NCPE in the News: 2008-2010

Political Fundraising: Hosrford returning contributions after criticism of fundraising letter (Las Vegas Review Journal)

Senator Steven Horsford's fundraising letter.

Assemblyman Morse Arberry Steps Down to Pursue Lobbyist Career (Las Vegas Sun)

I-Team: Lawmaker Arbery Resigns, Wants Lobbyist Job (KLAS)

Auto Body Shop Bill's Backer Denies Conflict (Las Vegas Sun)

With Ethics Commission Challenged, Lawmakers Move to Police themselves (Sun)

Chancellor Rogers Enlists Campus Help in Budget Plea (Sun)

Click here to view the Saturday, January 10th, 2009, Town Hall Meeting.

"Taxpayers Give Money: LVCVA Gers Award" (Las Vegas Review Journal)

"Casa Rosa's Days Numbered" (Las Vegas Review Journal)

"Court Hopeful Says Consultant Pitched Deal" (Las Vegas Review Journal)

"Given $50,000 He Decides to Run" (Las Vegas Sun)

Acting President Julie Tousa on Jon Ralston's "Face to Face: Ethics Complaint"

Meet the Acting President of NCPE, Julie Tousa

"New Watchdog of Public Ethics Continues Enforcing Vital Unwritten Law" (Las Vegas Review Journal)

"Partying Away As Taxpayers Pay and Pay" (Las Vegas Sun)

Ethics Legislation 2007

NCPE at the 2007 Nevada State Legislature: Summary and Details

"Article 6 Commission" to study and recommend improvements in the Nevada judiciary
See Dr. Craig Walton's summary of May Meeting

NCPE statement about the danger of big donors contributing to Supreme Court justice election campaigns.

Judicial Ethics & the Complaint Processes

Craig Walton's letter, to the Las Vegas Business Journal in favor of the new plan for judicial selection

Candidate Pledge

Email NCPE Treasurer

News and Reports

NCPE at NV Legislature - SB 144

SB 144 - to require Limited Liability Corporations (LLC's) to report contributions.

To:      Chairwoman Senator Barbara Cegavske  and members,
Senate Legislative Operations and Election Committee
Date:                           March 1, 2007

Subject:           UPDATED VERSION, Support for SB 144, to require Limited Liability Corporations (LLC's) to report contributions

[Yesterday we faxed our prepared testimony based on reading SB 144 and having also testified last week for AB 80, a companion bill about LLC’s.   Today we heard testimony from Sen. Titus, Assemblyman Conklin,  Janine Hansen, and others.  We therefore ADD, below, the text of the remarks we gave after giving those prepared yesterday.]

[Original, dated Wed., Feb. 28, 2007, faxed that day:]

The problem of LLC secret campaign contributions has plagued Nevadans for some time. SB 144 directly addresses this issue, and provides for reporting by LLC=s of campaign contributions to candidates.  This was the first issue our Nevada Center for Public Ethics addressed in 2006 when we began to formulate ethics proposals for the 2007 session.  We strongly support SB 144 and urge that it is a non-partisan measure of benefit to all Nevadans.

It needs to be said that most LLC=s do not make political contributions.  They have limited, modest purposes and are not in any way affected by SB 144, since each section of the Bill, in its subsection 1, specifies what kind of political contribution requires reporting.  Those who fear that SB 144 might throw a wet blanket over new ventures coming to Nevada as LLC=s will need to know that there is no provision to require ALL LLC=s to report that money was given or that money, in a certain period, was not given.  Only those LLC=s which are making such contributions must report (both in those periods when they do, and those when they do not make specific contributions).

We do suggest one amendment of language: on the Bill draft, at pg. 2, line 23, insert the words, A...or ballot measure ...@, so that line 23 would now read: A…a contribution to a candidate or ballot measure  shall disclose….”  We request this amendment since LLC’s can now make secret and bundled contributions to promote or defeat ballot measures, as well as secretly doing so for candidates.
 
We also want to suggest that this bill would be an appropriate place to amend NRS 294A in regard to the posting by the Secretary of State of candidates’ and ballot measures’ required disclosure reports .  Language should be added to require that the SOS post these reports “ in a timely manner “.
Some Nevada legislators have told us that they have sent in campaign disclosure report forms to the Secretary of State=s office, and not been able to see them posted on the SOS website even three weeks after having sent in the report.  But the whole point of SB 144, and all gift and contribution reporting, is so that Nevadans can know who is giving what to whom.  If this is not done in a timely manner, then it loses its meaning.  We do not see a fixed time limit as advisable, because the Secretary of State could have ups and downs in office work load and post some things in a few days, others in a few more days.  But more than 3 weeks is NOT timely.   So we ask that your Committee consider this issue as an amendment.

[NEW COMMENTS, AFTER HEARING TESTIMONY TODAY: ]
            We would like to add two comments:  first, in response to Mrs. Hansen’s statement that while media people and candidates care what disclosures are posted, the people do not care, we need to say that our members are Republican, Democratic, “none of the above”, and others, and they do care about secret money channels and the need to close them down.  We have sponsored two Town Hall meetings at which citizens expressed contempt and anger for our loose laws about money in politics.
            Second, in response to Mrs. Hansen’s and Ms. Chapman’s horrifying stories of threats of violence, vandalism, intimidation and harassment, we identify with their anguish and sense of horror at these acts, but do not conclude that therefore there should be less disclosure in order to give the intimidators fewer names for their target lists. Rather, we urge that the legislature please frame the picture this way :  if Nevada HAS laws to protect the Hansens and all others who recommend minority political viewpoints, but they are not being enforced, then please investigate why, and look at what can be done to bring about statewide and reliable enforcement.  If , on the other hand, Nevada does NOT have laws adequate to protect all Nevadans from this kind of intimidation and suffering, then please let us create the needed laws.  Stopping this kind of thing, or acting as Nevadans against it, is far better than to back off of disclosure in order to lower the threat from them.  

Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of SB 144.  

From:   Craig Walton, President, and members,
Nevada Center for Public Ethics
fax 1-702-395-2876

Go to other 2007 testimonies

AB 80, to require Limited Liability Corporations (LLC’s) to report contributions. As to the relationship to NCPE's 11 proposals, AB 80, is close to NCPE's proposal on p. 1 of our doc.

AB 109, - allows leftover campaign monies to go to a public-purpose Trust Fund.

AB 143, - changes the NV. Commission on Ethics deadline for completing an inquiry from 45 days to 1 year, and also allows the complainee to be told what is happening to his or her complaint.

SJR 1 - removes the requirement that affidavits be provided with ballot initiative petitions.

SB 79 - brings our statutes into line with a court ruling that the affidavit requirement for ballot petitions is a violation of the First Amendment.

SB 144 - to require Limited Liability Corporations (LLC's) to report contributions.

AB 142, to require ethics instruction and lobbyists to the Executive Dept. to register and report expenditures.

AB 335 - dealing with campaign disclosure

SB 425 - to new detail on political contributions, and to include legal defense funds in that category.

AB 312, dealing with campaign disclosure

AB 605 requires ethics training for new public officers and also for lobbyists, forbids the use of one’s office staff or equipment for campaign purposes, and doubles the three levels of penalties for violating ethics laws.

SB 495 provides a one-year cooling off period for persons leaving the Public Utilities Commission, the Gaming Control Board, or “former public officers or employees”.
         Original Testimony
         Revised Comments

SB 494 - dealing with primary, general, and municipal elections, SB 494 changes the filing deadline for campaign contribution reports.