College lobbyists will be able to operate with limitations

Friday, July 9, 2004 | 9:30 a.m.

The university system's ban on college lobbyists is actually more of a restriction, Assistant Chancellor Trudy Larson said Thursday.

A June 25 memo, signed by Larson and Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers, had noted that the University and Community College System of Nevada's "only registered lobbyists will be the hired system lobbyist."

Larson said Thursday that was a mistake. She said the memo should have said there would only be one paid lobbyist for the system, and that that lobbyist would be the only one authorized to influence lawmakers on the system's behalf.

Campus representatives -- people holding what had been the designated lobbyist positions for various campuses in the past -- will be allowed to register as lobbyists for the upcoming legislative session, but only to give lawmakers information on bills that have been approved by the Board of Regents, Larson said. Those registrations are necessary to prevent the campus representatives from inadvertently breaking state law, Larson said. Merely talking to lawmakers in the hallway of the legislative buildings is construed as lobbying, and campus representatives would therefore be banned from even answering basic questions.

The intent of the new policy is not to ban institutions from providing information to lawmakers, Larson said, but to make sure that they are working together for the good of the entire system.

Campus governmental affairs staff will still be restricted to giving lawmakers information on items that have been approved by the Board of Regents, and may not lobby for individual campus priorities, Larson explained.

For the most part, they will remain outside of the Legislative building in a separate office and will primarily be doing behind-the-scenes research and bill-tracking on legislation that affects the system, Larson said. Individual campus representatives and institution presidents will be called to Carson City only when needed for "specific purposes" that require campus-specific testimony.

Larson said it was important that campus governmental affairs staff remain involved in the lobbying process, but that it was necessary to show a unified front to lawmakers with one system lobbyist after the 2003 Legislature debacle.

Larson said several individuals, including both lawmakers and regents, complained that there was no lobbyist in charge for the system. Regents also said there was a lot of infighting and end-runs being made around system priorities.

An investigation into lobbying practices at the Community College of Southern Nevada even led to the demotion of President Ron Remington and his lobbyist and chief political adviser John Cummings.

"We want them (the campus governmental affairs staff) and they want to be a part of the team, but we recognize that got very confusing and we want it very clear who the system lobbyists are," Larson said.

The new policy also mandates that the chancellor and the assistant chancellor will be the official spokespersons for the system, and that all others requested or desiring to speak on Legislative issues must contact the chancellor.

Larson said this policy was only to better coordinate and keep track of issues and not to muffle anyone from expressing their views on a topic. The policy also only applied to Legislative issues and not to issues outside of that arena.

The restriction also does not apply to outside lobbying done by campus governmental affairs staff year-round, Larson said. They will still be allowed to keep in contact with lawmakers that affect their institution outside of the 2005 Legislature, but are restrained from putting forth any specific legislation.

Lobbying accounts and host accounts are subject to yearly audits and must be submitted to the chanceller per Board of Regents policy, Larson said.

In many ways, the new policy is just clarifying rules that were already in place last session, Larson said, by requiring everyone to report through the chancellor's office.

"The policy was very much like this at last session, but unfortunately not everyone played by the rules," Larson said. "It's just a much more coordinated effort."

John Kuminecz, director of public affairs for CCSN, and Spencer Stewart, spokesman for Nevada State College, said they believed that honing the system's efforts to one lobbyist would benefit the system.

Both said that their institutions would be fairly represented because their most pertinent needs have been given top priority by regents.

Remington, who denied the allegations against him and is in negotiations over his lawsuit against the Board of Regents, said the idea of one lobbyist was something he and several other presidents kicked around during the last Legislative session.

Remington said he supports the idea but that there has been a tendency in the past for lawmakers to lean toward the universities and not see to the needs of the community colleges.

Rogers was in Alaska and was not reachable for comment, system officials said. Other institutional presidents or governmental affairs staff either declined to comment or did not return calls Thursday.