Guinn: Legislators should take leave of regular jobs

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003 | 8:42 a.m.

Gov. Kenny Guinn said Wednesday that public and private employees -- to avoid conflicts of interest -- should take full leave from their regular jobs if they serve in the Nevada Legislature.

"I believe we should have a citizen Legislature with people from all walks of life," Guinn said on "Face to Face with Jon Ralston" on Las Vegas ONE, Cox Cable channels 1 and 39.

But for a citizen Legislature to work properly, public employees and those in the private sector, such as lawyers and bankers, should take a leave of absence while serving and pay for their own insurance, the governor said.

"I'll say that until the day I die," Guinn said.

Guinn said he resigned from all boards on which he served when he ran for governor.

"I thought it was the right thing to do," he said.

This year's two special sessions created a hardship for working people, Guinn said.

"But that should be an incentive to them to do the work in 120 days," he said.

The governor agreed with Clark County's firing of two employees, Assembly members Kathy McClain and Kelvin Atkinson, accused of improperly taking sick leave while at the Legislature.

If state employees take sick leave, they have to bring back a note from the doctor, Guinn said.

"There are severe consequences if those rules are broken," he said.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, who said he worked 19 hours a week at his Henderson Police Department job while at the Legislature, should be able to clear himself, Guinn said.

"He'll be able to substantiate that he worked," the governor predicted.

Guinn declined to say whether he thought Assemblyman Wendell Williams, also under fire, should be fired from Las Vegas city job.

The governor also would not say where he stood on a petition drive expected to begin today that seeks to ban public employees from serving in the Legislature.