AB285 - Establishes the Nevada State Service Corps within the Department of Administration. (BDR 23-98)

EXEMPT (Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 14, 2025) FIRST REPRINT A.B. 285 - *AB285_R1* ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 285–ASSEMBLYMEMBERS MOSCA; D’SILVA, FLANAGAN, JACKSON, KASAMA AND NGUYEN FEBRUARY 25, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Government Affairs SUMMARY—Establishes the Nevada State Service Corps within the Department of Administration. (BDR 23-98) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No. Effect on the State: Yes. ~ EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. AN ACT relating to employment; establishing the Nevada State Service Corps as a program within the Department of Administration; requiring the Department to develop and oversee the Nevada State Service Corps; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law: (1) requires the Human Resources Commission to adopt 1 regulations for the certification of qualified persons for temporary service with this 2 State; and (2) authorizes an agency to appoint persons temporarily for less than 160 3 cumulative hours, with certain exceptions, during any calendar year without regard 4 to such regulations. (NRS 284.325) Section 1 of this bill establishes the Nevada 5 State Service Corps as a program within the Department of Administration and 6 requires the Department to develop and oversee the Nevada State Service Corps to 7 provide for the placement and mentoring of recent graduates of the Nevada System 8 of Higher Education for service in certain positions with the Executive Department 9 of the State Government. Section 1 requires the Department to recruit certain 10 students to participate in the Nevada State Service Corps. Section 1 further requires 11 the Legislative Commission to appoint a legislator to serve as an advisor to the 12 participants, promote the benefits of state service and provide encouragement to the 13 participants. 14 Section 2 of this bill provides that a position in the classified service with the 15 Nevada State Service Corps may be filled by an appointing authority without 16 competitive evaluation. 17 Section 3 of this bill provides that employment for service with the Nevada 18 State Service Corps is an exception to the limitation on the number of hours an 19 agency may appoint a person for temporary service without regard to the 20 regulations adopted by the Human Resources Commission. 21 – 2 – - *AB285_R1* THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Chapter 284 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 1 thereto a new section to read as follows: 2 1. The Nevada State Service Corps is hereby established as a 3 program within the Department of Administration. 4 2. The Department shall develop and oversee the Nevada 5 State Service Corps to provide for the placement and mentoring of 6 recent graduates of the Nevada System of Higher Education for 7 service in positions with the Executive Department of the State 8 Government. 9 3. In overseeing the Nevada State Service Corps, the 10 Department shall recruit students who are graduating or 11 graduated within the immediately preceding year from the Nevada 12 System of Higher Education to participate in the Nevada State 13 Service Corps. 14 4. The Director of the Department shall determine the 15 number of students who may participate in the Nevada State 16 Service Corps in each year. 17 5. The Legislative Commission shall appoint a legislator to 18 serve as an advisor to participants in the Nevada State Service 19 Corps, promote the benefits of state service and provide 20 encouragement to the participants. A legislator appointed 21 pursuant to this subsection serves without compensation and is not 22 entitled to the per diem and travel expenses provided for state 23 officers and employees generally. 24 6. The Director of the Department may: 25 (a) Apply for and receive gifts, grants, donations and bequests 26 to carry out the provisions of this section; and 27 (b) Adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of this 28 section. 29 Sec. 2. NRS 284.305 is hereby amended to read as follows: 30 284.305 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, 31 positions in the classified service may be filled by an appointing 32 authority without competitive evaluation only as provided in NRS 33 284.155, 284.300, 284.307, 284.308, 284.309, 284.310, 284.315, 34 284.320, 284.325, 284.327, 284.330, 284.375 and 284.3775 [.] and 35 section 1 of this act. 36 2. The Commission may adopt regulations which provide for 37 filling positions in the classified service without competitive 38 evaluation in cases involving: 39 (a) The appointment of a current employee with a disability to a 40 position at or below the grade of his or her position if the employee 41 – 3 – - *AB285_R1* becomes unable to perform the essential functions of his or her 1 position with or without reasonable accommodation; 2 (b) The demotion of a current employee; 3 (c) The reemployment of a current or former employee who was 4 or will be adversely affected by layoff, military service, 5 reclassification or a permanent partial disability arising out of and in 6 the course of the employment of the current or former employee; or 7 (d) The reappointment of a current employee. 8 Sec. 3. NRS 284.325 is hereby amended to read as follows: 9 284.325 1. The Commission shall adopt regulations not 10 inconsistent with this section for the certification of qualified 11 persons for temporary service. 12 2. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, temporary 13 positions which occur, terminate or recur periodically must be filled 14 by certification in accordance with the regulations adopted by the 15 Commission. 16 3. An agency may appoint persons temporarily for less than 17 160 cumulative hours during any calendar year without regard to the 18 regulations adopted by the Commission pursuant to subsection 1. 19 4. The limitation on hours set forth in subsection 3 does not 20 apply to temporary or part-time service by: 21 (a) A pupil attending the pupil’s last 2 years of high school; 22 (b) A student employed by the college or university the student 23 attends; 24 (c) A person certified for temporary service in accordance with 25 NRS 284.327; 26 (d) An employee of an events center, museum or research center 27 of the Nevada System of Higher Education; 28 (e) A person employed by the Nevada System of Higher 29 Education in a temporary position which recurs periodically for the 30 registration of students; [or] 31 (f) A person employed by the Nevada System of Higher 32 Education to provide such assistance to a student with a disability or 33 to a student with an identified academic disadvantage as it 34 determines is necessary for the academic success of the student, 35 including, without limitation, a person employed as a tutor, note 36 taker, reader, sign interpreter or test proctor [.] ; or 37 (g) A person employed for service with the Nevada State 38 Service Corps established pursuant to section 1 of this act. 39 5. The acceptance or refusal by an eligible person of a 40 temporary appointment does not affect the person’s standing on the 41 register for permanent employment, nor may the period of 42 temporary service be counted as part of the probationary period in 43 case of subsequent appointment to a permanent position. 44 – 4 – - *AB285_R1* 6. Successive temporary appointments to the same position 1 must not be made under this section. 2 7. As used in this section, “student with an identified academic 3 disadvantage” includes, without limitation, a student who the 4 Nevada System of Higher Education has determined requires the 5 services of a tutor for success in a course of study. 6 Sec. 4. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025. 7 H