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Assembly committee hears bill to fund school emergency-response mapping
Summary
Assembly Bill 412 would create a grant account under the Nevada Division of Emergency Management to fund school mapping and related emergency-response work for K–12 campuses; sponsors said amendments removed a fiscal cost and permit state, local and private contributions.
The Assembly Committee on Ways and Means opened a hearing on Assembly Bill 412 on proposals to improve emergency response in K–12 schools by funding school mapping and local planning.
Assemblyman Joe Dalia (Assembly District 29), the bill sponsor, said the measure "is about campus safety, for our K through 12 institutions." He described the bill as creating an account under the Nevada Division of Emergency Management (NDEM) to allow local emergency management organizations to contract — in consultation with law enforcement — to produce school mapping and other preparedness work. "In terms of fiscal impact, there is no appropriation in the bill as amended," he said.
Supporters told the committee they favor the bill. Mary Persinski of the Nevada Association of School Superintendents said her organization "hopes that this bill will pass and we can have a little more safety, coverage for our students." Committee members and the sponsor discussed fiscal notes and administrative fees during the hearing.
The record shows the Department of Public Safety earlier submitted a fiscal note that the sponsors removed through amendment; the sponsor told the committee NDEM reissued an unsolicited fiscal note of $0. The sponsor stated the amendment provides for a portion of contributions to the account to be used for program administrative expenses; he described that portion as 5% in his testimony. During the hearing, consultant Chris Anderson said NDEM Chief Brett Comston had indicated that, with the amendment, NDEM could utilize up to 55% of money contributed to the account to cover administrative expenses and that an earlier fiscal impact was removed. Anderson also said state government, local governments and private donations could contribute to the account.
No formal vote on AB 412 was recorded during the hearing before the committee closed public testimony.
The hearing record includes sponsor testimony, one organizational statement of support from the Nevada Association of School Superintendents, and technical discussion with a consultant about how administrative costs would be covered.
If enacted as presented, AB 412 would authorize a grant account at NDEM to support school mapping and related emergency-preparedness contracts, and allow contributions from state and local government and private donors. The bill text and the amendment referenced in the hearing were discussed for their effect on the fiscal note; supporters said the amendment eliminated an appropriation and produced a $0 fiscal note.
