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