The Assembly Ways and Means Committee on May 16 heard testimony on Assembly Bill 85, which would expand the Nevada Department of Wildlife's authority to include management of designated invertebrates such as bees and butterflies.

Assemblyman Howard Watts, representing Assembly District 15, told the committee the bill's purpose is to "allow our department of wildlife to manage all wildlife species in the state" and to give the state more tools to prevent species from being listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The bill drew support from conservation groups and cautious fiscal scrutiny from agency staff. Alan Janae of the Nevada Department of Wildlife said the department supports the concept but lacks in-house entomology expertise and outlined fiscal constraints. "We do not possess that knowledge base right now...we need to hire that expertise," Janae said, adding that two federal grants that historically funded similar work were omitted from the president's “skinny” budget and that loss creates a roughly $2,300,000 shortfall in the department's biodiversity work.

Watts told the committee he had discussed using the agency’s sportsman's revenue — fees from hunting and fishing licenses and tags — to fund a specialist position. The bill sponsor noted a projected sportsman's revenue balance of about $6,400,000 at the end of the fiscal year but also warned that recent closing actions increased the department’s demands on that fund.

Kevin Burls, representing the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, urged support and emphasized that expanded authority would allow the department to apply for federal funds such as the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund under section 6 of the Endangered Species Act. "These grant funds have been used by the department in the past to conserve other imperiled wildlife species before more drastic and costly federal measures are needed," Burls said.

Olivia Tanager, director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe chapter, said the bill is "fiscally prudent" because proactive management of invertebrates can prevent costlier recovery programs later and supports industries that rely on pollination, such as agriculture and tourism.

Laurel Saito, Nevada water strategy director for The Nature Conservancy, also testified in support, telling the committee that invertebrates are "a critical part of ecosystems" and important to Nevada’s food system economy.

Department witnesses and the sponsor said discussions are ongoing about whether the position could be funded this biennium and whether statutory language can be adjusted to address concerns about funding reliance on sportsman's revenue. Janae said the department typically maintains an eight-month reserve in that fund to manage the cyclical nature of license and tag sales.

The committee did not take a vote on AB 85 during the hearing.

Details from the hearing indicate supporters view the bill as a preventive conservation measure and a means to unlock federal grant opportunities, while agency officials emphasized the need for a dedicated entomology hire and highlighted potential gaps in federal funding that create fiscal risk.

If the bill advances, the department and sponsor said they will continue working on language and funding options to avoid tying routine wildlife funding to new obligations without a staffing plan.