[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6350569,"mediaKeyId","2232383-a4d9c47230c70283739901f18b8057d5","parentId",2232383,"title","Lieutenant governor defends Office of Small Business Advocacy and volunteer women's-sports task force as lawmakers press funding questions","audioSeconds",584,"startMs",1861000,"endMs",2445000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2232383-a4d9c47230c70283739901f18b8057d5&start=1861&end=2445","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2232383-a4d9c47230c70283739901f18b8057d5/thumbnail_1861000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6350569/Nevada/Lieutenant-governor-defends-Office-of-Small-Business-Advocacy-and-volunteer-womens-sports-task-force-as-lawmakers-press-funding-questions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6350569-e71c07d9d45348273393104ccd1c9c95/orig.mp4?Expires=1775139637&Signature=MYpSymzEywQ4xmoVkCTrmxyzNS-nOD3M66ky5ITEuyeNl7dKNS0kcgal7WNJR83QY-fz3jBTxTwlkuw8K2t5QRmApVtUFRLnnyNMN08uKv3YJVJgPoVNdEkuOCdkAbqDYc3jSqr42Ww2ZQqqyHzj20g7MsVBs~IiiIVqBcqk5mDSG7nrljHeUz1pRYze7b6zv-ujMQsjLN1PyPCIMGqiAf03voYAcRAK-K7xjA5X3elCZJnPmpVGhZU31qgfODXQfNtZGqUaYH169cqntcpTMG~6g6pYLD5NdsGL-OEA64jf3L6k3uN5GJwWMrapWsAz4NxnmSL0Zh6HpfhoTWJ-NA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada State Legislature","date","2025-02-05T00:00:00Z","article","Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony and Sarah Johnson, director of the Office of Small Business Advocacy (OSBA), appeared before the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committee on Oct. 12, 2025, to defend OSBA's work and to request continued funding as the office faces a sunset in current appropriations.

Anthony described OSBA's role as providing targeted, one-on-one assistance to micro and small businesses that face state licensing, inspection and regulatory barriers. \"OSBA provides a unique service by offering one-on-one advocacy for small business owners,\" Sarah Johnson said, adding, \"There is no other agency in Nevada that's assisting small business owners one-on-one with licensing and regulation concerns.\" The office cited nearly 400 small business owners helped with licensing and regulatory issues and said it has conducted listening sessions and town halls that reached roughly 4,000 attendees.

Why it matters: OSBA was created with federal CARES/ARPA funding and an earlier legislative extension placed the office under the lieutenant governor. The governor's recommended budget omitted ongoing funding pending legislative action; Anthony said the administration submitted SB 5 to eliminate the office's sunset clause and fund the office with general fund. Several lawmakers questioned whether other agencies (the Department of Business and Industry, the Secretary of State, GOED and local chambers) provide overlapping services and pressed OSBA staff for examples of outcomes.

OSBA provided examples including: advocacy to reduce a $14,000 fine for an interior designer to $4,000 and assistance to home-based food producers, barbers and small distillers facing licensing hurdles. The office said it worked with partners including GOED, regional development authorities and chambers, and that it has referred prospective in-state and international businesses to regional development authorities for location and abatement discussions.

Funding and sustainability were focal points in committee questioning. Johnson said OSBA has sought alternative funding and worked with the governor's office of federal assistance but reported limited success: \"We've worked with them over the past year,\" she said, and the office submitted SB 5 to seek permanent general-fund status. Committee members pressed whether staff transfers or other placements had been planned should SB 5 fail; Anthony said no transfers have been finalized because the administration is seeking legislative approval to make the office permanent.

The lieutenant governor also described a volunteer task force on women's sports he has supported. Multiple lawmakers asked about use of staff time and resources for that task force. Anthony said the task force is composed of volunteers and that staff members \"pitch in on everything,\" acknowledging employees assist with writing and coordination but that no specific separate budget line was requested for the task force.

Ending: The committee heard varied opinions from members who praised certain OSBA accomplishments but sought more detail on durable funding, metrics of success and whether the office duplicates other state services. OSBA advocated for SB 5 and for continued general-fund support to retain one-on-one advocacy capacity.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2/5/2025 - Joint Senate Committee on Finance and Assembly Committee on Ways and Means Pt. 1","oneSentenceSummary","Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony and Office of Small Business Advocacy Director Sarah Johnson told the joint committee the OSBA provides one-on-one help with licensing and regulatory barriers for Nevada entrepreneurs, but several lawmakers pressed the office on sustainable funding after it was started with federal CARES/ARPA dollars and is set to sunset.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NV, Nevada","taxId",78440,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6350574,"Governor's office defends staffing plan, seeks to transition ARPA-funded roles to general fund",444,948000,1392000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2232383-a4d9c47230c70283739901f18b8057d5&start=948&end=1392","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2232383-a4d9c47230c70283739901f18b8057d5/thumbnail_948000.jpg","/articles/6350574/Nevada/Governors-office-defends-staffing-plan-seeks-to-transition-ARPA-funded-roles-to-general-fund","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6350574-c0f1e7155e0c03175f33226946743e0b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775139637&Signature=Xxd5e8FL3o23srqX9MVow13VOkUCdPCqMJ238ZmRoxXaePDK0F8ueSLHPfTrRSlr-4U4Hnz2ImPBfYoLDD-BQoi16FOwVHp3LAszUrA1t~SY59V0nPIEYY4TQeF-Ylu0vQUaQ9D6SDfieY6QOnBzVP66xmUkjbKSYeIZ5an9AzjDzYQmeM-wjGCE8eM~vfetrWZN9iHgmx54d7W6uj6-3Ks5TRq2Bef2B7v6EvemQw2X4F3JKBGA2HOqEvAMHJypQhI2kbWL0WC8t9g7WazPftss1XlN3CMWSNV8sDxkUi6kcQ90m1oC8LpAfYS5xAFJpHJHAFL06-3MdaENqxVjEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deputy Chief of Staff Debbie Reynolds told the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committee on Oct. 12, 2025, that the Governor's Office is requesting general fund support to continue several positions previously paid from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and to correct salary lines that were underfunded in the recommended budget.

Reynolds said the governor's base budget covers 29 nonclassified positions in the Office of the Governor and listed several small technical adjustments in the request, including software and laptop replacements. She described four positions previously funded by ARPA that the governor recommends continuing on general fund: deputy policy director, press assistant, deputy general counsel and an infrastructure and economic development coordinator. \"The need for these positions still exists,\" Reynolds said, explaining the duties will remain but the funding source will shift as ARPA funds sunset.

Why it matters: committee members pressed the administration for specifics about unspent authority and staffing plans. Assemblyman Watts asked why additional salary authority passed last session (SB 431) had not been fully spent; Reynolds said delays in filling positions and turnover caused reversions but that the administration expects to fully spend the FY25 personnel projections. Tiffany Greenemeyer, Director of the Governor's Finance Office, said personnel-service projections are currently expected to be expended but cautioned projections may change as vacancies and hires occur.

Committee members also sought clarity about roughly $450,000 of unallocated salary authority and about a $900,000 figure tied to prior legislative action. Reynolds said some salary lines were not budgeted to reflect the correct employer retirement rates and that agency fiscal staff will work with legislative fiscal staff \"within the next week\" to provide updated cost estimates for staffing.

The administration noted that certain positions (PCNs 41 and 513 cited in testimony) may be filled in the future to provide administrative, communications, research or operations support and that some ARPA-funded positions were created to support ARPA-related projects that will continue in different funding patterns.

Ending: The committee did not take action; the governor's office staff offered to provide updated staffing-cost details to legislative fiscal staff ahead of later budget decisions.","Deputy Chief of Staff Debbie Reynolds and Tiffany Greenemeyer of the Governor's Finance Office told the joint committee the governor requests general fund support to continue four positions that were previously paid with ARPA dollars and that some salary budget lines were underfunded in the governor's recommended budget.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6350576,"Legislative auditors present summaries showing program reviews, $300M in estimated benefits",530,276000,806000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2232383-a4d9c47230c70283739901f18b8057d5&start=276&end=806","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2232383-a4d9c47230c70283739901f18b8057d5/thumbnail_276000.jpg","/articles/6350576/Nevada/Legislative-auditors-present-summaries-showing-program-reviews-300M-in-estimated-benefits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6350576-4d5238120561322b884deff91463ab32/orig.mp4?Expires=1775139637&Signature=RyERoC08aIlMaFb5gJGSV-CypjwsMCr2Hs6ZDwX6DhvNMmPskcSBvhhryRo0nXbximU7sfPBBiDeTykpeuS2bCfdDOhvrQnpZkuzCN~dGyZAR7MSc3gtreFEGEDsyLN4-MkV1fYtr7j-ZXI4SuhtoN47c3VUaw9pK5z89X-31pocChyukKT~Ddeob8czlLufz8nJeWsOYkPSIqoK4OK~NjQE95SuBXgwI3WK2Mz3kt3S~MQuuupXgLYbCY2EiCHKYiP2hoPd5JFH2M-X2O4CLb6COXC9~pLsyDKSU8qgxl47hto14PzkvN0b1IcO10cK5TsORhtScWQ~e3o7z-GHiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Legislative Auditor Dan Crossman told a joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committee on Oct. 12, 2025, that the Legislative Audit Division has published summaries of its performance audits covering 2023'24 and is tracking implementation of recommendations through a statutorily required follow-up process.

The summaries, Crossman said, list 14 recently released reports and identify \"more than $300,000,000\" in realized financial benefits over the past biennium from audit recommendations. \"Our audits are considered performance audits,\" Crossman said, explaining the office assesses whether programs meet intended goals and use resources economically and efficiently.

Why it matters: committee members pressed for clarity about the audit follow-up mechanism because budget decisions can enforce implementation. Crossman emphasized that agencies must submit corrective-action plans within 60 working days after an audit and that the governor's Office of Finance's internal audit unit performs a six-month verification report. Crossman said his office reviews those reports and brings outstanding issues back to the audit subcommittee for continued monitoring.

Crossman described the follow-up workflow: agencies create corrective-action plans; the governor's internal audit independently reviews implementation and submits a six-month report; the Legislative Auditor then reconciles differences and reports to the audit subcommittee. If recommendations remain outstanding, Crossman said his office continues oversight until the recommendations are implemented to the audit division's satisfaction.

Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, who chaired the meeting, and other members praised the division's role. Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager told Crossman the audits \"are one of the most valuable things we get as a legislature\" because they provide oversight during the interim and help identify opportunities to improve operations.

Committee members discussed how audit findings sometimes inform budget requests; Crossman said agencies often seek budget enhancements after audits and that the committee's budget authority provides leverage if agencies fail to comply with recommendations. Crossman invited members to request deeper briefings on particular audits and noted the audit website contains a searchable archive of reports dating back two decades.

Ending: Crossman said additional audits may be released during the legislative session and reiterated his office's availability to brief committees or individual legislators on specific audit findings and implementation status.","Legislative Auditor Dan Crossman briefed the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committee on the audit division's recent work, describing the office's follow-up process and saying audits identified more than $300 million in measurable benefits over the last biennium.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lieutenant governor defends Office of Small Business Advocacy and volunteer women's-sports task force as lawmakers press funding questions

Governor's office defends staffing plan, seeks to transition ARPA-funded roles to general fund

Legislative auditors present summaries showing program reviews, $300M in estimated benefits