[{"_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",6547393,"mediaKeyId","3638735-e79671b1c57dc6c3ede913ad593bdef8","parentId",3638735,"title","Ways and Means backs $22.8 million for NSHE planning; chair removes bond sweep after fiscal concerns","audioSeconds",2384,"startMs",1836000,"endMs",4220000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3638735-e79671b1c57dc6c3ede913ad593bdef8&start=1836&end=4220","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3638735-e79671b1c57dc6c3ede913ad593bdef8/thumbnail_1836000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6547393/Nevada/Ways-and-Means-backs-228-million-for-NSHE-planning-chair-removes-bond-sweep-after-fiscal-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547393-74b1dc43db0e078f471612e54ab7fb35/orig.mp4?Expires=1773620539&Signature=hslExhywPy7V4Fj1pOL6y7H4J8g-2YZZCjirM3yJe56kpamHWgtX5iBbgMskSWdx5ZLLDr9R5-6k3THTsei3mU4HXr8wp3Q8BQ4cGbwq19dPmZcwGa9C-iueBTnClIQgBMCvS33boq1lQK0u6NbaQabD860n-SeCa3OSeL-3kd7czAPUB3ShF-1FFMqfLtpBn7jne84XqW-PQThA3FnOMdJnaNegp0apbEcPrGBvI~2CCjgah~WO90h1PloNRO6cpvTvwQtJTeD6bsb7xSixZI4iksdKstqGIJJ4jw0AVZag4~93lJjD~bAQAXcU-OhR5a62K5TJQSuUIgh9guVDDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada Legislature","date","2025-06-02T02:46:00Z","article","The Assembly Ways and Means Committee approved Senate Bill 427, a bill that provides $22.8 million in state funding for planning and maintenance projects across the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), and amended the measure to remove a proposed transfer from the consolidated bond interest and redemption fund.

Under the bill as amended, the committee approved:
- $6,200,000 in state planning funds for a life‑sciences building at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), matched by institutional funds;
- $6,200,000 in planning funds for a new business building for the UNLV Lee Business School, matched by UNLV institutional funds;
- $4,600,000 to Great Basin College for equipment replacement and related work;
- $3,500,000 to Truckee Meadows Community College for exterior repairs and window/roof replacements to the Red Mountain building;
- $1,200,000 to the Desert Research Institute for fire sprinkler installation in older buildings; and
- $1,100,000 to Western Nevada College for Jack C. Davis Observatory improvements.

The work‑session amendment deleted section 2.5, which originally would have directed the state controller to transfer $22,809,302 from the consolidated bond interest and redemption fund. Chair Monroe Moreno said she was uncomfortable using that fund given statewide fiscal pressures and opted to replace the transfer with general‑fund appropriations and an additional $300,000 appropriation for the College of Southern Nevada for project updates at its Northwest campus, including the Center for Excellence in Public Safety.

UNR President Brian Sandoval described the UNR life‑sciences project as replacing a building constructed in 1957 and said modern facilities will support pre‑nursing, biology, agriculture, biotechnology and other programs that feed the state's workforce pipeline. Sandoval estimated total construction costs for the life‑sciences building near $123 million in today's dollars and said the university will use student fees and financing to cover the construction gap after planning is complete.

UNLV’s representative to the committee (identified in the hearing as Chris Seavey) said the Lee School project will likely cost in the $120 million to $150 million range and that UNLV intends to pursue philanthropic fundraising and internal bonding capacity to help build the new facility. Both institutions said they expect to match the state planning funds with institutional dollars for design completion.

Patricia (Patty) Charlton, speaking for NSHE, outlined a number of one‑time maintenance projects for community colleges and the Desert Research Institute, citing aging HVAC systems that require refrigerant no longer supported and buildings in need of life‑safety upgrades. Andrew Klinger, UNR vice president for administration and finance, walked members through the treasurer’s debt‑capacity schedule and said the consolidated bond interest and redemption fund is projected to have about $331.6 million on hand at the end of fiscal year 2026, with roughly $300 million of obligations in fiscal 2027 — leaving about $31 million above the policy percentage. Klinger said the proposed transfer would take about $22.8 million from that surplus, a step committee members questioned.

Committee members said the bond‑fund transfer raised concerns because the consolidated fund has been used in the past to preserve state fiscal stability; the chair responded by offering and adopting the amendment to delete the transfer language and seek general‑fund alternatives. The universities confirmed that UNR has a memorandum of understanding with labor and that UNLV will follow UNR’s lead as it negotiates a project labor agreement.

Support testimony came from construction trades, chambers of commerce, higher education leaders and local governments. Desert Research Institute representatives said the sprinkler funds would protect irreplaceable collections and research facilities; Truckee Meadows Community College detailed the Red Mountain building’s history and deferred maintenance needs.

In the work session the committee adopted the chair’s amendment deleting section 2.5 and voted to amend and do pass SB 427. The motion to amend and do pass was made by Assemblymember Steve Bacchus and seconded by Assemblymember Watts; the motion carried. The committee record shows the bill will move forward to the next legislative stage with the amendment deleting the proposed bond transfer.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","6/1/2025 - Assembly Committee on Ways and Means, Pt. 1","oneSentenceSummary","The committee approved Senate Bill 427, funding planning and maintenance projects across the Nevada System of Higher Education, including $6.2 million each for UNR and UNLV planning; an amendment deleted a proposed transfer from the consolidated bond interest and redemption fund after members expressed concern.","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},6547398,"Committee sends wildfire‑smoke worker protections to Nevada OSHA for rulemaking",1644,176000,1820000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3638735-e79671b1c57dc6c3ede913ad593bdef8&start=176&end=1820","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3638735-e79671b1c57dc6c3ede913ad593bdef8/thumbnail_176000.jpg","/articles/6547398/Nevada/Committee-sends-wildfiresmoke-worker-protections-to-Nevada-OSHA-for-rulemaking","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547398-9d6f02f95c7167e9cf306437552b03d6/orig.mp4?Expires=1773620539&Signature=Ycc4CvuumhNsvVaSyoVSh1Gt98HFm3-9wlpWEzpWzSHE4xGFgB-IsP95M0lBEpZyDtxRMSNgSeLlFhTUmrvWima356nxCjwdvfujRumAjBo2v2gXDmlmbpEOwc5XO2A~UZk6NBj-dPmm1GMzF61dFT8cuRWm40gXSO2CA4fF1qoNK-6jXUYDYUT0WZnfDYXRB3Xjw-UiQA1EyqKSnxmkc3ZCDWdgH2zzPOcuxhdaJBHLqyzC9ftKRxs6dnT~KVFirUH2gDSPJ0oMBWEfPtsGbHUwVgHyoWxYNhNJnP67R0sLVXkapvL4-1ykQjiWPT5~w8cJvxza0yv1NS8F8FNTvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Assembly Ways and Means Committee voted to approve Senate Bill 260, sending the measure to Nevada OSHA to develop regulations requiring employers to reduce worker exposure to wildfire smoke when air quality is poor.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Edgar Flores, told the committee he and stakeholders spent months negotiating language that removes immediate statutory mandates and instead directs the Division of Industrial Relations to require OSHA to write industry‑specific rules. \"We send this to OSHA for them to create regs,\" Flores said, describing the change as necessary to allow detailed stakeholder work on how rules would apply to different industries.

Supporters and labor groups told the committee the regulatory approach preserves worker protections while allowing employers and remote or seasonal operations to help shape implementation. Jackie Spicer of the Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition said the bill would require OSHA to create guidelines for monitoring the Air Quality Index and reducing exposure \"at air quality indexes of 150 when it's unhealthy and 200 when it is hazardous for people to be breathing the air.\" Spicer said the rulemaking process would allow stakeholders to address issues such as communications with remote workers.

The hearing included multiple supporter statements from labor and public‑health groups. Susie Martinez of the Nevada State AFL‑CIO, Wendy Colborne of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada, Cassie Charles of AFSCME, and others said they back the bill. Several business groups — including the Reno Sparks Chamber, Vegas Chamber and Associated General Contractors — reported they had moved from opposition to neutral during bargaining and favored returning the issue to regulations rather than a prescriptive statute.

Opponents were limited at the hearing, but a caller, Malcolm Greer, told the committee he feared recent amendments carve out protections for some workers and remove legal safeguards against retaliation. \"Section 6 added ... commercial truck drivers,\" Greer said, and argued that corporate employers should not be exempt; his remarks were recorded on the public phone line and attributed to a caller on the record.

Fiscal questions were a recurring theme. Flores and proponents said two agencies — the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture — had submitted fiscal notes that the sponsor considers premature, because the cost depends on what OSHA eventually requires. Flores told members he did not believe the fiscal notes should be finalized until the rulemaking process produced specific regulatory obligations. Committee members pressed that the absent agencies had not been present to answer those questions.

Assembly members asked clarifying questions during the hearing. One member noted the bill should protect state employees and workers performing temporary outdoor tasks; Flores agreed the goal was to protect employees while preserving businesses’ ability to operate. Another member asked whether smoke from distant wildfires would be covered; Flores replied the measure targets air quality effects wherever the smoke originates.

In the committee’s later work session the panel approved SB 260 with a motion to \"do pass.\" The motion was offered by Assemblymember Steve Bacchus and seconded by Assemblymember Hategui; the work session record shows the motion carried. The committee did not record a full roll‑call tally in the work session minutes provided.

What happens next: SB 260 will move from the committee to the next stage in the legislative process. If enacted, the bill will require Nevada OSHA to convene stakeholders and propose regulations setting when and how employers must act to reduce wildfire‑smoke exposure. Because the substance and cost of any obligations depend on future regulations, proponents and some agencies told the committee that fiscal impacts are unknown at this time.","The Assembly Ways and Means Committee approved Senate Bill 260, which directs Nevada OSHA to draft regulations for employer actions to reduce worker exposure to wildfire smoke; supporters said the move allows stakeholder input, while agencies flagged uncertain fiscal impacts.","actionData","errors"]

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Ways and Means backs $22.8 million for NSHE planning; chair removes bond sweep after fiscal concerns

Committee sends wildfire‑smoke worker protections to Nevada OSHA for rulemaking