Weekly Update- June 25, 2021: IFC, Updates from Governor’s Office

This week, the Interim Finance Committee held their first meeting since Sine Die. The bulk of the agenda was to formally approve accepting Nevada’s $2.7 billion share of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. Allocations included more than $76 million in federal aid programs, including $39.5 million in rental assistance, $12.1 million in homeowner assistance and $13.9 million for the Department of Education. The state set up an online portal to accept spending ideas from members of the public, members of executive branch agencies and state lawmakers. So far, over 1,000 ideas have been submitted. This was just the beginning of the allocations, as lawmakers expect a total of about $7 billion to come to the state.

Other allocations and grants approved by the IFC:

The Homeowner Assistance Fund- $121 million program to support struggling homeowners
The Nevada Arts Council- nearly $800,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts to help support non-profit arts organizations and individual artists as they recover from the pandemic
$2.7 million to improve access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits
$100,000 in ARP funds, along with more than $200,000 in CARES Act funding, will go towards setting up the Office of Small Business Advocacy, which was established by AB184 during the 2021 legislative session
$2.5 million in federal funds aimed at addressing health disparities among at-risk and underserved populations.
$283,000 to the Department of Motor Vehicles for computer programming costs associated with legislation approved in the 2021 session, including measures decriminalizing traffic tickets (AB116), changes to special license plates for the Las Vegas Golden Knights (AB123) and the “Divine Nine” Black sororities and fraternities (SB163) and prohibiting the suspension of driver license fees by a court over unpaid fees or fines (SB219)

Federal Updates

Cortez Masto Announces $39.8 Million for Henderson City Boulder Highway Project

Cortez Masto, Rosen Urge Secretary Blinken to Help Americans Living Abroad Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Senators Cortez Masto, Lee Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Cut Wasteful Government Spending

Rosen Introduces Legislation to Bring Down the Cost of Prescription Drugs

In Response to Increased Cyber Security Threats, Rosen Leads Bipartisan Group of Senators to Reintroduce Bipartisan Electric Grid Security Legislation

Rosen Leads Bipartisan Group of Senators to Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Expand Access To Telehealth Services

Horsford, Booker, Blunt Rochester Reintroduce Groundbreaking Legislation to Break the Cycle of Community Violence

Congressman Steven Horsford Advocates for Veterans and Homeownership in Minority Communities During House Budget Committee Hearing

Rep. Susie Lee and Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Fund Large-Scale Water Recycling Projects in the West

Rep. Susie Lee, Rep. David Schweikert Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Reduce Student Loan Debt, Make College More Affordable

Updates from the Governor’s Office