MINUTES OF THE
JOINT Subcommittee on
General Government
of the
Senate Committee on Finance
AND THE
Assembly Committee on Ways and Means
Seventy-second Session
March 7, 2003
The Joint Subcommittee on General Government of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means was called to order by Chairman Sandra J. Tiffany at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, March 7, 2003. in Room 2134 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada. Exhibit A is the Agenda. Exhibit B is the Attendance Roster. All exhibits are available and on file at the Research Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
Senate COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Senator Sandra J. Tiffany, Chairman
Senator Dean A. Rhoads
Senator Bob Coffin
Assembly COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mrs. Vonne Stout Chowning, Chairman
Mr. Bob Beers
Mr. Joshua B. Griffin
Ms. Kathryn A. McClain
Mr. David R. Parks
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:
Bob Guernsey, Principal Deputy Fiscal Analyst
Steven J. Abba, Principal Deputy Fiscal Analyst
Jim Rodriguez, Program Analyst
Joyce Garrett, Program Analyst
Michael Archer, Committee Secretary
OTHERS PRESENT:
Myla C. Florence, Director, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation
Martin A. Ramirez, Chief Financial Officer, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation
Bill Vance, Administrator, Division of Information Development and Processing, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation
Robert A. Murdoch, Chief, Research and Analysis Bureau Nonstatutory, Division of Information Development and Processing, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation
Birgit K. Baker, Administrator, Employment Security Division, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation
Robert E. Shriver, Executive Director, Division of Economic Development, Commission on Economic Development
Kraig Schutte, Chief, Bureau of Disability Adjudication, Rehabilitation Division, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation
Libby Jones, Deputy Director, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation
Kitti Barth, Chairman, Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Department of Business and Industry
DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING AND REHABILITATION– OVERVIEW
Myla C. Florence, Director, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation:
I will review the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) administration budget in the Executive Budget.
DETR, ADMINISTRATION – Budget Page DETR-1 (Volume 2)
Budget Account 101-3272
We did not meet many of the targets projected in our performance indicators. This was due to events of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent economic downturn. Our new performance indicators will more clearly reflect outcomes rather than processes. Maintenance unit M-525 provides funding for accommodation needs, identified by the department, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
M-525 Americans with Disabilities Act– Page DETR-1
Enhancement E-500 is the addition of a maintenance repair worker III to provides for the maintenance needs of our central office, and other facilities in the Carson City area. We have not been successful keeping a contract person. A full-time employee will be more efficient because we will save time on training and retraining new contract workers. The concept is to trade contract funding for full-time position funding.
E-500 Accessible, Flexible, Cost-efficient Government – Page DETR-1
Assemblywoman Chowning:
How many full-time maintenance workers do you have currently? How long have you had the full-time employees? How long have you had contract workers?
Ms. Florence:
We need three full-time positions. Our central office building is old and requires constant maintenance.
Martin A. Ramirez, Chief Financial Officer, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation:
We have had two full-time maintenance staff employees for 10 years. They are responsible for 120,000 square feet of facility space in nine locations statewide. We originally requested authority for the contract help because the two full-time employees could not keep up with the work. The contract workers are unreliable and cannot keep up with the work.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
Are there other costs built into the full-time position you request?
Mr. Ramirez:
We calculated all the costs and intend to reduce the cost of contract help by an equivalent amount. There is no net increase in cost.
Ms. Florence:
Let us now resume reviewing the DETR administration budget in the Executive Budget, atpage DETR-4.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
How will the reclassification described in decision unit E-805 benefit your department? What are the function changes?
E-805 Major Reclassifications– Page DETR-5
Ms. Florence:
This change will have no impact on operations. It is being done to keep us consistent with the classification of similar positions in other State departments. There are no functional changes associated with the positions.
Assemblywoman McClain:
Did you say you were buying a plotter and computer software for a training program? Is it internal to your department?
Ms. Florence:
The purchase of the software and plotter is for the facility manager’s use in reconfiguring building setups. It is internal to our department.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
What steps are being taken to improve the department’s overall level of performance? What percent of the time are you meeting your performance goals now?
Ms. Florence:
The economy is still not doing well, so employment opportunities for many Nevadans is still low. In computing this performance indicator, we are over 50 percent, but not yet at 75 percent target level.
Bill Vance, Administrator, Division of Information Development and Processing, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation:
I will read from my prepared text (Exhibit C), pages 1 through 3, which cover Information Technology in Budget Account (B/A) 3274. In particular, I will discuss the new positions in decision unit E-300, and new equipment in decision units E-301, E ‑ 710 and E-720.
DETR, INFORMATION DEVELOPMENT AND PROCESSING – Budget Page DETR‑7 (Volume 2) Budget Account 101-3274
E-300 Maximize Internet & Technology – Page DETR-9
E-301 Maximize Internet & Technology – Page DETR-9
E-710 Replacement Equipment – Page DETR-10
E-720 New Equipment – Page DETR-10
Senator Tiffany:
In decision unit E-300, I do not understand your request for eight new positions. What will the computer network technicians do?
Mr. Vance:
One computer network technician will be based in Reno, one in Las Vegas, and one here in the State administrative office. The computer network technicians will provide primary support for seven resource centers throughout the State, and secondary support for another 11 DETR locations. We need these new positions because of the increasing number of computers we are using.
Senator Tiffany:
Instead of having computer network technicians travel to various offices, can you train local staff to take care of computer problems?
Mr. Vance:
Local staffs do fix minor computer problems. We have a help desk they can call when they have a problem. If the help desk employee cannot walk them through a fix, they will set up a work order. Only then does the technician need to visit the site of the problem. If we trained local staff to work on more complex problems, someone else would have to do their work.
Senator Tiffany:
What exactly will these technicians do?
Mr. Vance:
The computer network technicians will help with the telephonic claims process by maintaining the Internet server and make hardware installations. They will also maintain and recycle desktop computers, and resolve communications problems. Currently, these duties are overwhelming them.
Ms. Florence:
If you look at the performance indicators on page DETR-7, you will see that we did not meet the customer satisfaction target for network support services. This is because we do not have enough staff to provide this service.
Assemblyman Beers:
The point of our investment in technology is to decrease the number of clerks handling paper work. Are we seeing a trend in that direction?
Ms. Florence:
We have not had to add any administrative assistant positions because more people are doing their own work on computers.
Assemblyman Beers:
If a caller can get an unemployment claim initiated without talking to a person, what are these employees doing?
Ms. Florence:
A caller must still talk to a person in order to file an initial claim. For continuing claims, they do not need to talk to a person, and can use the computer solely.
Assemblyman Beers:
Is the workload going down for employees who process claims?
Ms. Florence:
In the past year we projected calls for Unemployment Insurance Benefits (UIB) would be 205,00; the actual number was 555,000. Our projected claims in that period were 100,000, but the actual number of claims was 214,000. This has all been accomplished without additional staff. Technology saved us during that time. We have about 10,000 ongoing claimants since September 11, 2001.
Assemblyman Beers:
Is the 10,000 claims an increase over the pre-September 11 numbers? Is that figure going up, or down?
Ms. Florence:
It was higher than that directly after September 11, but that is the on-going figure. The numbers are holding steady at the present time.
Senator Tiffany:
In decision unit E-301, why have you decided now to go 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 24/7? How did you derive those hours and staffing numbers?
Mr. Vance:
Previously, we did not have as many applicants that would have benefited from 24/7 service. We want to be 24/7 because many Nevada businesses are open every day. The busiest day of the week for our voice response system is Sunday. We now have staff onboard from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. During off hours, if a problem arises, we call designated technicians who are on standby status.
Senator Tiffany:
Have problems increased? Are the standby technicians called often?
Mr. Vance:
We have things currently under control, but as we add more Web-based systems with 24/7 availability, we are going to see an increased number of problems. We have been paying for our standby technicians by using funds from our existing budget.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
Your funding from services coverage is going from $3000 to $31,000. Do you think there will be that much of an increased need? Also, when are these changes anticipated to take place?
Mr. Vance:
Yes, the need will be there. I will provide you with a schedule of the exact hours and the exact positions. If the budget is approved, we will set a schedule for standby pay. We intend to start this July 1, 2003.
Senator Tiffany:
Would staying with the current standby system, and just increasing the hours, be more efficient than adding new staff? Why has the budget gone from $3000 to $31,000 on the standby issue? Also, why has your training budget nearly doubled?
Mr. Vance:
We are not adding any staff on the standby issue. Employees receive 5 percent of their salaries to remain available. We take existing staff, and rotate those duties. The increase to $31,000 is to formalize this service. The money has been coming from our vacancy savings. We can no longer afford to cover net cost from vacancies. Training makes our employees more efficient and helps us retain our information technology professionals.
Ms. Florence:
The training costs for the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) is the same as in our request, so this is not out of line for training information technology professionals. This is especially important since we operate many of our own systems.
Mr. Vance:
Seventy percent of what we have requested for training involves bringing in a trainer who will instruct 15 people at a time. There are no additional expenses, and you get 100 percent of what you are paying for.
Jim Rodriguez, Program Analyst:
If we increase the standby pay, will that offset the callback pay, and the overtime pay, that you have been compensating for by not paying standby pay in the past? What would the offset be?
Mr. Vance:
Yes, increased standby pay would offset callback and overtime pay. We will provide the exact offset information.
Assemblyman Beers:
If it were a choice between one new position, or the training funds, to which would you give the higher priority?
Mr. Vance:
Training would get the higher priority.
Page 4 of my prepared presentation (Exhibit C), addresses B/A 101-3273, regarding funding for research and analysis.
DETR, RESEARCH & ANALYSIS – Budget Page DETR‑12 (Volume 2) Budget Account 101-3273
Assemblywoman Chowning:
In decision unit E-350, how many users are utilizing the School to Careers software? If you are reducing your reserves in this budget, how will this affect the program?
Martin A. Ramirez:
This software helps students find employment opportunities. The program that is receiving the benefit for this expenditure is the Nevada Career Information System (NCIS). We are merely using existing career information reserves to fund the enhancement.
Senator Tiffany:
Is School to Careers only for high schools? How many people have actually found employment? Can this be made part of your performance indicators?
Robert A. Murdoch, Chief, Research and Analysis Bureau Nonstatutory, Division of Information Development and Processing, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation:
Besides being used in high schools, School to Careers is now in some middle schools. Also, some teachers have tried it in elementary schools. It is also available in the public libraries and in the college system.
Mr. Vance:
I get a weekly report from the DETR Division of Information Development and Processing, which consistently indicate a high level of satisfaction with this system by the schools. We will include this in our performance indicators.
Assemblyman Beers:
Is the NCIS system Web-based?
Mr. Ramirez:
Yes, it is Web-based. In this decision unit there is an increase for the Web-based software, as well as some advertising for job fairs to market our Nevada JobConnect system and NCIS. There are really two components.
Assemblyman Beers:
If this is an existing Web-based system, why are we spending money on software? Have you tried to put this collateral material in the libraries?
Mr. Ramirez:
We pay the State of Oregon for the software. It did the development and we then modify it for Nevada’s specific needs.
Mr. Vance:
It is available in public libraries.
Birgit K. Baker, Administrator, Employment Security Division, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation:
I will read from my prepared text (Exhibit D), which will provide an overview of our performance indicators, the administrative account of the Employment Security Division, the Career Enhancement Program, and the Employment Security Special Fund.
DETR, EMPLOYMENT SECURITY – Budget Page DETR‑18 (Volume 2)
Budget Account 205-4770
DETR, CAREER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM – Budget Page DETR‑27 (Volume 2)
Budget Account 205-4767
DETR, EMPLOYMENT SECURITY – SPECIAL FUND – Budget Page DETR‑33
(Volume 2) Budget Account 235-4771
Senator Tiffany:
Are we doing anything about problems with the calling system?
Ms. Baker:
We implemented an Internet claims filing system in January 2003. Prior to this, it had been just a claims maintenance system. We still have telephone claims, as an option to Internet filing.
Assemblyman Beers:
How many people have been utilizing this system?
Ms. Baker:
We have taken 4200 initial claims. This represents 12 percent of our initial claims workload. This is encouraging because we have not yet begun to fully market the on-line system to the public.
Senator Tiffany:
With regard to disability claims adjudication, you remarked in the discussion of your performance indicators that you have not yet recovered from September 11. Please explain.
Ms. Baker:
We are still behind in the area of eligibility determinations and appeals. We reclassified existing positions to deal with this workload, but there is an extensive training period for claims adjudicators and appeals referees. We have also reclassified two vacant management positions. We currently have 17 new adjudicators in training classes at this time. Once they are trained, this should resolve the problem.
Senator Tiffany:
Why has the use of electronic transfer to collect unemployment tax been so low?
Ms. Baker:
It was less than 1 percent of the total collections for FY 2002. We discovered there was reluctance by employers to use it. This is because they still had to transmit detailed wage data on separate transactions. For larger employers, there is also the issue of float, so they prefer mailing the checks. During FY 2002, we developed a system that allows employers to file the tax summary and the wage data as a single transaction using magnetic media.
Senator Tiffany:
What are you doing to promote that new system?
Ms. Baker:
We use our field office staff to go directly to the employer’s business to give training. Our total quarterly collections have increased since implementation of this new system.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
Performance indicators on page DETR-18, of the Executive Budget, show a change in your philosophy and approach in providing services. Please explain.
Ms. Baker:
The change of philosophy is to promote self-service. This is because of the huge increase in our workload, coupled with our inability to add staff. We expect to show a significant increase in performance indicators numbers four and five, because we are now registering all our clients in the one-stop system. This allows them to be more easily matched for wage records and re-employment.
Senator Tiffany:
How will expanding the Career Enhancement Program (CEP) help employers and workers?
Ms. Baker:
We want to expand the program to include incumbent workers, as well as the unemployed, and to assist those people in retaining their jobs and increasing their earnings. We propose using $1.1 million in fiscal year (FY) 2003, and $1.2 million in FY 2004, to expand services to existing unemployed clients. In addition, up to $1 million a year would be set aside for expanding services to incumbent workers. The Governor’s Workforce Investment Board has established policies and procedures for incumbent worker training that we already use through the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Investment Act.
Senator Tiffany:
Will the Workforce Investment Board handle the Train Employees Now (TEN) program? Is this who you want to serve?
Ms. Baker:
No. The TEN program can only serve unemployed Nevadans. The Commission on Economic Development has not been able to take advantage of the $500,000 per year we have already set aside for its use. By expanding it to include incumbent worker training, it now will be able to use those funds.
Robert E. Shriver, Executive Director, Division of Economic Development, Commission on Economic Development:
We think this a great opportunity for Nevadans to expand their job skills.
Senator Tiffany:
How will you market this to the public and the business community?
Mr. Shriver:
We will market the program through our development authorities and various groups. The whole network of Nevada business services is a team when it comes to finding qualified workers for companies in, or moving to, Nevada.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
How is this going to affect the Welfare to Work clients?
Ms. Baker:
There are 850 individuals still enrolled in the Welfare to Work program. Those individuals are currently being referred to Nevada JobConnect. We believe they will have a smooth transition when the Welfare to Work program is ended.
Senator Tiffany:
Regarding B/A 4771, how will the cut in federal funding to the Employment Security Fund impact you? What programs do you have that may help solve those problems?
Ms. Baker:
Funding from the federal government has been erratic for many years. We do not know what the impact on Nevada will be for the coming biennium. We do have a greater workload than many states. The ability to file claims on the Internet, and the addition of the other self-service applications that we will be offering, will be a big help in addressing the projected workload increases.
Senator Tiffany:
What about the new administration building?
Ms. Baker:
The building will cost $16 million. We are proposing to increase the space from 40,000 to 60,000 square feet. All costs, including the proposed expansion, are covered in this estimate. We anticipate moving in by April 2006.
Senator Tiffany:
What about the unemployment insurance (UI) contributions rewrite project?
Ms. Baker:
We were able to expand the scope to include Internet business registration and wage and tax filing. That piece of the redesign will be completed by December 31, 2004. The rewrite of the core accounting system should be completed by December 2006. The staff needed for this is built into our budget request.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
Are you asking for additional phases for these projects?
Ms. Baker:
No. That will complete the project. However, we will have some additional funding requests to complete the projects in our next biennial request. The use of Distributions Under the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (Reed Act) funds for this capital improvement will require an appropriation from this Legislature to expend $15 million of the Reed Act funds during the next biennium.
Ms. Florence:
Budget account 3268 plans for transfer of an administrative assistant position to the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation. Legislative Counsel Bureau auditors recommended we strengthen our internal controls and review our expenditure authority. In response to that, we have organized a quality assurance unit within the vocational rehabilitation bureau. The transferred administrative assistant position would support the activities of that unit.
DETR, REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION – Budget Page DETR‑38
(Volume 2) Budget Account 101-3268
Senator Tiffany:
How will losing that position impact the service of rehabilitation administration?
Ms. Florence:
It provides relief in terms of cost-allocation, and it provides eligibility for federal funds under Section 110 of the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program.
Senator Tiffany:
Are you using the appropriate cost-allocation?
Ms. Florence:
Yes, it is the appropriate allocation. We are making the transfer to better align the position with its companion functions. In terms of funding, it is more appropriate to use the federal matching scheme than cost-allocation.
Senator Tiffany:
Why have you had two vacant positions for a while? Are the positions still needed? Should the cost-allocation be changed to reflect this?
Ms. Florence:
In an effort not to impact the General Fund, we have been staging the release of positions. Not only are the positions needed, they need to be filled soon. This has had a major impact on the division. Our needs have grown with the population. Advances in technology have made more services available to people with disabilities. Our cost-allocation plans are built with the assumption that all positions are filled. The monthly reconciliation of cost-allocation is based on actual full-time employees (FTE) at that point in time. However, what is budgeted is adjusted on an ongoing basis to reflect the actual situation for that month.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
What is it going to take to get those positions filled?
Ms. Florence:
Our plan is to have all these positions filled by July 1, 2003. We are anxious for a determination to be made soon on the revenue side. We have several positions in recruitment, and we will fill these positions as we become more comfortable with our financial situation.
Senator Tiffany:
In B/A 3269, has the bureau made progress in lowering case-processing times? What do you project processing times to be if these 20 new positions are approved?
DETR, DISABILITY ADJUDICATION – Budget Page DETR‑43(Volume 2)
Budget Account 101-3269
Kraig Schutte, Chief, Bureau of Disability Adjudication, Rehabilitation Division, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation:
The 20 new positions will improve the level of service we provide. Our processing time has suffered primarily because, over the past 5 years, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has not been able to fund all of the states to handle all of the cases. This has led to backlogs of from 2100 to 3200 cases. We have accumulated a backlog of sixty percent. We would like to process all our claims in Nevada. This year alone the Federal Disability Claims unit in California will process 3000 of our cases because we cannot handle them. We have recently shipped 250 more cases to the Bureau of Disability Adjudication in Hawaii.
Senator Tiffany:
How did you decide on the number of employees needed? Will the processing time change with the addition of these new positions?
Mr. Schutte:
We asked SSA for input in projecting caseloads for future years. We have already made significant strides in reducing processing times. The addition of these 20 positions will allow us to maintain the processing-time gains we have made, but I am not sure if it will allow us to lower it any further.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
Your performance indicators for FY 2002 and FY 2003 are to handle 250 cases a year per FTE. Does this include your work backlog? If these positions are granted, and the backlogs disappear, will we still need all these positions?
Mr. Schutte:
The Social Security Administration uses a productivity measurement of work per FTE, per year. Nevada has been performing above the norm based on that standard established by SSA. This indicates that we have a larger-than-normal workload for the number of people we have doing the work.
The backlog really effects processing time more than it does this productivity measure. The SSA has a 5-year plan to reduce backlogs. I will provide details of this plan to you. But when you look at the State’s population growth, I do not think we can totally eliminate the backlog. The President’s budget for FY 2004 proposes an 8.5 percent increase in funding for SSA. The projections indicate an increase of 300 positions for the states. Those will be 100 percent federally funded. None of these positions will be filled until we get funding from SSA.
Senator Tiffany:
What impact has your paperless pilot program had on the disability adjudication process?
Mr. Schutte:
SSA offices are taking the applications electronically, but because our computer equipment is too old to handle it efficiently, they must print the applications and then ship the cases to us. SSA will soon start to have a small number of cases entirely processed electronically. We do not know what states will pilot that phase of the project. Assuming the program works, it will be rolled out nationally over the next 18 months. SSA has set a target date of June 2003 for Nevada to have all the computer workstations upgraded.
Ms. Florence:
The Interim Finance Committee (IFC) already approved ten positions. They have not yet been filled because the federal budget for FY 2003 was finally approved just 2 weeks ago. Due to our high productivity, the federal funding agency is likely to look favorably upon Nevada’s request for funds.
Ms. Florence:
The next budget item is the vocational rehabilitation budget.
DETR, VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION – Budget Page DETR‑49 (Volume 2)
Budget Account 101-3265
This is funded by federal Section 110 matching funds. The ratio of federal to State dollars is 78.7 to 21.3. The funds can carry over for a 2-year period, and we are attempting to match the federal funds that are available to us from FY 2001 and FY 2002. We have projected a 4.89 percent increase for FY 2004 and FY 2005. Federal funding will increase 6.1 percent. We are not requesting the General Fund to overmatch any of these funding streams. We will prepare a schedule for your staff to show how we have done it in the past.
Senator Tiffany:
When we funded you before, you did not meet the performance indicators; therefore you have not used all the money. Why should we approve the maximum in matching funds again?
Ms. Florence:
We do not spend money unless the positions are filled. The function of client services is totally dependent on having a rehabilitation coordinator in place. The rehabilitation coordinator position must be filled with a certified rehabilitation counselor. Neither of the University of Nevada campuses offers a masters degree in rehabilitation counseling. Recruitment is a problem when you do not have an institution in the State that can provide these kinds of professionals. We did not meet the performance standards because we did not have adequate staff.
Senator Tiffany:
I understand the problem, but what is the solution? What will you do to find qualified recruits?
Ms. Florence:
By passing this budget, the problem would be solved. We have a national recruitment plan that we will undertake as soon as we have the funds. We have done this in the past.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
The reason we have to go elsewhere is because the educational opportunities are not available within our own State. Maybe changes should be made so we can employ Nevadans. Have you communicated with the university system about this?
Libby Jones, Deputy Director, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation:
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) originally had a program, but it was not accredited. It does offer some counseling courses now. We are reviewing the rehabilitation curriculum and will have a meeting at UNLV next week to see how we can get these core classes included in its counseling curriculum
Senator Tiffany:
Exactly how many more clients will you be able to serve if you get these new positions? Have you changed the process for vocational rehabilitation? How does reclassifying the position of chief of vocational rehabilitation benefit your department?
Ms. Florence:
We will provide that information to you. Our counselors carry caseloads of 130, but a more reasonable standard would be 75 cases. If we had all positions filled, it would moderate these caseloads and provide about a 330 client-served impact.
We have changed the rehabilitation process. Having counselors within the Nevada JobConnect offices has enabled a better orientation process for applicants. A disabled applicant, who may be ready for a job, may go through the normal employment service component of the system. Also, through our quality assurance initiatives, we are looking at ways to improve processing. Of our four chiefs, two are classified, and two are unclassified. We recommend the chief of vocational rehabilitation be removed from the unclassified service for the sake of continuity and alignment with other State departments.
I will now discuss B/A 3156.
DETR, OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT POLICY – Budget Page DETR‑58 (Volume 2) Budget Account 101-3156
We are modeling this office after what the U.S. Department of Labor has done, and reorganizing the functions under the Office of Disability Employment Policy. This will position Nevada to access additional federal funds. We have built this budget around federal funding streams that we currently use to fund operations.
Senator Tiffany:
This question is directed to Kitti Barth. How do you see your role of moving from being an advocate to being an administrator?
Kitti Barth, Administrator, Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Department of Business and Industry:
These federally funded programs are essentially advocacy programs. My job will be coordinating them. We will create new employment networks and will continue developing options with the business community.
Ms. Florence:
The focus on policy, as opposed to just program implementation, will give us a better view of how we can identify concerns in the employer community in terms of hiring individuals with disabilities, and developingemployment strategies. The Office of Disability Employment Policy will put a number of programs under one umbrella, and become the focal point for people with disabilities seeking services.
Senator Tiffany:
Please explain the funding mechanism? What is the General Fund portion of this? Is there a way you could do it without any General Fund support?
Ms. Florence:
With that coordination we are going to utilize U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Investment Act funding, the Employment Service Fund, and federal Section 110 funding. The time will be charged to the appropriate funding stream based on the activity. With the implementation of this office, we will be able to set up a way to track that. The office was once totally funded by General Fund. My recommendation now is to include only $19,500 in the General Fund money so we can use it as a match for federal Section 110 money.
It may be possible do this without any General Fund support because I anticipate much of this office’s time will be spent on vocational rehabilitation services. That is why I asked for such a small amount of General Fund support.
Senator Tiffany:
Is there any way to get additional federal funds?
Ms. Florence:
We will be pursuing other federal funds.
Assemblywoman Chowning:
You need to change the projections on your performance indicators to more accurately reflect your future goals.
Senator Tiffany:
This meeting is adjourned at 10:36 a.m.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:
Michael Archer,
Committee Secretary
APPROVED BY:
Senator Sandra J. Tiffany, Chairman
DATE:
Assemblywoman Vonne Stout Chowning, Chairman
DATE: