Slew of state boards to be abolished

By Cy Ryan

Thursday, July 14, 2011 | 1:55 a.m.

CARSON CITY — State commissions and councils on such things as homelessness, minority businesses and the effects of radiation effects are being abolished.

Gov. Brian Sandoval on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of a task force to scrap 18 state boards and commission, some of which haven’t met for years.

Gov. Mike O’Callaghan in the 1970s terminated every council, commission and task force, and required each one to justify its revival.

Since then, scores of boards or commission have been created by governors and department heads when a particular issue or problem arose.

Sandoval in April created another task force, chaired by former Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, but this time the task was determining which state boards not created by law could be eliminated.

The Legislature also created a Sunset Subcommittee to review boards and commission not protected by the Nevada Constitution and recommend whether they should be terminated, consolidated or continued. The subcommittee also must look at the possibility of eliminating any tax exemptions, abatements or money set aside for these boards and commissions.

Boards and commissions to be scrapped by Sandoval deal with things such as rural health care, people with disabilities, word-processing, employment and training, small business, literacy, volunteering and workplace safety.

The task force recommended Sandoval conduct a future study on boards or commissions ordered by the federal government.

The task force, whose other two members were former Sen. Ann O’Connell of Las Vegas and Sen. Bernice Mathews of Reno, recommended any new board or commission be dissolved within six months after the governor’s term expires.