Existing law authorizes the Administrator of the Division of State Lands of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, as ex officio State Land Registrar, to lease residential property owned by this State for less than the fair market value of the property to a state officer or employee who is required as a condition of his or her employment to reside in state-owned residential property. (NRS 322.063) Section 1 of this bill expands this authority to allow the lease of state-owned residential property at less than fair market value to a state officer or employee if a state agency that manages state-owned residential property determines that it is beneficial to the State of Nevada for the state officer or employee to reside in the property. Section 1 also requires a state agency that manages state-owned residential property to account separately for the rent collected from such leases and use the money only for the operation and maintenance of state-owned residential property that is managed by the state agency. Section 1 provides that the remaining balance of money collected from such rent does not revert to the State General Fund at the end of a fiscal year and is required to be carried forward to the next fiscal year. Existing law authorizes temporary advances from the State General Fund to specified state agencies for certain delays in the receipt of revenue or for certain emergencies. (NRS 353.3463-353.361) During the 2023-2025 biennium, the Director of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources was authorized to request a temporary advance from the State General Fund to pay authorized expenses incurred by the Department in the suppression of fires or in response to emergencies for which there was a delay in the receipt of revenue for services billed to the Federal Government, local governments and other state governments. (Section 71 of chapter 209, Statutes of Nevada 2023, at page 1253) Section 2 of this bill codifies in the Nevada Revised Statutes the authority for the Department to request such a temporary advance. Under existing law, the executive head of the Division of Forestry of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is the State Forester Firewarden. (NRS 232.120) Existing law charges the State Forester Firewarden with overseeing various fire protection activities for the State. (Chapter 472 of NRS) Section 3 of this bill creates the Out-of-State Fire Suppression Account in the State General Fund for the payment of the costs incurred by the State of Nevada for response to out-of-state fires and emergencies and for the receipt of reimbursement for those costs. Section 3: (1) requires that the State Forester Firewarden administer the Out-of-State Fire Suppression Account; and (2) provides that money remaining in that Account at the end of a fiscal year does not revert to the State General Fund and is carried forward to the next fiscal year. Section 5 of this bill appropriates $10,000,000 from the State General Fund to the Out-of-State Fire Suppression Account created by section 3. Existing law creates the Division of Forestry Account in the State General Fund for the receipt of: (1) certain money received from the operation of a conservation camp or from the assignment of any crew of a conservation camp; (2) any federal money allotted to the State of Nevada under the terms of certain federal agreements and such other money as may be received by the State for the management and protection of forests, rangelands and watershed areas; and (3) money received by the Division related to the provisions governing the control of forest insects and diseases. (NRS 209.231, 472.050, 527.230) Existing law also: (1) requires the placement on a list of fully protected species any species or subspecies of native flora that is declared to be threatened by extinction; and (2) prohibits the removal or destruction of any such species or subspecies except under a special permit issued by the State Forester Firewarden. (NRS 527.270) Section 4 of this bill requires the deposit and separate accounting of money received from the issuance of such special permits in the Division of Forestry Account. Section 4 also provides that any money which is received by the Division from the issuance of such special permits or related to the provisions governing the control of forest insects and diseases and is remaining in the Division of Forestry Account at the end of a fiscal year does not revert to the State General Fund and requires that the remaining balance of such money in the Account be carried forward to the next fiscal year.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 322.063, 527.230
BDR: 322.063, 527.230