[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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],{"_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",6684395,"mediaKeyId","2380900-e3fe188c657879140608083fe4148af0","parentId",2380900,"title","Secretary of State seeks staff and IT funding for elections, business services and cybersecurity","audioSeconds",4575,"startMs",5185000,"endMs",9760000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2380900-e3fe188c657879140608083fe4148af0&start=5185&end=9760","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2380900-e3fe188c657879140608083fe4148af0/thumbnail_5185000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6684395/Nevada/Secretary-of-State-seeks-staff-and-IT-funding-for-elections-business-services-and-cybersecurity","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6684395-00cd0491e75c041b484e50287bf291d8/orig.mp4?Expires=1774885134&Signature=OqezNocibzyxqNvW7ljgxSouFVCeR5TwW8oBU6DMufDDTkE00jHrfPJoNA1cxuvWEikaoNLafY1QmoZ1TtMzRauB5s3z1FkYBpDesoHU8a5IBhUxKzzlA1H7R-viWJgJsRkezRXWX4itIZgzymcIzzC96~3GAs-R7ROPY-yIEMa7fUvQVohkTO8N-QdcrdLtQOBNcVoRlKI-AwgyubqYL7alLYKgp0Bmb5dnnsegbMDbaJNUm~IDwMFXuAO1Xr6ADZnlNEq1YUGP4-OPiFLIrn6RwfKhtiu3pvZ-SnyVgOtSAJzBb1gJzNeA72cWYvsp7WfEWS57c4-0uqMENab6tw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada State Legislature","date","2025-02-24T18:31:50.68Z","article","Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar and his deputies presented the office's 2026–27 biennium budget request to the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committees, asking for new staff across elections, commercial recordings, notary and information technology, plus one‑time funding to finish two major IT modernization projects.

\"We have made great improvements to business licensing and to the security and transparency of our elections,\" Aguilar said, describing completed work and remaining priorities. The office reported collecting $254,100,000 in fiscal year 2024, of which $253,300,000 was deposited to the General Fund; the commercial recordings division accounted for roughly 84% of that total.

Major items presented: Project Orion, a multi‑phase replacement of the SilverFlume business portal and related systems; a centralized voter registration and election management system (VRAM/VRAMs) rollout; and new cybersecurity and IT staff to sustain both projects. Chief Deputy Gabriel De Cara and commercial recordings deputy Deanna Reynolds described Orion as underway with UCC replacement slated for Q4 2025 and business licensing, notaries and trademarks planned for Q3 2027. De Cara said the office fixed more than 600 bugs in the legacy SilverFlume platform to stabilize data for migration.

On the voter system, the office described a phased rollout. Gabriel De Cara said the Clark County merge with the statewide system was moved into phase 2 and is scheduled for completion \"by early September 2025.\" Deputy Mark Wlaschin said remaining phase‑3 items, including a voter web portal and other voter‑facing tools, are targeted for early‑to‑mid 2026 to be ready for the 2026 election cycle.

The office requested multiple staff additions: customer engagement and service center agents for Southern Nevada (E321/E322), IT technicians and a cloud security specialist (E304, E309, E316), enforcement personnel and a forensic accountant for the securities division (E327/E328), additional compliance and notary staff (E325), and business process analysis positions tied to sustaining the new applications (E312). De Cara said many of those requests are revenue‑generating or efficiency positions and argued they should produce a return on investment.

Lawmakers asked about timeline changes for VRAM, who currently runs and will maintain security, and how many investigation cases the securities and compliance teams manage. Deputy De Cara and Deputy Aaron Houston (Securities) said Nevada's securities caseload and the number of registered sales representatives have grown substantially; the office currently has one enforcement attorney and argued an additional attorney and a forensic accountant would accelerate enforcement and recovery work.

Deputy Josh Gruver and Deanna Reynolds described Orion and security needs: UCC first because of lien/search liabilities, OCR and AI for form ingestion, and a dedicated information security unit to work with counties connected to the statewide election system. De Cara and others emphasized that cybersecurity is a top priority and that the office has engaged external cybersecurity firm Mandiant for testing.

Committee members sought clarification about temporary contractors used during implementation and whether positions proposed would replace contractors when the projects move into sustainment. Office leaders said the plan is to hire permanent staff to replace long‑term contractor roles. Aguilar and deputies also highlighted outreach efforts, training for county clerks, and an \"elections lab\" to support standardization across 17 county clerks and their staff.

The hearing closed after extended questioning. Committee members requested updated timelines and cost breakdowns for the major projects, and fiscal staff asked for any revised timelines in writing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2/24/2025 - Joint Meeting of the Senate Finance and Ways and Means","oneSentenceSummary","Secretary Cisco Aguilar told a joint legislative committee the Office of the Secretary of State needs new staff and ongoing IT funding to support a top‑down voter registration/election management rollout, Project Orion (business services replacement), cybersecurity and customer service in Southern Nevada.","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},6684400,"Office of Federal Assistance requests training, software and expanded grant‑matching capacity amid federal uncertainty",2348,2414000,4762000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2380900-e3fe188c657879140608083fe4148af0&start=2414&end=4762","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2380900-e3fe188c657879140608083fe4148af0/thumbnail_2414000.jpg","/articles/6684400/Nevada/Office-of-Federal-Assistance-requests-training-software-and-expanded-grantmatching-capacity-amid-federal-uncertainty","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6684400-d9326ec6dc906f874c542bf1971ca350/orig.mp4?Expires=1774885134&Signature=A7kaSckLv1ReQRDdQBqdlERG-5701vpSArXqmPnNXlM7V7cYXpn~MUC57rsLjKegIcTswGPxHaXAwEG3LWUX0tqEo57SD43kOze0JZ4CN1wutiJ6WwK2fWxFUZrG3KjB9DdVekYQwjLii3nxyNFZW5EKmPgm7KsgV2iNJCk4y2SFL1d5B1e-yX4DF69eKw0QNnHmWTlfCEiVApYgDIX9wm-CX-NUz0ygWtc1ouCarXAoVOtj6lFR~ewUdl4BTr7yTuUmyE00RSMM5wMD~R3RubTJsVPl5NkzM9BIhXm9DILSn0KyGRWoUD8cISkrJ6PQWFJ1uEKWmzhWQCjkhupbHw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Governor's Office of Federal Assistance outlined budget requests and program activity at a joint meeting of the Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, including funding for staff training, a statewide grants conference and software to streamline grant administration.

\"I am Akia Sanders, director of the Office of Federal Assistance,\" Sanders said, describing the office as Nevada's single point of contact for federal grant applications subject to intergovernmental review. Sanders and Deputy Director Mayita Sanchez told lawmakers the office supports grant administration, interagency coordination and a grant‑matching program that aims to help Nevada draw down federal awards.

The office asked lawmakers to approve several enhancement units for budget account 1341. E330 would fund out‑of‑state travel and attendance at the National Grants Management Association conference in Washington, D.C., to keep staff current on federal rules and best practices. E332 would fund the \"Silver State grama conference,\" a statewide training the office plans to host for grant professionals. Other requests included funds for marketing materials (E332), additional software (E333), expiration of American Rescue Plan Act grant funds (E499), and routine equipment replacement and a multifunction printer for Southern Nevada (E710, E721).

Mayita Sanchez described operational priorities: piloting site monitoring with the Governor's Office of Energy; providing technical assistance (the office is not an auditing body but coordinates with state internal audits); developing an interim data‑collection approach with the Office of Project Management (OPM); and centralizing notice‑of‑funding announcements in Nevada ePRO so state opportunities are easier to find.

On the Nevada Grant Matching Program (GMP), Sanchez said the program began with a starting balance “2,000,000” and receives $1,000,000 annually. She said the office has committed about \"1,600,000\" via letters of commitment and that actual expenditures are limited because the office often must wait for federal notices of grant award (NOGAs) before releasing state match funds. \"We have an available balance of 369,\" Sanchez said (witness did not specify units). She told legislators the office is considering changes including a scoring rubric, a possible revolving fund to avoid reversion of unspent dollars at the end of a biennium, and automating application processes to reduce front‑end burdens for applicants.

Lawmakers asked about impacts if federal funding is cut. Sanders said the office is monitoring federal developments, working with agencies and Nevada’s congressional delegation, and seeking alternative sources if particular federal investments disappear. Sanders and Sanchez said the office has been building statewide capacity by joining the National Grants Capacity Building Coalition and by partnering with organizations such as Nevada Grant Lab, the Nevada Grant Lab partners, the Nevada Grant Lab and other stakeholders to share best practices.

Committee members pressed for detail on program timing. Sanchez said it takes about two to three weeks to process a request and issue a letter of commitment; the subsequent federal notice of award can take many months and in some cases up to a year, which delays state expenditures.

Public comment at the hearing included Miles Dixon, CEO of Nevada Grant Lab, who praised the office’s state plan and urged continued investment to help the state secure federal funds.

The committee closed the budget hearing on account 1341 after members asked follow‑up questions about possible increases to the matching account and the office's monitoring and outreach plans.

What happens next: the office will continue to request funding for the enhancement units listed, provide additional details if legislators ask for a study or cost estimates for increasing the matching pool, and will continue monitoring federal grant processes and working with state and federal partners.","At a joint legislative budget hearing, the Governor's Office of Federal Assistance requested enhancement funding for staff training, a statewide grants conference, software and equipment and described work to expand Nevada's grant‑matching program amid federal funding uncertainty.","actionData","errors"]

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Secretary of State seeks staff and IT funding for elections, business services and cybersecurity

Office of Federal Assistance requests training, software and expanded grant‑matching capacity amid federal uncertainty