Senate committee unanimously advances SB 119 to renew $1.9M funding for NVGrow small‑business program

CARSON CITY/LAS VEGAS — The Senate Committee on Revenue and Economic Development voted unanimously March 20 to amend and pass Senate Bill 119, which would appropriate $1,900,000 from the state general fund to the College of Southern Nevada to support the Nevada GROW (NVGrow) small‑business program and make programmatic changes including annual reporting requirements and an eligibility adjustment.

Proponents told the committee the program has expanded from a pilot in 2015 serving a handful of businesses to a statewide counseling, data and vendor‑services program that the College says served more than 1,300 businesses in the last biennium and is on track to serve about 1,500 by the end of the current biennium. Clarissa Cota, Vice President of External Relations and Campus Operations at the College of Southern Nevada, said the request seeks the same two‑year allocation as the previous session and that the bill would require the division to post an annual report every February on the NVGrow website.

Supporters emphasized the program’s mix of direct counseling, GIS market analysis and vendor services. Eric Garner, director of the College of Southern Nevada’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Division, told the committee that the program now uses a customer‑relationship management system, Neocera, to track counselor hours and client engagements and that NVGrow leverages partners including UNR Cooperative Extension and local chambers to extend services into rural Nevada. “Neocera allows us to really track this data so we know how many hours that our counselors are spending with these clients,” Garner said during the presentation.

SB 119 as presented in committee includes an appropriation of $1.9 million to the College of Southern Nevada, renaming the implementing office as the Division of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development, and a set of reporting and partnership provisions. Committee members received a conceptual amendment offered with the bill that would (1) replace a named partner listing to include the Asian American and Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce and (2) lower the program’s minimum business revenue threshold for participation from $50,000 to $35,000.

Senators and numerous business owners and partner organizations from Southern Nevada and statewide testified in support. Testimony included business owners who credited NVGrow for media training, marketing support and vendor services that produced measurable business growth. Patrick Baja, owner of Vegas Elite Cleaners, said NVGrow’s media training led to local news coverage and a surge in business, adding, “If it wasn't for Nevada Grow, I wouldn't have had the knowledge and the training on media training. I support it 110%.” Small business clients, chamber representatives and higher education partners including the Nevada System of Higher Education and UNR Cooperative Extension described the program as a pipeline of referrals, training and market data.

Committee discussion touched on program reach and eligibility. Senator Stone asked why the proposed eligibility threshold was set at $35,000 rather than a lower level; Garner replied that many applicants were clustered just under the previous $50,000 threshold and that $35,000 was chosen to avoid duplicating services offered by startup‑focused organizations such as the Small Business Development Center. Committee members also asked about the role of local chambers; presenters said chambers serve as outreach partners and conduits for events, clients and mentoring under memoranda of understanding.

After the presentation and public testimony, the committee held a work session. A motion to amend and do pass was made by Senator Stone, seconded by Senator Steinbeck, and carried unanimously. The committee record indicates the bill was amended as described and passed out of committee on March 20, 2025. The fiscal analyst’s summary in the hearing record shows the appropriation and the renaming of the implementing division.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Amend and do pass (work session) - Mover: Senator Stone - Second: Senator Steinbeck - Vote: Unanimous (recorded yes votes: Senator Coos Crawford; Senator Steinbeck; Senator Stone; Vice Chair D'Agnante) - Outcome: Approved and passed out of committee

What the bill would do (as presented in committee)

- Appropriate $1,900,000 from the general fund to the College of Southern Nevada for the NVGrow program (two‑year allocation). - Require the implementing division to prepare and post an annual report each February on program outcomes and data. - Rename the implementing office as the Division of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development. - Apply a conceptual amendment (in committee packet) to (a) substitute the Asian American and Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce for a previously listed partner and (b) lower the minimum revenue eligibility from $50,000 to $35,000.

Background and context

NVGrow began as a 2015 pilot intended to apply an “economic gardening” model to support established small and micro businesses. Presenters said legislative funding since the pilot has allowed the College to scale services, add data tools and partners, and expand to more communities across Nevada. Witnesses from multiple chambers of commerce, industry partners and client businesses described the program as a source of marketing, data and mentoring assistance tailored to multilingual and underserved entrepreneurs.

Next steps

The committee’s work session vote amended and passed SB 119 on March 20, 2025. The bill record and fiscal analysis are available in the committee packet. Further legislative steps (committee of origin transmittal or floor action) will follow the legislature’s rules and schedules recorded in state legislative calendars.