AB 16 — Revises provisions relating to cooperative extension programs. (BDR 49-440)

(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 24, 2017) FIRST REPRINT A.B.

16–COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES , AGRICULTURE ,AND M INING (ON B EHALF OF THE N EVADA ASSOCIATION OF C OUNTIES ) PREFILED N OVEMBER 15, 2016 ____________ Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Mining SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to agriculturalcooperative extension programs.

AN ACT relating to agriculturalcooperative extension programs;

requiring the Treasurer of the Nevada System of Higher Education, in consultation with the President of the University of Nevada, Reno, to submit to the Legislature an annual report regarding cooperative agricultural extension work;

revising provisions related to the State’s cooperative share of the cost of agriculturalcooperative extension work;

Existing law authorizes the Director of the Agricultural Extension Department of the Public Service Division of the Nevada System of Higher Education and the board of county commissioners of each county to enter into a cooperative agreement to provide certain programs pertaining to agriculture, community development, health and nutrition, horticulture, personal and family development 549.010) Sections 2-12 of this bill change the name of the agency authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with the boards of county commissioners from the Agricultural Extension Department of the Public Service Division of the Nevada System of Higher Education to the Cooperative Extension DepartmentProgram of the UniversityNevada System of Nevada,Higher Reno.Education.

(1) detailing the cooperative agricultural extension work carried out in the preceding year;

(2) specifying any county, state and federal money used to carry - *AB16**AB16_R1* – 2 – carry out the cooperative agricultural extension work;

and (3) updating the status of any cooperative agreements entered into between the Director of the Cooperative Extension DepartmentProgram of the UniversityNevada System of Nevada,Higher Reno,Education and a board of county comExisting law requires the Director of the Agricultural Extension Department to prepare and submit to the board of county commissioners for each county participating in cooperative agricultural extension an annual financial budget covering the county, state and federal funds cooperating in the cost of cooperative agricultural extension programs.

Section 4 also requires the Director to contribute a prescribed amount to each county to pay for certain ancillary services related to the operation of county agricultural extension offices.

The cooperative agricultural extension work that was carried out pursuant to the provisions of this chapter in the preceding year;

The amounts, if any, of county, state and federal money used to carry out the cooperative agricultural extension work in the preceding year;year, including, without limitation, the amounts, if any, used at each campus of the Nevada System of Higher Education and in each participating county;

Updating the status of any cooperative agreements entered into between the Director of the Cooperative Extension DepartmentProgram of the UniversityNevada System of Nevada,Higher Reno,Education and a board of county commissioners authorized by NRS 549.010.

549.010 To provide for continued educational, research, outreach and service programs pertaining to agriculture, community development, health and nutrition, horticulture, personal and family development, and natural resources in the rural and urban communities in the State of Nevada, the Director of the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education]Education University of Nevada, Reno, and the boards of county - *AB16* – 3 – commissioners of any or all of the respective counties of the State of Nevada may enter into - *AB16_R1* – 3 – cooperative agreements and activities subject to the provisions of this chapter.

The Director of the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education]Education University of Nevada, Reno, shall prepare and submit to the board of county commissioners, for each county participating, an annual financial budget covering the county, state and federal funds cooperating in the cost of educational, research, outreach and service programs pertaining to agriculture, community development, health and nutrition, horticulture, personal and family development, and natural resources in the rural and urban communities in the State of Nevada.

The budget must be adopted by the board of county commissioners and certified as a part of the annual county budget, and the county tax levy provided for agricultural[agricultural] cooperative extension work in the annual county budget must include a levy of not less than 1 cent on each $100 of taxable property.

If the proceeds of the county tax levy of 1 cent are insufficient to meet the county’s share of the cooperative agricultural[agricultural] extension work, as provided in the combined annual financial budget, the board of county commissioners may, by unanimous vote, levy an additional tax so that the total in no instance exceeds 5 cents on each $100 of the county tax rate.

The proceeds of such a tax must be placed in the agricultural[agricultural] cooperative extension fund in each county treasury and must be paid out on claims drawn by the agricultural[agricultural] cooperative extension agent of the county as designated by the Director of the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education,]Education, University of Nevada, Reno, when approved by the Director and countersigned by the Treasurer of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

The State’s cooperative share of the cost of such agricultural[agricultural] cooperative extension work, as entered in the budget described in this section, must not be more than a sum equal to the proceeds of 1 cent of such county tax rate;

but when the proceeds of a 1-cent tax rate are insufficient to carry out the provisions of the budget previously adopted, the Director of the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education]Education University of Nevada, Reno, is authorized to - *AB16**AB16_R1* – 4 – authorized to supplement the State’s cooperative share from the funds as may be made available in the Public Service Division Fund of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

The Director of the Cooperative Extension DepartmentProgram of the UniversityNevada System of Nevada,Higher Reno,Education shall prepare and submit to the board of county commissioners, for each county participating, an annual financial budget covering the county, state and federal funds cooperating in the cost of educational, research, outreach and service programs pertaining to agriculture, community development, health and nutrition, horticulture, personal and family development, and natural resources in the rural and urban communities in the State of Nevada.

The budget must be adopted by the board of county commissioners and certified as a part of the annual county budget, and the county tax levy provided for agriculturalcooperative extension work in the annual county budget must include a levy of not less than 1 cent on each $100 of taxable property.

If the proceeds of the county tax levy of 1 cent are insufficient to meet the county’s share of the cooperative agricultural extension work, as provided in the combined annual financial budget, the board of county commissioners may, by unanimous vote, levy an additional tax so that the total in no instance exceeds 5 cents on each $100 of the county tax rate.

The proceeds of such a tax must be placed in the agriculturalcooperative extension fund in each county treasury and must be paid out on claims drawn by the agriculturalcooperative extension agent of the county as designated by the Director of the Cooperative Extension DepartmentProgram of the UniversityNevada System of Nevada,Higher Reno,Education when approved by the Director and countersigned by the Treasurer of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

The State’s cooperative share of the cost of such agriculturalcooperative extension work, as entered in the budget described[described in this section,section,] prepared by the Director of the Cooperative Extension Program of the Nevada System of Higher Education pursuant to subsection 1, must [not] be [more than a sum] an amount equal to the aggregate proceeds of 1 cent of such[such] the county tax rate .[;

[;but when] of each participating county, and averaged by the Director of the Cooperative Extension Program of the Nevada System of Higher Education for the immediately preceding 5 fiscal years.

but when] If the averaged proceeds of a 1-cent tax rate from each participating county are insufficient to carry out the provisions of the budget - *AB16_R1* – 5 – previously adopted, the Director of the Cooperative Extension DepartmentProgram of the UniversityNevada System of Nevada,Higher Reno,Education is authorized to supplement the State’s cooperative share from the funds as may be made available in the Public[Public Service Division FundFund] appropriate fund of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

- *AB16* – 5 – 6.

In addition to the State’s cooperative share of the cost of agricultural extension work prescribed in subsection 5, the Director of the Cooperative Extension Department of the University of Nevada, Reno, shall contribute to each county an amount equal to one-half of the amount expended by the county to pay for ancillary costs, including, without limitation, the salaries of employees and the cost and expense of supplies, materials, equipment, property or land acquired for the use of county agricultural extension offices.

Necessary modifications thereof, involving county and state funds, resulting from leaves of absence without pay, resignations, changes in salary, dismissals or employment of any cooperative agent, variations in expense accounts or otherwise, not involving an increase in the total expenditures provided to be paid from the funds and consistent with the purposes of this chapter, may be made by filing with the Treasurer of the Nevada System of Higher Education and the board of county commissioners a revised budget, approved by the Director of the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education]Education University of Nevada, Reno, and countersigned by the Treasurer of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

549.050 All moneys appropriated pursuant to NRS 549.040 must be expended under the direction of the Director of the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education]Education University of Nevada, Reno, to the extent of the financial budget for cooperation between the State and the respective counties provided for in NRS 549.020.

6.5.

NRS 549.060 is hereby amended to read as follows:

549.060 Any county in the state which has agreed or shall agree to participate in cooperative work in [agricultural] cooperative extension under the provisions of this chapter or acts previously passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor shall, by the provisions hereof, come under this chapter.

Sec.

“Director” means the Director of the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education.]Education. University of Nevada, Reno.

- *AB16**AB16_R1* – 6 – 3.

Every agricultural demonstration farm or plot under the provisions of this chapter must be conducted by the owner, lessee or manager thereof under the supervision of the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education]Education University of Nevada, Reno, and in accordance with the terms of a written project agreement entered into with the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education]Education University of Nevada, Reno, and approved by the board of county commissioners of the county in which the agricultural farm or plot is located.

The agreement must include the keeping by the owner, lessee or manager of accurate and systematic records and accounts in the form prescribed by the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education.]Education. University of Nevada, Reno.

The purpose of demonstration farms is to demonstrate the results of improved systems of farm management and accountancy as prescribed by the [Agricultural] Cooperative Extension Department[Department] Program of the [Public Service Division of thethe] Nevada System of Higher Education]Education University of Nevada, Reno, and applied to the farm units.