Editorial: Call it www.waste.com

Friday, Nov. 19, 2004 | 4:43 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

November 20 - 21, 2004

Since 1997 the state has furnished the 63 members of the Legislature with laptop computers to make it easier for them to take notes, track bills, study the budget and send e-mails. New laptops were provided every two years afterward until 2003, when the Legislature, faced with a tax battle, settled for upgrades. Next month the Legislative Commission -- a board of 12 senators and assemblymen that conducts business when the full Legislature is not in session -- will decide on a proposal to renew the two-year replacement cycle.

The proposal advocates the purchase of 100 new Gateway laptops, costing $1,325 apiece, for use by the legislators and their top staff members. Total expense to the taxpayers, including accessories for the computers, would be about $140,000. The four-year-old laptops now being used by legislators would be passed on to state employees. This tells us that the laptops are still perfectly suitable for the part-time legislators, whose computer use is trifling compared to use by full-time employees.

Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, chairman of the Legislative Commission, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, offered equally good reasons for denying the purchase. "Too many lawmakers are using them in committee to e-mail each other, play solitaire or read a newspaper," Raggio said. And Townsend said: "The abuse is rampant. It's absolutely a disgrace."

If the Legislature goes ahead with this purchase, it won't bode well for its ability to curb waste once the 2005 session begins.