The Interim Finance Committee met virtually, Tuesday morning, to discuss how to utilize federal funds, including money from the CARES Act. The committee, made up of state senators and assembly members have until December 31 to distribute the funds, and they agreed on how to use more than $100 million of it during the meeting.

"These dollars are really going to help people. Help people with money, help people with food, help people with education. So this was a good morning in terms of getting federal dollars on the ground to help Nevada families," Sen. Ben Kieckhefer, R-Reno said.

$30 million dollars will go towards rent assistance for people who are struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic. Some could qualify for up to three months of rent. The hold on evictions in Nevada expires on July 31.

"Now we have to look at these folks who haven't been able to pay their rent and still can't pay their rent and how we can support them," Assem. Robin Titus, R-Smith Valley said.

$76 million will go towards food support including SNAP and other programs. Children who benefit from free or reduced lunches will also see that program continue.

"We have thousands of kids that have free meals," Titus said. "With this closure, we want to ensure that they can still continue to feed our most needy children."

Education is also getting a boost. Lawmakers say it is important to improve broadband in rural areas and dense urban neighborhoods for students to utilize. The committee wants to be prepared for distance learning when school resumes in the fall.

"As we move towards distance learning and virtual learning with our students, that the students are supported, that the parts are taken care of and the teachers have the resources that they need," Assem. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas said.

Carlton is the chair of the Interim Finance Committee. She says the meeting was very smooth and bipartisan because everyone agreed that the money needed to benefit these programs.

"These are kitchen table programs," Carlton said. "Every single one of them. Education, if your parents are in a nursing home, rental assistance and food assistance."

Kieckhefer says the money is coming during a time when the state desperately needs it. The unemployment rate reached more than 30 percent because of the economic shutdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many have had a difficult time receiving unemployment benefits because of an overwhelmed system. He says this money will give many some much-needed help.

"People are going to be struggling, not just for the short-term but for the long-term and getting funds like these deployed are going to be a big relief to people who haven't seen income for months, potentially, and also struggled to get into the unemployment system," Kieckhefer said.

Meanwhile, the legislature is chipping away at the budget. Its job is to trim $1.2 billion from the state budget, which also suffered from a decrease in revenue during the shutdown. Both chambers have passed SB2, which offers waivers for students who lost their eligibility for the Millennium Scholarship during the distance learning portion of the spring semester. They also passed SB1, which makes cuts funding for capital improvement projects. Both passed unanimously.

The Senate passed SB4, Tuesday, 21-0. That bill deals with public borrowing. The Assembly is working on AB1, which would include pay cuts and furloughs for state employees. Meanwhile, lawmakers are digging into AB3, which is the biggest chunk of the budget process. Carlton refers to it as the Appropriations Adjustment Bill. There is still no timeline for a vote.

"You have to be very flexible knowing that when something is ready to go, you get it done, and sometimes it takes a little longer," Carlton said. "Sometimes it's a little faster."

"We're working in a bicameral, bipartisan fashion in this legislative building," Kieckhefer said. "It's been a really good process. I think people would be proud to see their legislators working together like this, and hopefully, we'll come up with a solution that meets everyone's needs as best we can."