Political notebook: Sandoval hangs up on Democrats’ do-not-call plan

Erin Neff

Friday, April 11, 2003 | 9:16 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Attorney General Brian Sandoval crowed in a press release Thursday about the money he was giving back to the state's general fund.

In the era of budget shortfalls and $1 billion tax proposals, the $576,000 reversion paints the Republican as a good fiscal watchdog. But the move also establishes him as political bulldog who has now taken a bite out of an Assembly Democrat plan for a state do-not-call registry, which had designs on the extra money.

The attorney general's Consumer Protection Division keeps a special fund of any settlements received on behalf of the people of Nevada from consumer protection or fraud cases. Each fiscal year the office sends all but $250,000 of the fund back to the state's general fund.

Sandoval's move will essentially kill Assembly Bill 232, sponsored by Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas. AB232 establishes a do-not-call registry without any business exemptions for telemarketing calls.

AB232's registry was to be funded at the outset with money from the Consumer Protection Division fund, in a deal hatched between consumer advocate Tim Hay and the Assembly Democrats.

Sandoval testified in favor of a rival Senate bill sponsored by Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, for a do-call registry with several business exemptions.

Since the funding for AB232 wasn't coming from the state's general fund, the bill did not have to go to Ways and Means, and in fact, had already passed the Assembly.

The fiscal note from the attorney general's office, however, is for $670,718 over the next two fiscal years. And, with only $250,000 left in the special fund, that would turn "do-not-call" into "do-not-resuscitate."

DOA part deux

While the Assembly Government Affairs Committee passed a bill granting pay raises for sheriffs and district attorneys Thursday, raises for other county officials are dead.

Committee Chairman Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, would not accept an amendment from Ron Knecht, R-Carson City, to put Assembly Bill 66's raises for county commissioners and county officers into the DAs' and sheriffs' bill.

"AB66 is still alive," Manendo said during the committee.

But Manendo assured this wag, "AB66 is going nowhere."

Thank goodness the sheriffs and DAs got Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, to carry their bill.

Sheriffs will get a raise from $84,000 to $134,262 (over two years) under the bill. DAs will go from $100,800 to $155,744 over two years.

No way out

Here's one way of looking at the tax debate, as seen in the written testimony of Nevada Mining Association executive director Russ Fields.

"I find it ironic that while Congress is working to repeal the estate tax, under a sales tax on services Nevada will begin to tax funerals," Fields wrote. "That brings entirely new meaning to the expression about not being able to escape death or taxes."

Ignorance marital bliss

No one ever said a legislative session was easy on marriages, but some lawmakers have it worse than others.

Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons, R-Reno, is already bucking her congressman husband's tax restraint philosophy by beginning to dabble in tax proposals.

This week the assemblywoman voted to kill the state's Washington, D.C., lobbying office.

Sources tell the Sun that Rep. Jim Gibbons was not too pleased to lose the service he has come to enjoy so much.

Mrs. Gibbons says she talked to her husband and "he's fine with it." But she also says he isn't going to run against Democratic Sen. Harry Reid next year.

Tuning in and out

No matter what the event -- Sen. Harry Reid's speech to the Legislature in February or a tax hearing -- state Sen. Joe Neal tends to nod off.

Neal, D-North Las Vegas, doesn't go unnoticed when he tilts his head all the way back, eyes closed and mouth opened.

But during a hearing on a plan to tax broadcast satellite systems, Neal was wide awake when discussing his $80-plus monthly cable bill and in flirting with a satellite TV provider for a possible switch to a dish.

"Don't sell him too many HBOs," Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said. "I can't keep him awake in Commerce and Labor in the morning as it is."

Cuts they can support

No one seems to know where to look for cuts in the state budget without hurting some program.

But Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins found a way to cut off future Republican offspring of the assistant Assembly minority leader during an auction for the Henderson Boys and Girls Club last Saturday.

Although the assistant leader, Josh Griffin, R-Henderson, had already left the auction, his friends were bidding crazily for a vasectomy donated by Dr. Michael Kaplan to present to Griffin.

When they came up short, Perkins reached into his pocket to close the deal.

No word on whether Griffin, who at 31 is already the father of four, will cash in the certificate from Perkins, D-Henderson, who is the father of five.com