Legislature passes $50M COVID relief plan for Nevada businesses

CARSON CITY — Gov. Steve Sisolak on Friday signed a bill that provides an additional $50 million to help small businesses and nonprofits hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lawmakers completed work Thursday on the measure, one of Sisolak’s budget priorities, with the Senate unanimously approving it. Assembly Bill 106 was unanimously approved by the Assembly Wednesday night.

The bill doubles current funding for the state’s Pandemic Emergency Technical Support, or PETS, grant program.

Typical grants of $10,000 have thus far benefited roughly 4,600 businesses.

“Keeping small businesses operating safely is key to Nevada’s economic recovery, and these grants will help ensure that thousands of businesses can come back stronger once this crisis is behind us,” Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, said in a statement following the vote.

The program began in October with $20 million; lawmakers added $31 million to it in December. In its initial four-day application period in October, the state received more than 13,000 applications. The latest increase boosts the total to over $100 million. Funding comes from federal COVID-19 relief dollars.

Sisolak signed the bill — the first signing of the 81st Legislature — on Friday morning. In an earlier statement, he said, with the new funds, the program is now “the largest small business program in our State’s history.”

The PETS program is administered through the state treasurer’s office and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

Decriminalizing traffic citations

Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen, D-Las Vegas, on Thursday introduced Assembly Bill 111, which would take jail time off the table for most minor traffic offenses, like speeding or broken taillights.

Under the proposal, those minor traffic offenses would be reclassified as civil infractions with potential fines for most topping out at $250. Under the current law, those traffic violations are considered criminal misdemeanors, meaning that jail time, and even a bench warrant, remain possible for even minor infractions.

Democrats attempted but failed to pass a similar bill in 2019,

The bill, which has 30 sponsors, including Nguyen and both Democratic legislative leaders in Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, D-Las Vegas, and Cannizzaro.

AB111 was referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Contact Capital Bureau reporter Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter. Capital Bureau Chief Colton Lochhead contributed to this report.