Senate committee advances SB499 to split Nevada Division of Forestry budgets, allow agency rental income and seed $10 million out-of-state fire account

The Nevada Senate Committee on Natural Resources voted to give Senate Bill 499 a recommendation of “do pass,” moving a package of budget and administrative changes for the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) forward. The bill would let NDF retain certain revenues, authorize the agency to rent out state-owned employee housing and keep that income, codify an existing ability to request a general fund advance, and create a permanent, nonreverting out-of-state fire suppression account seeded with a one-time $10 million general fund appropriation.

SB 499 was introduced to the committee by fiscal staff from the Legislative Counsel Bureau’s Fiscal Analysis Division, who said the measure implements adjustments approved by the Joint Money Committees as part of closing the Division of Forestry’s budget accounts. Colby Nichols, fiscal analyst, summarized the bill’s sections for the committee and said Section 1 would allow NDF to rent agency-owned housing and retain rental revenues. Section 2 would codify in statute NDF’s existing authority to request a general fund advance. Section 3 would establish a separate out-of-state fire suppression executive budget account to separately track revenues and expenditures associated with out-of-state incident response. Section 4 would allow the Division to retain revenues from protected plant permit fees for land use projects. Section 5 would appropriate $10,000,000 as starting cash for the new out-of-state account. Section 6 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025.

Casey Casey, identified in the hearing as State Forester and Fire Warden, told the committee the out-of-state account is intended to separate costs and revenues for incidents that occur entirely outside Nevada from those that occur inside the state. Casey said that out-of-state responses are “fully reimbursable” under existing agreements and that separating the accounts will make those payments and costs more visible. He said the new account would be used for bills associated with out-of-state deployments and that in-state incidents would remain in a separate account because of Nevada’s land ownership and differing reimbursement structure.

Casey also explained the rental provision: NDF operates three housing facilities across the state (a house at Bowers recently returned from Truckee Meadows, a house at the NDF nursery in Las Vegas, and a site in Spring Creek where one house was removed and trailer hookups added). He said the intent is to provide affordable seasonal housing for firefighters and other state employees who must live on-site during deployments or seasonal assignments. Under SB 499, agencies could rent such housing on a discretionary basis and retain rent to maintain the facilities. Casey emphasized that occupancy had previously been required for some programs (for example, “all risk” firefighters were required to live on-site) but that the provision would be used to help seasonal employees who cannot afford market rent.

During questioning, committee members asked whether the proposed out-of-state account would interact with a separate fire compact bill moving through the Legislature. Casey said the compact would tie into the out-of-state budget account: compacts would be used to send Nevada personnel out of state and to bring personnel in under state-to-state arrangements, and the new account would house costs specifically for out-of-state deployments. He also clarified that the same revenue sources that historically supported the single fire suppression account would continue to feed the two new accounts — including general fund appropriations and payments under wildland fire protection agreements — but that the split will make reimbursements and in-state costs more visible.

After questions, the committee took no in-person testimony in support, opposition, or neutral testimony. Fiscal staff offered no closing remarks. Committee chair Cruz Crawford then asked for a motion on SB 499. Senator Scheibel moved a recommendation of “do pass,” which was seconded by Senator Hanson. The committee called the voice vote; members said “aye” and the motion carried. The chair said she would assign the floor statement to herself.

No recorded roll-call tally was entered into the hearing record; the committee’s action in the transcript was a voice vote in favor of a do-pass recommendation. The bill’s effective date in the draft text is July 1, 2025, and the bill text as presented would create a new permanent nonreverting budget account for out-of-state fire suppression, permit NDF to retain specified revenues, and appropriate a one-time $10 million general fund deposit to that account.

Looking ahead, the committee’s do-pass recommendation advances SB 499 toward floor consideration; the transcript does not contain subsequent committee amendments, a recorded roll-call vote, or further legislative steps beyond the do-pass motion and voice vote captured in this hearing.