Senate Bill No. 32—Committee on Human
Resources and Facilities

 

CHAPTER..........

 

AN ACT relating to the Fund for a Healthy Nevada; providing that allocations by the Task Force for the Fund for a Healthy Nevada of money from the Fund may be done by contract or grant; requiring at least one competitive round of requests for proposals each biennium for the distribution of certain money from the Fund; 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. NRS 439.630 is hereby amended to read as follows:

    439.630  1.  The Task Force for the Fund for a Healthy

 Nevada shall:

    (a) Conduct public hearings to accept public testimony from a

 wide variety of sources and perspectives regarding existing or

 proposed programs that:

        (1) Promote public health;

        (2) Improve health services for children, senior citizens and

 persons with disabilities;

        (3) Reduce or prevent the use of tobacco;

        (4) Reduce or prevent the abuse of and addiction to alcohol

 and drugs; and

        (5) Offer other general or specific information on health care

 in this state.

    (b) Establish a process to evaluate the health and health needs of

 the residents of this state and a system to rank the health problems

 of the residents of this state, including, without limitation, the

 specific health problems that are endemic to urban and rural

 communities.

    (c) Reserve not more than 30 percent of all revenues deposited

 in the Fund for a Healthy Nevada each year for direct expenditure

 by the Department to pay for prescription drugs and pharmaceutical

 services for senior citizens pursuant to NRS 439.635 to 439.690,

 inclusive. From the money reserved to the Department pursuant to

 this paragraph, the Department shall subsidize all of the cost of

 policies of health insurance that provide coverage to senior citizens

 for prescription drugs and pharmaceutical services pursuant to NRS

 439.635 to 439.690, inclusive. The Department shall consider

 recommendations from the Task Force for the Fund for a Healthy

 Nevada in carrying out the provisions of NRS 439.635 to 439.690,

 inclusive. The Department shall submit a quarterly report to the

 Governor, the Task Force for the Fund for a Healthy Nevada and

 the

Interim Finance Committee regarding the general manner in which

expenditures have been made pursuant to this paragraph and the

 status of the program.

    (d) Reserve not more than 30 percent of all revenues deposited

 in the Fund for a Healthy Nevada each year for allocation by the

 Aging Services Division of the Department in the form of grants for

 existing or new programs that assist senior citizens with

 independent living, including, without limitation, programs that

 provide:

        (1) Respite care or relief of family caretakers;

        (2) Transportation to new or existing services to assist senior

 citizens in living independently; and

        (3) Care in the home which allows senior citizens to remain

 at home instead of in institutional care.

The Aging Services Division of the Department shall consider

 recommendations from the Task Force for the Fund for a Healthy

 Nevada concerning the independent living needs of senior citizens.

    (e) Allocate , by contract or grant, for expenditure not more

 than 20 percent of all revenues deposited in the Fund for a Healthy

 Nevada each year for programs that prevent, reduce or treat the use

 of tobacco and the consequences of the use of tobacco.

    (f) Allocate , by contract or grant, for expenditure not more

 than 20 percent of all revenues deposited in the Fund for a Healthy

 Nevada each year for programs that improve health services for

 children and the health and well-being of persons with disabilities.

    (g) Maximize expenditures through local, federal and private

 matching contributions.

    (h) Ensure that any money expended from the Fund for a

 Healthy Nevada will not be used to supplant existing methods of

 funding that are available to public agencies.

    (i) Develop policies and procedures for the administration and

 distribution of contracts, grants and other expenditures to state

 agencies, political subdivisions of this state, nonprofit

 organizations, universities and community colleges. A condition of

 any such contract or grant must be that not more than 8 percent of

 the contract or grant may be used for administrative expenses or

 other indirect costs. The procedures must require at least one

 competitive round of requests for proposals per [fiscal year.]

 biennium.

    (j) To make the allocations required by paragraphs (e) and (f):

        (1) Prioritize and quantify the needs for these programs;

        (2) Develop, solicit and accept [grant] applications for

 allocations;

        (3) Conduct annual evaluations of programs to which

 allocations have been awarded; and

        (4) Submit annual reports concerning the programs to the

 Governor and the Interim Finance Committee.

    (k) Transmit a report of all findings, recommendations and

expenditures to the Governor and each regular session of the

 Legislature.

    2.  The Task Force may take such other actions as are necessary

 to carry out its duties.

    3.  The Department shall take all actions necessary to ensure

 that all allocations for expenditures made by the Task Force are

 carried out as directed by the Task Force.

    4.  To make the allocations required by paragraph (d) of

 subsection 1, the Aging Services Division of the Department shall:

    (a) Prioritize and quantify the needs of senior citizens for these

 programs;

    (b) Develop, solicit and accept grant applications for allocations;

    (c) As appropriate, expand or augment existing state programs

 for senior citizens upon approval of the Interim Finance

 Committee;

    (d) Award grants or other allocations;

    (e) Conduct annual evaluations of programs to which grants or

 other allocations have been awarded; and

    (f) Submit annual reports concerning the grant program to the

 Governor and the Interim Finance Committee.

    5.  The Aging Services Division of the Department shall submit

 each proposed grant which would be used to expand or augment an

 existing state program to the Interim Finance Committee for

 approval before the grant is awarded. The request for approval must

 include a description of the proposed use of the money and the

 person or entity that would be authorized to expend the money. The

 Aging Services Division of the Department shall not expend or

 transfer any money allocated to the Aging Services Division

 pursuant to this section to subsidize any portion of the cost of

 policies of health insurance that provide coverage to senior citizens

 for prescription drugs and pharmaceutical services pursuant to NRS

 439.635 to 439.690, inclusive.

    6.  The Department, on behalf of the Task Force, shall submit

 each allocation proposed pursuant to paragraph (e) or (f) of

 subsection 1 which would be used to expand or augment an existing

 state program to the Interim Finance Committee for approval before

 the contract or grant is awarded. The request for approval must

 include a description of the proposed use of the money and the

 person or entity that would be authorized to expend the money.

    Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective on July 1, 2003.

 

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