During the 2023 Legislative Session, the Legislature enacted Assembly Bill No. 164, which required the Division of Outdoor Recreation of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to establish an Outdoor Education Advisory Working Group during the 2023-2024 interim to study approaches to incorporate outdoor recreation into the curriculum of the public education system of this State and authorized the Working Group to request the drafting of not more than 1 legislative measure which relates to matters within the scope of the Working Group. (Section 1.7 of Assembly Bill No. 164, chapter 77, Statutes of Nevada 2023, at page 393) Section 3 of this bill establishes the Outdoor Education Council within the Division and prescribes the membership of the Council. Section 4 of this bill sets forth the duties of the Council, including a requirement for the Council to establish and administer a program to award a designation to: (1) schools in this State which provide to pupils outdoor education programs that meet certain standards developed by the Council pursuant to section 5 of this bill; and (2) a teacher in this State as Outdoor Educator of the Year. Section 5 requires the Council, in administering such a program, to provide a nonmonetary award to a teacher recognized as Outdoor Educator of the Year and authorizes the Council to provide to schools awarded a designation pursuant to section 4 an award of money to be used to support outdoor education programs of the school. Section 4 requires the Division to provide the Council with such administrative support as is necessary to support the Council in carrying out its duties and authorizes the Division to accept gifts, grants and donations from any source to support the work of the Council. Section 6 of this bill authorizes the Council to adopt regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of sections 4 and 5. Section 7 of this bill applies definitions in existing law relating to the Division of Outdoor Recreation and the definition of “Council” set forth in section 2 of this bill to the provisions of sections 2-6.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 407A.500
BDR: 407A.500