Governor angered over Guard meal deal

Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005 | 11:19 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn wants to know why National Guard members called to active duty are budgeted for only two meals a day.

"I was stunned to see the military gets two meals a day," Guinn said about Guard members who were dispatched to Louisiana for duty in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The governor's comments came during consideration by the state Board of Examiners for an emergency appropriation of $3.6 million to pay the upfront costs of mobilizing the Guard.

The request was withdrawn after the state Emergency Management Division informed the board that the federal government is going to pick up the upfront cost, rather than reimbursing the state for the initial payment.

During discussion, Guinn said the budget for a Guard member for 14 days for meals was $196. He said the government spends $3,900 an hour to run a Black Hawk helicopter.

If the federal government doesn't reimburse the Guard members, then the state should pay them for a third meal a day, Guinn said.

There were 228 Guard members sent to Louisiana.

State Budget Director Perry Comeaux said the federal government declared it a disaster area so it is going to pay for the equipment, meals and other items.

"They will bear the upfront costs, and we don't have to," Comeaux said.

In other action, the Examiners Board:

Chuck Fulkerson, head of the state Office of Veterans Affairs, said he didn't know about the meeting of the Examiners Board. He said the agency is getting an extra $4 per day per patient from the federal Veterans Administration and that extra money would be used for the computer bookkeeping system.

He said the office is not asking the state for an emergency appropriation of $250,227. Fulkerson said he will be at the Thursday meeting of the Interim Finance Committee to explain the problem with the present system.

The Legislature set aside $1 million to repay the counties. Comeaux said he expects the counties to return to ask for the rest of the money, once they get their final bills. The request for the allocation goes to the Interim Finance Committee.

The board permitted the state Department of Motor Vehicles to write off $1.9 million as uncollectible. Tom Jacobs, public information officer for the department, said some of the companies went out of business and the agency has been unable to locate them to collect the taxes due.

In another case, the company filed bankruptcy and the state could not get its money. And in another, the owner died and the state could not collect from the estate, Jacobs said.

The biggest debt owed the DMV totaled $293,538 from Protrav Services, a bus charter service from Las Vegas that went out of business and could not be found.

The state Department of Corrections was permitted to write off $1.1 million in bad debts involving inmates. Many of the debts were under $25 owed to the inmate welfare fund. And these debts were turned over to the state Controller's Office who deemed them uncollectible.