documented priorities of the state agency, 14
local agency, tribal government or nonprofit organization; 15
(c) Address the needs of underserved or frontier communities; 16
(d) Help state agencies, local agencies, tribal governments and 17
nonprofit organizations build capacity for future grant opportunities; 18
and 19
(e) Enable a state agency, local agency, tribal government or 20
nonprofit organization to sustain the grant in its next budget. 21
Sec. 11. NRS 223.494 is hereby amended to read as follows: 22
223.494 1. The Deputy Director shall consult with the 23
Nevada Advisory Council on Federal Assistance created by NRS 24
358.020, grant professionals employed by the State and other grant 25
experts to develop: 26
(a) A process for: 27
(1) State agencies, local agencies, tribal governments and 28
nonprofit organizations to make a request for a grant for matching 29
funds; 30
(2) The payment or transfer of grant money; and 31
(3) Reporting on the use and implementation o f grant 32
awards; and 33
(b) Criteria for the review, award and notification of grant 34
requests. 35
2. The Deputy Director shall administer all applicable aspects 36
of the process set forth in subsection 1. 37
Sec. 12. NRS 223.496 is hereby amended to read as follows: 38
223.496 To be eligible for a grant from the Grant Matching 39
Account created by NRS 223.492, a state agency, local agency, 40
tribal government or nonprofit organization must: 41
1. Demonstrate that: 42
(a) It is pursuing a bon a fide federal grant for which it is 43
eligible; 44

– 8 –

- *SB456*
(b) It attempted but was unable to secure adequate matching 1
funding through its own budget or in-kind resources; 2
(c) The grant is within its scope; 3
(d) The grant is a competitive grant; and 4
(e) The grant will provide not less than $2 for each $1 received 5
from the Grant Matching Account. 6
2. Apply for a grant in the form and process prescribed by the 7
Deputy Director. 8
3. Adhere to other requirements deemed appropriate for the 9
Program. 10
Sec. 13. NRS 223.498 is hereby amended to read as follows: 11
223.498 On or before January 1 of each odd -numbered year, 12
the Deputy Director [of the Office ] shall prepare and submit to the 13
Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for transmittal to the 14
Legislature a summary report for the Program detailing: 15
1. The number and purpose of grant requests received from 16
state agencies, local agencies, tribal go vernments and nonprofit 17
organizations; 18
2. The number and purpose of grant requests approved and the 19
amount of money awarded from the Grant Matching Account 20
created by NRS 223.492 to each approved grant request applicant; 21
and 22
3. The amount of federal gr ant funding received by each grant 23
applicant as a result of receiving money from the Grant Matching 24
Account. 25
Sec. 14. NRS 358.020 is hereby amended to read as follows: 26
358.020 1. The Nevada Advisory Council on Federal 27
Assistance is hereby created. The Council consists of the following 28
11 members: 29
(a) One member of the Senate appointed by the Majority Leader 30
of the Senate. 31
(b) One member of the Assembly appointed by the Speaker of 32
the Assembly. 33
(c) One member appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate 34
who represents a nonprofit organization, a local agency or a tribal 35
government. 36
(d) One member appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly who 37
represents a nonprofit organization, a local agency or a tribal 38
government. 39
(e) One member appointed by the Governor who represents a 40
nonprofit organization that provides grants in this State. 41
(f) One member appointed by the Governor who represents a 42
local government. 43
(g) One member appointed by the Governor who represents 44
private businesses. 45

– 9 –

- *SB456*
(h) The State Treasurer, who may name a designee to serve on 1
the Council on his or her behalf. 2
(i) The State Controller, who may name a designee to serve on 3
the Council on his or her behalf. 4
(j) The [Chief of the Budget Division ] Director of the Office of 5
Finance [.] , who may name a designee to serve on the Council on 6
his or her behalf. 7
(k) The Deputy Director [of] for the Office of Federal 8
Assistance. 9
2. The members described in: 10
(a) Paragraphs (a) to (i), inclusive, of subsection 1 a re voting 11
members. 12
(b) Paragraphs (j) and (k) of subsection 1 are nonvoting 13
members. 14
3. The Governor shall, to the extent practicable, collaborate to 15
ensure that the persons appointed pursuant to paragraphs (e), (f) and 16
(g) of subsection 1 are represent ative of the urban and rural areas of 17
this State. 18
4. Each appointed member of the Council serves a term of 2 19
years. 20
5. An appointed member of the Council: 21
(a) May be reappointed. 22
(b) Shall not serve more than three terms. 23
6. Any vacancy occurring i n the appointed membership of the 24
Council must be filled in the same manner as the original 25
appointment not later than 30 days after the vacancy occurs. A 26
member appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve as a member of the 27
Council for the remainder of the original term of appointment. 28
7. Each member of the Council: 29
(a) Serves without compensation; and 30
(b) While engaged in the business of the Council, is entitled to 31
receive the per diem allowance and travel expenses provided for 32
state officers and employees generally. 33
8. The Office of Federal Assistance shall provide the Council 34
with administrative support. 35
Sec. 15. NRS 358.040 is hereby amended to read as follows: 36
358.040 1. The Council shall: 37
(a) Advise and assist the Deputy Director with: 38
(1) Developing and carrying out the State Plan For 39
Maximizing Federal Assistance required by NRS 223.486; and 40
(2) Carrying out the provisions of NRS 223.460 to 223.498, 41
inclusive, including, without limitation, any training provided by the 42
Deputy Director pursuant to paragraph (k) of subsection 1 of NRS 43
[232.224;] 223.478; and 44

– 10 –

- *SB456*
(b) Develop legislative and executive recommendations relating 1
to obtaining and maximizing federal assistance in this State. 2
2. The Council may request information from state and local 3
agencies, tribal governments and nonprofit organizations for the 4
purposes of advising and assisting the Deputy Director with 5
evaluating and monitoring the success of such agencies, 6
governments or organizations in accordance with the stated purpose 7
of the Office pursuant to NRS 223.472. A state agency, local 8
agency, tribal government or nonprofit organization may provide 9
any information, collaborate with the Council or utilize any 10
assistance offered by the Council for the purpose of obtaining and 11
maximizing any federal assistance that may be available to the 12
agency, government or organization. 13
3. As used in this section: 14
(a) [“Director”] “Deputy Director” means the Deputy Director 15
[of] for the Office. 16
(b) “Federal assistance” has the meaning ascribed to it in 17
NRS 223.464. 18
(c) “Office” means the Office of Federal Assistance created by 19
NRS 223.472. 20
Sec. 16. 1. Any administrative regulations adopted by an 21
officer or an agency whose name has been changed or whose 22
responsibilities have been transferred pursuant to the provisions of 23
this act to another officer or agency remain in force until amended 24
by the officer or agency to which the responsibility for the adopti on 25
of the regulations has been transferred. 26
2. Any contracts or other agreements entered into by an officer 27
or agency whose name has been changed or whose responsibilities 28
have been transferred pursuant to the provisions of this act to 29
another officer or agency are binding upon the officer or agency to 30
which the responsibility for the administration of the provisions of 31
the contract or other agreement has been transferred. Such contracts 32
and other agreements may be enforced by the officer or agency to 33
which the responsibility for the enforcement of the provisions of the 34
contract or other agreement has been transferred. 35
3. Any action taken by an officer or agency whose name has 36
been changed or whose responsibilities have been transferred 37
pursuant to the p rovisions of this act to another officer or agency 38
remains in effect as if taken by the officer or agency to which the 39
responsibility for the enforcement of such actions has been 40
transferred. 41
Sec. 17. The provisions of NRS 218D.380 do not apply to any 42
provision of this act which adds or revises a requirement to submit a 43
report to the Legislature. 44

– 11 –

- *SB456*
Sec. 18. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025. 1

H