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- 83rd Session (2025)
Senate Bill No. 499–Committee on Finance
CHAPTER..........
AN ACT relating to state financial administration; revising
provisions relating to the lease of residential property owned
by this State to state officers and employees; authorizing a
temporary advance from the State General Fund for expenses
relating to fire suppression and emergency response in certain
circumstances; creating the Out -of-State Fire Suppression
Account; revising provisions relating to the Division of
Forestry Account; making an appropriation; and providing
other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law authorizes the Administrator of the Division of State Lands of the
State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, as ex officio State Land
Registrar, to lease residen tial property owned by this State for less than the fair
market value of the property to a state officer or employee who is required as a
condition of his or her employment to reside in state -owned residential property.
(NRS 322.063) Section 1 of this bill expands this authority to allow the lease of
state-owned residential property at less than fair market value to a state officer or
employee if a state agency that manages state -owned residential property
determines that it is beneficial to the State of Ne vada for the state officer or
employee to reside in the property. Section 1 also requires a state agency that
manages state -owned residential property to account separately for the rent
collected from such leases and use the money only for the operation an d
maintenance of state -owned residential property that is managed by the state
agency. Section 1 provides that the remaining balance of money collected from
such rent does not revert to the State General Fund at the end of a fiscal year and is
required to be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
Existing law authorizes temporary advances from the State General Fund to
specified state agencies for certain delays in the receipt of revenue or for certain
emergencies. (NRS 353.3463 -353.361) During the 2023 -2025 biennium, the
Director of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources was
authorized to request a temporary advance from the State General Fund to pay
authorized expenses incurred by the Department in the suppression of fires or in
response to emergencies for which there was a delay in the receipt of revenue for
services billed to the Federal Government, local governments and other state
governments. (Section 71 of chapter 209, Statutes of Nevada 2023, at page 1253)
Section 2 of this bil l codifies in the Nevada Revised Statutes the authority for the
Department to request such a temporary advance.
Under existing law, the executive head of the Division of Forestry of the State
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is the State F orester
Firewarden. (NRS 232.120) Existing law charges the State Forester Firewarden
with overseeing various fire protection activities for the State. (Chapter 472 of
NRS) Section 3 of this bill creates the Out-of-State Fire Suppression Account in the
State General Fund for the payment of the costs incurred by the State of Nevada for
response to out-of-state fires and emergencies and for the receipt of reimbursement
for those costs. Section 3: (1) requires that the State Forester Firewarden administer
the Out-of-State Fire Suppression Account; and (2) provides that money remaining
in that Account at the end of a fiscal year does not revert to the State General Fund
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- 83rd Session (2025)
and is carried forward to the next fiscal year. Section 5 of this bill appropriates
$27,359,038 from the State General Fund to the Out -of-State Fire Suppression
Account created by section 3.
Existing law creates the Division of Forestry Account in the State General Fund
for the receipt of: (1) certain money received from the operation of a conservation
camp or from the assignment of any crew of a conservation camp; (2) any federal
money allotted to the State of Nevada under the terms of certain federal agreements
and such other money as may be received by the State for the management and
protection of forests, rangelands and watershed areas; and (3) money received by
the Division related to the provisions governing the control of forest insects and
diseases. (NRS 209.231, 472.050, 527.230) Existing law also: (1) requires the
placement on a list of fully protected species any species or subspecies of native
flora that is declared to be threatened by extinction; and (2) prohibits the removal or
destruction of any such species or subspecies except under a special permit issued
by the State For ester Firewarden. (NRS 527.270) Section 4 of this bill requires the
deposit and separate accounting of money received from the issuance of such
special permits in the Division of Forestry Account. Section 4 also provides that
any money which is received by the Division from the issuance of such special
permits or related to the provisions governing the control of forest insects and
diseases and is remaining in the Division of Forestry Account at the end of a fiscal
year does not revert to the State General Fund and requires that the remaining
balance of such money in the Account be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
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 322.063 is hereby amended to read as follows:
322.063 1. The Administrator of the Division of State Lands
of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, as
ex officio State Land Registrar, may, pursuant to NRS 322.060,
lease residential property owned by the State of Nevada for less than
the fair market value of the property to an officer or employee of
this State [who] if:
(a) The officer or employee is required as a condition of his or
her employment to reside in residential property owned by this
State.
(b) A state agency that manages residen tial property owned by
this State determines that it is beneficial to the State of Nevada for
the officer or employee to reside in the residential property.
2. Before residential property may be leased pursuant to this
section, the State Land Registrar, in cooperation with the head of the
state agency that manages the property, must approve the lease and
determine the amount of rent for the lease of the property.
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3. The State Land Registrar may waive any fee for the
consideration of an application to le ase property pursuant to this
section.
4. Any money collected by a state agency as rent for the lease
of residential property pursuant to this section must be accounted
for separately by the state agency and used for the operation and
maintenance of resi dential property owned by this State that is
managed by the state agency.
5. Any money collected by a state agency as rent for the lease
of residential property pursuant to this section that is remaining at
the end of a fiscal year does not revert to th e State General Fund
and the balance of that money must be carried forward to the next
fiscal year.
Sec. 2. Chapter 353 of NRS is hereby amended by adding
thereto a new section to read as follows:
1. If the Director of the State Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources determines that, because of delays in the
receipt of revenue for services billed to the Federal Government,
local governments and other state governments, the amount of
current claims for expenses incurred in the suppression of fires or
response to emergencies exceeds the amount of money available to
pay such claims within 30 days, the Director may request from the
Director of the Office of Finance a temporary advance from the
State General Fund.
2. The Director of the Office of Finance shall provide written
notification to the State Controller and to the Senate and Assembly
Fiscal Analysts of the Fiscal Analysis Division of the Legislative
Counsel Bureau if the Director approves a request made pur suant
to subsection 1. The State Controller shall draw his or her warrant
upon receipt of such a notification.
3. Such an advance from the State General Fund:
(a) May be approved by the Director of the Office of Finance
only for expenses incurred in the suppression of fires or response
to emergencies. Before approving the advance, the Director of the
Office of Finance shall verify that billings for reimbursement have
been sent to the Federal Government, local governments or other
state governments respon sible for reimbursing the Division of
Forestry for costs incurred in activities relating to the suppression
of fires or response to emergencies.
(b) Is limited to the total amount due from outstanding billings
for reimbursable expenses incurred in the sup pression of fires or
response to emergencies as approved for payment to the State by
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agencies of the Federal Government, local governments and other
state governments.
4. Any money which is temporarily advanced from the State
General Fund to the Departme nt pursuant to this section must be
repaid on or before the last business day in August immediately
following the end of the fiscal year in which the temporary
advance was approved.
Sec. 3. Chapter 472 of NRS is hereby ame nded by adding
thereto a new section to read as follows:
1. The Out -of-State Fire Suppression Account is hereby
created in the State General Fund.
2. The Account must be administered by the State Forester
Firewarden.
3. All money received by the Divi sion of Forestry of the State
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as
reimbursement to the State of Nevada for response to a fire that
does not start on or spread to land in this State or for response to
an emergency that occurs outside this St ate must be deposited in
the Account.
4. The interest and income earned on money in the Account,
after deducting any applicable charges, must be credited to the
Account.
5. Money in the Account may be used only for the costs
incurred by the State of Nevada for response to a fire that does not
start on or spread to land in this State or for response to an
emergency that occurs outside this State.
6. Any money in the Account remaining at the end of a fiscal
year does not revert to the State General Fun d, and the balance in
the Account must be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
Sec. 4. NRS 527.230 is hereby amended to read as follows:
527.230 1. [All] The Division of Forestry Account is hereby
created in the State General Fund.
2. In addition to the money deposited pursuant to NRS
209.231 and 472.050, all moneys received by the State Forester for
the purposes of :
(a) NRS 527.130 to 527.230, inclusive, including , without
limitation, all moneys collected pursuant to NRS 527.200 [, shall] ;
and
(b) NRS 527.260 to 527.300, inclusive, including, without
limitation, all moneys collected from the issuance of special
permits pursuant to NRS 527.270,
must be deposited in the Division of Forestry Account [.
2.] and accounted for separately.
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3. Costs of administration of NRS 527.130 to 527.230,
inclusive, [shall] and 527.260 to 527.300, inclusive, must be paid
from the Division of Forestry Account on claims presented by the
State Forester in the manner other claims against the State are paid.
[3.] 4. No moneys received [pursuant to subsection 1 shall] for
the purposes of NRS 527.130 to 527.230, inclusive, or 527.260 to
527.300, inclusive, may be used for any purpose except to carry out
the provisions of NRS 527.130 to 527.230, inclusive [.] , or 527.260
to 527.300, inclusive, as applicable.
5. Any money received for the purposes of NRS 527.130 to
527.230, inclusive, or 527.260 to 527.300, inclusive, that is
remaining in the Account at the end of the fiscal year does not
revert to the State General Fund, and the balance of that money
must be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
Sec. 5. There is hereby appropriated from the State General
Fund to the Out -of-State Fire Suppre ssion Account created by
section 3 of this act the sum of $27,359,038.
Sec. 6. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025.
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