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NCPE at NV Legislature
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 employee
To: Chairwoman Ellen Koivisto and members, Assembly Elections, Procedures, Ethics and Constitutional Amendments Committee
Date: May 7, 2007
Subject: Support for SB 495, as amended.
My name is Craig Walton, and I am speaking as President, and behalf of the members of the Nevada Center for Public Ethics. We support the amended SB 495.
The earlier SB 495 included changes in the timeline for the NV. Commission on Ethics (NCOE) to complete action on a request or complaint. That is removed from the amended SB 495, but is included in AB 143, now before the Senate
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Sections 1-9, 11-13, 15, and 17 have been deleted, including the section requiring that a cooling-off period be required for such state officers in high regulatory positions as Public Utilities or Gaming Control, and all legislators.
Section 10 changes 10 to 15 days the time-frame allowed for a state official to report having moonlighted for compensation.
Section 14 provides that if a person receives a financial benefit from the act now found by the NCOE to be a violation, then a civil penalty can be levied for that fact.
Section 16, concerning receiving an honorarium, removes the gross misdemeanor finding and replaces with forfeiting the amount of the honorarium.
Section 18 is a new section, I believe at Mr. Hearn’s or a Senator’s suggestion, that instead of continually having to cite the ‘Ethics in Government’ law as NRS 281.411-581, it should have a separate designation, which for convenience will be known as NRS 281A.
The confusion in the bill’s earlier Sec. 6 about the duties of the NCOE legal counsel has been removed.
The confusion in the bill’s earlier Sec. 11 is deleted here, and was remedied by AB 143, now before the Senate committee.
Overall, we support passage of SB 495.
Thank you for your consideration.
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 employee
Original Testimony
Revised Comments
SB 494 - dealing with primary, general, and municipal elections, SB 494 changes the filing deadline for campaign contribution reports.
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