Lawmakers defend Philadelphia meeting

Tuesday, July 29, 1997 | 10:14 a.m.

This year's delegation to the National Conference of State Legislatures is about double the 14 lawmakers and 20 staff members who attended last year's meeting in St. Louis at a cost of $45,000.

Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, who is not taking the trip, defended the size of the delegation because Las Vegas will be the host city in 1998.

"Considering Nevada's reputation outside the state, I think it's necessary to send a lot of people to get around and lobby folks and get the word out that Las Vegas is a good place to come to," he said.

The large delegation will meet with many people and counteract some recent bad publicity about Nevada being ranked worst in the nation for violent crime, Neal said.

"If it was just a regular trip, I would disagree with the number of people going," he said.

But one public advocate questioned the number of staff members traveling to the event. Ellen Nelson, a member of Common Cause of Nevada, said the number of lawmakers seemed reasonable, but not the number of accompanying staffers.

"It does seem like an awful lot to me," she said. "But maybe they are needed. There may be lawmakers in other states who think Las Vegas is sin city."

Lawmakers say they also will use the Aug. 6-9 event to observe the operation of an annual meeting before an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 lawmakers and associates come to Las Vegas next year.

"They will go home as our ambassadors and that's what we're looking for," said Sen. Jack Regan, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the next year's conference.

He said a reception to publicize the Las Vegas event, as well as a booth sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, is planned for the Philadelphia gathering.