Plan drops work cards

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | 11:27 a.m.

The Nevada Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would no longer require casino employees to obtain county and city-issued work cards.

SB432 would require change-handlers, dealers and other gambling-related casino workers to register through their jobs once every five years instead of having work cards issued by local law enforcement agencies.

Under the bill, the state Gaming Control Board would provide work registration forms to casinos that workers would fill out.

Workers would be required to go to any local law enforcement agency to obtain fingerprints. The fingerprint card, application form, fees and a child support statement would be gathered in a sealed envelope that workers would return to the casino, which would forward on the information to the state Gaming Control Board.

The board would pass the application on to a state repository for a criminal background check and the repository would again forward it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for another check. The board would receive a report on the investigations.

Regulators also are expected to pass rules allowing that the application information be sealed for confidentiality.

Under the current system, law enforcement agencies do background checks, keep application forms and issue work cards.

The statewide registration proposal, if approved, would take effect Jan. 1. It comes several months after the Nevada Gaming Commission implemented a statewide work card system approved by the 2001 Legislature.

That program was designed to save dealers, change-makers and other casino workers time and money by eliminating the need for multiple identification cards if they change jobs.

But Clark County since announced its intention to stop issuing work cards by the end of the year. Other counties have indicated they may drop their programs due to cost increases.

The board -- which submitted the registration proposal in response -- is required by state law to issue cards if local governments cease doing so.