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NVBillSB99Passed

Makes an appropriation to the Desert Research Institute of the Nevada System of Higher Education to support the Nevada State Cloud Seeding Program. (BDR S-592)

  1. Introduced
  2. Passed one chamber
  3. Passed both chambers
  4. Passed

Nevada continued its legislative support for weather modification with this $1.2 million appropriation to fund the state's official cloud seeding program—demonstrating that while some states move to ban atmospheric intervention, others actively fund it as water supply infrastructure.

Our summary

SB 99 appropriated $1.2 million over two fiscal years ($600,000 each in FY 2023-2024 and FY 2024-2025) from the State General Fund to the Desert Research Institute of the Nevada System of Higher Education to support the Nevada State Cloud Seeding Program.

The Desert Research Institute was required to submit expenditure reports to the Interim Finance Committee by September 1, 2024 covering the first fiscal year's spending, and by September 1, 2025 covering the second fiscal year's spending.

Sunset provisions required that any unspent balance at the end of each fiscal year could not be committed for expenditure after June 30 of that year, could not be spent for any purpose after September 20, 2024 and September 19, 2025, respectively, and must revert to the State General Fund by those dates.

The bill contained no regulatory provisions or restrictions on cloud seeding activities. Like its predecessor, SB 423 from 2015, this represents state funding support for weather modification rather than prohibition or regulation.

Official description

AN ACT making an appropriation to the Desert Research Institute of the Nevada System of Higher Education to support the Nevada State Cloud Seeding Program; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

Legislative history

SB 99 was prefiled on February 2, 2023 by Senator Goicoechea and referred to the Senate Finance Committee. The bill received a notice of exemption on April 13, 2023, protecting it from certain procedural deadlines. The Finance Committee reported the bill favorably on June 1, 2023, and it was placed on second reading.

The bill moved rapidly through the end-of-session legislative process. It passed second reading on June 2, third reading on June 3 with unanimous Senate support (21-0), and was immediately transmitted to the Assembly. The Assembly referred it to Ways and Means, which reported it out favorably the next day. The Assembly then declared SB 99 an emergency measure under the Nevada Constitution, allowing expedited consideration. It passed the Assembly unanimously (42-0) on June 5, 2023.

Governor Lombardo signed the bill on June 14, 2023. It became Chapter 401 of the 2023 Session Laws, effective July 1, 2023.

Unlike the failed 2015 cloud seeding appropriation (SB 423), this bill succeeded—reflecting both different legislative dynamics and the fact that cloud seeding was now administered through the Desert Research Institute's established state program rather than as discretionary grants.

  1. Chapter 401. (Effective July 1, 2023)
  2. Approved by the Governor.
  3. Enrolled and delivered to Governor.
  4. In Senate. To enrollment.
  5. Read third time. Passed. Title approved. (Yeas: 42, Nays: None.) To Senate.
  6. Taken from General File. Placed on General File for next legislative day.
  7. Declared an emergency measure under the Constitution.
  8. From committee: Do pass.
  9. Read first time. Referred to Committee on Ways and Means. To committee.
  10. In Assembly.
  11. Read third time. Passed. Title approved. (Yeas: 21, Nays: None.) To Assembly.
  12. Read second time.
  13. Placed on Second Reading File.
  14. From committee: Do pass.
  15. Notice of exemption.
  16. Read first time. To committee.
  17. From printer.
  18. Prefiled. Referred to Committee on Finance. To printer.

Bill text

Show consolidated bill text 
82nd Session (2023)
Senate Bill No. 99 — Senator Goicoechea
CHAPTER 401
AN ACT making an appropriation to the Desert Research Institute of the Nevada System of Higher Education to support the Nevada State Cloud Seeding Program; 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. 1. There is hereby appropriated from the State General Fund to the Desert Research Institute of the Nevada System of Higher Education to support the Nevada State Cloud Seeding Program administered by the Desert Research Institute the following sums:
For the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 ................................. $600,000
For the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 ................................. $600,000

The Desert Research Institute shall:

(a) Prepare and transmit a report to the Interim Finance Committee on or before September 1, 2024, that describes each expenditure made from the money appropriated by subsection 1 from the date on which the money was received by the Desert Research Institute through June 30, 2024; and
(b) Prepare and transmit a report to the Interim Finance Committee on or before September 1, 2025, that describes each expenditure made from the money appropriated by subsection 1 from the date on which the money was received by the Desert Research Institute through June 30, 2025.
Sec. 2. Any balance of the sums appropriated by section 1 of this act remaining at the end of the respective fiscal years must not be committed for expenditure after June 30 of the respective fiscal years by the entity to which the appropriation is made or any entity to which money from the appropriation is granted or otherwise transferred in any manner, and any portion of the appropriated money remaining must not be spent for any purpose after September 20, 2024, and September 19, 2025, respectively, by either the entity to which the money was appropriated or the entity to which the money was subsequently granted or transferred, and must be reverted to the State General Fund on or before September 20, 2024, and September 19, 2025, respectively.
Sec. 3. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2023.