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SB 104

An Act providing for a pilot program to increase the complement of Office of Inspector General employees and for report to the General Assembly.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Dave Argall and 6 co-sponsors

Provides one-time Nevada General Fund grants to create/maintain school gardens in public schools and fund two nonprofits, with Nevada-focused STEM, local partners, and reporting.

Referred to State Government
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Bill Summary · SB 104

SB 104 (BDR S-539) — Nevada: School Garden and Related Nonprofit Appropriations

Status: Enacted — Approved by the Governor (Chapter 441). Effective July 1, 2025. Introduced January 23, 2025.

Main purpose

Provide targeted one-time appropriations from the State General Fund to (1) the Other State Education Programs Account for grants to nonprofit organizations to create and maintain school gardens at Nevada public schools, and (2) two named nonprofit projects (Mob Museum expansion planning and support for the Nevada Judicial Resource Center on Firearms).

Key funding and statutory changes

  • Appropriations to the Other State Education Programs Account:
    • FY 2025–26: $200,000
    • FY 2026–27: $200,000
  • Additional appropriations:
    • Mob Museum — $250,000 (planning phase of expansion)
    • National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges — $100,000 (support for Nevada Judicial Resource Center on Firearms)

(All sums are one-time appropriations with specified spending/reversion deadlines — see timelines below.)

What the money may be used for (school garden program)

The Department of Education must allocate the school-garden funds to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide a program at public schools. Required program elements include:
- Creation and ongoing maintenance of a school garden (includes hydroponic gardens).
- A K–12 STEM-focused curriculum specifically tailored to Nevada’s desert environment that aligns with state science standards and uses experiential/project-based learning.
- Integration of classroom and garden-based supervised learning.
- Community involvement (trained educators, local farmers, chefs).
- Opportunities for students to operate a farmers’ market and receive cooking demonstrations using garden produce.
- Formation of monthly “garden teams” of teachers (and parents/community members where available).
- Nonprofits must have at least 2 years’ prior experience operating similar programs.

Permitted expenditures include teacher professional development (including special education and vocational pathways), travel to trainings/conferences, and convening a school-garden conference in Nevada. Funds may also support food-safety planning for garden produce.

Reporting, oversight and limits

  • Interim expenditure report to the Interim Finance Committee due October 1, 2026; final report due October 1, 2027.
  • Legislative Auditor may be granted access to nonprofit records on request for audit.
  • Unspent funds must not be spent after specified September dates (FY-specific) and must be reverted to the State General Fund by those dates.

Who is affected

  • Nevada public schools and their students (benefit from garden programs and related STEM instruction).
  • Nonprofit organizations that implement school-garden programs (grant recipients).
  • Teachers (professional development), local farmers/chefs (partners), and school food-service staff.
  • Department of Education (administers allocations), Interim Finance Committee and Legislative Auditor (oversight).

Timeline / procedural notes

  • Enacted and effective July 1, 2025.
  • Appropriations tied to FY 2025–26 and FY 2026–27; specified reversion deadlines in 2026 and 2027.
  • Grant recipients subject to reporting and audit obligations.

Practical impact

The bill directs modest, time-limited funding to expand experiential STEM education via school gardens and to support two specified nonprofit projects. It emphasizes local, Nevada‑specific curricula, community partnerships, teacher training, and accountability through reporting and audit provisions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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