IFC approves ARPA reallocations, education pilots and contingency funding; tables HAVA offset inquiry

The Nevada Interim Finance Committee on May 7 approved a series of work programs to reallocate American Rescue Plan Act funds, advance a Clark County school improvement pilot and support statewide workforce and broadband projects, while tabling a contested federal Treasury offset affecting the Secretary of State’s HAVA election security grant.

Chair Senator Marilyn Dondo Loop convened the meeting in Las Vegas with members participating from Carson City and online. The committee heard public comments from school and education groups urging approval of item I4 — a $247,000 planning grant to support a Clark County School District and Clark County Education Association SB460 feeder‑school pilot. “This $247,000 investment reflects a shared commitment to support these schools and to help their students succeed,” said Nick Sakone of the Clark County School District.

Fiscal staff from the Legislative Counsel Bureau and the Governor’s Finance Office presented an ARPA status update showing most awards issued and about 80% of funds reimbursed through April 2026. GFO deputy Curtis Palmer and director Tiffany Greenmire highlighted remaining open projects and identified savings from several awards that could be redirected. GFO and the Office of Science, Innovation and Technology also briefed the committee on a roughly $77 million broadband project in Nye County; OSIT Director Britta Appel and Stimulus Technologies CEO Nathan Whitaker said engineering and permitting remain the schedule risk, with critical permitting milestones this summer.

On education, Superintendent Victor Wakefield won committee approval for the SB460 feeder pilot (item I4), which the department and local partners pitched as a research‑backed program focused on early literacy, middle‑school math and high‑quality pathways. The committee separately approved a $1 million transfer to fund dual‑credit tuition for high school students in the Teacher Academy College Pathway (item I9). During that discussion, lawmakers pressed NDE and stakeholders on how dual‑credit courses would be prioritized, how transferable credits would be guaranteed, and how the pipeline aligns with projected local hiring needs.

The committee also approved an appropriation request to extend university internship/talent retention programs (UNLV/UNR) that have funded paid internships for hundreds of students; UNLV reported 535 paid internships to date and an early (about 15%) hire‑back rate for host employers.

A separate, contentious discussion centered on a Treasury Offset Program (TOPS) action that partially intercepted federal HAVA funds that would otherwise have gone to the Secretary of State’s office. OFA and GFO staff explained the offset arose after federal agencies identified a debt tied to a shared entity identifier. Because the origin of the debt and related notices remains under review, the committee tabled the Secretary of State’s contingency request and instead approved a contingency allocation to the Department of Veterans Services to cover a projected shortfall at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

Other approvals included transfers for prison medical shortfalls and funding for NDOT flight operations, ARPA reallocations overseen by the housing division, and work programs to build out data reporting systems required by AB4 for the Las Vegas Justice Court. Officials repeatedly emphasized timing constraints tied to ARPA obligation deadlines, the need to coordinate with federal reviewers for grants that carry federal audit risk, and the importance of clearer vendor timelines for large IT implementations.

What’s next: multiple items require follow‑up reporting to the committee (including the HAVA/TOPS investigation and DCFS’ UNITY replacement approvals from federal reviewers). The IFC is scheduled to reconvene in June to review additional work programs and status updates.