No release of names of workers with state credit card debts

Tuesday, May 9, 2000 | 4:35 a.m.

State Treasurer Brian Krolicki said the decision was based on advice from Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa's office, which said a waiver from each worker would be needed to ensure privacy rights aren't violated.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal had requested that the employees be identified, but the attorney general's office said privacy rights of the employees outweighed the public's right to know.

The workers in question ran up $71,039 in debts on their Diners Club state charge cards for authorized travel and were reimbursed by the state. But they didn't pay the amount due to Diners Club, which eventually wrote off its debts.

The employees included one at the state Rehabilitation Division with $16,369 in charges, another at state Child and Family Services with $7,465 in charges, and a third at the state Public Utilities Commission with $5,055 in charges.

In addition to the $71,039 in write-offs, there's another $14,175 in delinquent payments. That includes $1,255 owed by an unidentified state legislator - mostly for charges that date back nearly a year.

Because of its losses, Diners Club now wants to charge the state $10 a year for each credit card it issues to a state employee. Because about 2,900 state employees receive the cards, that would mean $29,000 a year in additional charges to the state.

The proposal goes to the state Board of Examiners later this month for approval.