1. The Commission may establish programs for distributing, within the limits of legislative appropriations and other available money, grants of money to conservation districts. Distribution of such grants must be made in the following manner:

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, the Commission shall distribute grants of money provided by legislative appropriation in equal amounts to each conservation district which the Commission determines qualifies for a grant.

(b) The Commission may distribute grants of money provided by sources other than legislative appropriation in such amounts and subject to such conditions as the Commission determines appropriate to any conservation district which the Commission determines qualifies for a grant.

2. The Commission may determine that a conservation district qualifies for a grant of money pursuant to this section if the district demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission that the district:

(a) Has been established in accordance with the provisions of this chapter; and

(b) Is in compliance with all of the requirements of this chapter and the regulations of the Commission adopted pursuant thereto.

3. Except as may otherwise be provided as a condition of a grant of money distributed by the Commission pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 1, a conservation district that is awarded a grant of money pursuant to this section may use the money for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred by the district in carrying out its duties and authorities in accordance with this chapter and the annual district budget approved by the Commission.

4. With regard to money provided by legislative appropriation, the Commission may distribute grants of money to conservation districts in unequal amounts if:

(a) The grants of money are for a specific competitive grant program for which the Legislature expressly appropriated money; and

(b) The competitive grant program described in paragraph (a) is governed by regulations specifically adopted to govern that competitive grant program and those regulations expressly state that the grants of money may be distributed in unequal amounts.

5. The Commission may adopt such regulations as it considers necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

(Added to NRS by 1995, 1922; A 2005, 122; 2015, 84)