Senate Bill No. 309

Senate Bill No. 309-Senators Rawson, Coffin, Regan, Adler, Augustine, James, Mathews, McGinness, Neal, Porter, Schneider, Shaffer, Titus, Townsend, Washington and Wiener

April 17, 1997
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Referred to Committee on Finance

SUMMARY--Provides for establishment of program under administration of state librarian to provide grants of money to public libraries. (BDR 33-1131)

FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.

Effect on the State or on Industrial Insurance: Contains Appropriation not included in Executive Budget.

EXPLANATION - Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets [ ] is material to be omitted.

AN ACT relating to public libraries; providing for the establishment of a program under the administration of the state librarian to provide grants of money to public libraries; making an appropriation; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1 Chapter 378 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows:
1. The state librarian shall establish a program to provide grants of money to the public libraries of this state for the purchase or acquisition of books, library materials and computer data bases. The money must be provided by legislative appropriation, accounted for separately, and administered by the state librarian.
2. The state librarian shall, within the limits of legislative appropriation, provide such grants based on the following:
(a) If the requesting library has a budget for materials which is $10,000 or less, the requesting library is eligible to receive a base grant of $1,000, plus a matching grant in an amount that is not more than 75 percent of its budget for materials.
(b) If the requesting library has a budget for materials which is $10,001 or more, but is $75,000 or less, the requesting library is eligible to receive a base grant of $5,000, plus a matching grant in an amount that is not more than 50 percent of its budget for materials.
(c) If the requesting library has a budget for materials which is $75,001 or more, but is $150,000 or less, the requesting library is eligible to receive a base grant of $10,000, plus a matching grant in an amount that is not more than 33 1/3 percent of its budget for materials.
(d) If the requesting library has a budget for materials which is $150,001 or more, but is $500,000 or less, the requesting library is eligible to receive a base grant of $15,000, plus a matching grant in an amount that is not more than 25 percent of its budget for materials.
(e) If the requesting library has a budget for materials which is $500,001 or more, the requesting library is eligible to receive a base grant of $25,000, plus a matching grant in the first year it receives a grant pursuant to this paragraph in an amount that is not more than 10 percent of its budget for materials. The amount of the matching grant provided in any year may be increased by 10 percent in each succeeding year, except that in no event may the matching grant provided in any year exceed 25 percent of the library's budget for materials in that year.
3. The state librarian shall adopt such regulations as are necessary to:
(a) Establish a procedure pursuant to which a public library may apply to receive a grant pursuant to this section;
(b) Determine the eligibility of a public library to receive such a grant; and
(c) Determine the exact amount of a grant to be awarded to a public library.
4. Money granted pursuant to this section must not supplant or cause to be reduced any other source of funding for a public library and must be used exclusively by the public library to purchase or acquire books, library materials and computer data bases.
5. For the purposes of this section, "public library" does not include a library operated within the University and Community College System of Nevada.
Sec. 2 1. There is hereby appropriated from the state general fund to the division of state library and archives of the department of museums, library and arts the sum of $2,400,000 to carry out the provisions of section 1 of this act.
2. Any unencumbered balance of the money appropriated by this section remaining on June 30, 1999, must be carried forward and does not revert to the state general fund.
Sec. 3 This act becomes effective upon passage and approval, or on June 30, 1997, whichever occurs earlier.