1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, after reviewing and evaluating an employee suggestion, the Board, in consultation with the Budget Division of the Office of Finance, may make an award to the state employee or to each state employee of a group of state employees who submitted the employee suggestion.

2. If the amount of a proposed award will exceed $5,000, the award must be approved by the Interim Finance Committee. On a quarterly basis, the Board shall transmit any proposed awards that exceed $5,000 to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for transmittal to the Interim Finance Committee. In acting upon such an award, the Interim Finance Committee shall consider, among other things:

(a) The reduction, elimination or avoidance of state expenditures or any improvement in the operation of the State Government made possible by the employee suggestion; and

(b) The intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter.

3. An award made pursuant to this section may not exceed:

(a) Ten percent of the amount of any actual savings to the State, as determined at the end of the second fiscal year after the adoption of the employee suggestion; or

(b) A total of $25,000,

whichever is less, whether distributed to an individual employee or to a group of state employees who submitted the employee suggestion.

4. Awards to employees arising out of adopted employee suggestions must, insofar as is practicable, be paid from money other than money in the State General Fund.

5. The total amount of an award made pursuant to this section must be paid in two equal installments. The first installment must be paid not later than 90 days after the end of the fiscal year during which the State realized a reduction, elimination or avoidance of state expenditures or any improvement in the operation of State Government as a result of the adoption of the employee suggestion. The second installment must be paid not later than 90 days after the end of the fiscal year immediately following the fiscal year during which the first installment was paid.

6. A former state employee is eligible to receive an award pursuant to this section if the person was a state employee at the time he or she submitted an employee suggestion, or was a member of a group of state employees who submitted an employee suggestion, that is subsequently adopted.

7. An award may not be made for an employee suggestion pursuant to this section until the State has realized a reduction, elimination or avoidance of state expenditures or any improvement in the operation of the State Government as a result of the adopted employee suggestion.

8. Any actual savings to the State resulting from the adoption of an employee suggestion that remains after an award is made pursuant to this section must be distributed as follows:

(a) Fifty percent must be transferred to the State General Fund; and

(b) After a revision to the appropriate work program pursuant to NRS 353.220, the remaining balance must be used by the state agency that employs the state employee or the group of state employees who submitted the employee suggestion for one-time, nonoperational expenses which do not require ongoing maintenance, including, without limitation, training and equipment.

(Added to NRS by 1967, 1067; A 1975, 190; 1991, 1830; 2011, 284; 2017, 3522)