Sisolak supports legislation to increase PETS funding

Gov. Steve Sisolak on Monday issued a statement in response to the introduction of a bill draft request which would allocate an additional $50 million to support small businesses through the Pandemic Emergency Technical Support Grant Program:

“This small business program has been a vital lifeline to thousands of small businesses in our state who’ve been impacted during the pandemic,” Sisolak said. “That’s why in my State of the State address, I called on the Legislature to prioritize an additional $50 million for this program, so we can provide financial assistance to many more businesses who are fighting to keep their doors open. I’m grateful to legislative leadership and the committee chairs for introducing this bill so early in the session and for sharing the goal of supporting Nevada’s smallest businesses.

“Thousands of our small businesses need help, and they need it now. I look forward to ultimately signing this legislation so the state can work to get these funds directly into the hands of small business owners as quickly as possible.”

To date, the PETS program has approved more than 4,500 applications to support small businesses and nonprofit organizations across the state. The program previously was allocated $51 million in CARES Act funds.

Through the infusion of an additional $50 million, this will bring total funding to more than $100 million, making it the largest small business assistance program in Nevada history.

Once this additional funding is approved, the Treasurer’s Office and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development will continue to process applications that were previously submitted under the program.

More information on the PETS program can be found at https://goed.nv.gov/pandemic-emergency-technical-support-pets-grant/