AB331 requests state funding to expand the Youth Risk Behavior Survey statewide

Assemblymember Tracy Brown‑May presented AB331, an appropriations request to expand the biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) administered under CDC guidance, to enable broader middle‑school and tribal‑school participation and ensure data continuity after recent federal pass‑through funding was terminated for part of the expansion.

Sheila Bray of the University of Nevada, Reno described how the YRBS supports grant applications and program planning and said that in 2023 Nevada had over 12,000 student responses, making the state second in response rate nationally. Bray and Brown‑May told the committee that federal funding had been cut (a $57,000 pass‑through was terminated in March), and that YRBS data directly supported over $36 million in grant awards to Nevada in FY24.

Public‑health agencies including the Southern Nevada Health District, the Northern Nevada Public Health representatives, charter‑school coalitions and the Nevada Cancer Coalition testified in support, citing how YRBS data guides interventions (for example, identifying middle‑school vaping trends). No callers opposed; the hearing closed with sponsor remarks and no committee vote taken.