Editorial: Stone wall for ethics bills

Tuesday, May 31, 2005 | 9:20 a.m.

It's galling when sensible bills are stonewalled by a legislative committee.

We refer to Assembly Bill 419 and Senate Bill 162. Introduced by Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, AB 419 would have clarified the state law prohibiting elected officials and state employees from using state-paid time to work on political campaigns. Senate Bill 162, introduced by Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, had the same purpose.

The bills were introduced because of the fiasco surrounding the impeachment last year of Controller Kathy Augustine. She was accused of using state employees and equipment to assist in her re-election campaign and part of her defense centered on the definitions of public time and property. Both bills sought to clarify those questions. AB 419 also strengthened the state's whistleblower protections, improved rules governing campaign finances and stiffened penalties for violations of the state open meeting and ethics laws.

Perkins' bill was approved unanimously by the Assembly but the Senate let it die in its Legislative Operations and Elections Committee, whose vice chairman is Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and whose chairwoman is Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas. This same committee killed Horsford's bill.

It's outrageous that there are still people in the Legislature who disdain any toughening of ethics laws.