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Legislative panels approve OSIT broadband spending authority, direct quarterly reports; move to place graduate medical education funds in dedicated account
Summary
The joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committee approved adding federal broadband revenue and expenditure authority to the Office of Science, Innovation and Technology and directed the office to submit quarterly reports; the committee also approved placing graduate medical education funds in a dedicated grant account and transferring one administrative position to Medicaid administration contingent on enabling legislation.
Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop, chairing the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and fiscal staff moved the committee to include federal broadband revenue and expenditure authority for the Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) and to issue a letter of intent requiring quarterly reporting.
The committees approved adding ARPA capital projects funds, federal BEAD funds and ARPA state fiscal recovery funds to OSIT’s 2025–27 biennial budget and directed OSIT to submit quarterly reports to the Interim Finance Committee beginning with the period covering July 1–Sept. 30, 2025. Fiscal staff presented the proposal, saying the recommendation would add $121,200,000 in ARPA capital projects funds, $418,300,000 in federal BEAD funds and $181,600,000 in ARPA state fiscal recovery funds over the 2025–27 biennium. Staff noted the office’s remaining unobligated federal balances across the three funds totalled roughly $738,300,000 and that ARPA capital projects and state fiscal recovery funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2026.
“Given the 12/31/2026 expenditure deadline for ARPA capital projects and state fiscal recovery grant funds,” fiscal staff said, the committees may wish to require quarterly reports to keep oversight committees apprised of awards, expenditures, unexpended balances and broadband expansion progress. A motion to approve the decision unit and issue a letter of intent directing OSIT to report quarterly passed on a voice vote.
The committee also considered the governor’s recommendation related to the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program administered through OSIT. Fiscal staff reported two related proposals: transfer of administrative authority (including one management analyst position) to Nevada Medicaid’s Title 19 and Medicaid administration budget accounts contingent on enabling legislation, and an alternative to place program general funds directly into the Graduate Medical Education Grant Program account created by the 82nd Legislature (2023) via Senate Bill 350.
Fiscal staff described the governor’s transfer recommendation as involving general funds of roughly $8.8 million over the 2025–27 biennium to support the GME supplemental payment program and expand Nevada’s physician workforce; staff also presented the option to instead place $8.5 million in the standalone grant program account to avoid reversion and retain carryforward authority under NRS 223.631. The committee approved moving the GME administrative position to Medicaid administration contingent on enabling legislation and placing the program’s general funds into the Graduate Medical Education Grant Program account, and authorized appropriation-language to transfer remaining GME funding into that account.
The committee closed several technical and other staff-recommended adjustments related to OSIT’s budget, including aligning revenues with amended budget amendments and forecasting adjustments. Those other closing items were approved on voice votes with no recorded opposition.
Context: OSIT oversees federal broadband awards and state-level programming to expand broadband infrastructure and administers the Graduate Medical Education grant program. The committee’s approvals add spending authority tied to federal ARPA/BEAD awards and set reporting expectations for implementation during the 2025–27 biennium.
