Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid said state government needs to be more transparent and loopholes in state ethics laws closed "so that Nevadans have faith in their government."
During stops in both Northern and Southern Nevada on Thursday, Reid, a Democrat who is running for governor, outlined his policy plan to tighten state ethics laws and impose tougher penalties on those who violate them.
"There's obvious deficiencies in existing Nevada law," Reid said. "(For example), a legislator could pass an agency's budget while at the same time lobby that agency for a private party. That doesn't engender confidence."
He said he would work to extend the period for legislators who leave office to two years before they could lobby their former colleagues.
Another example Reid cited is that even if an elected official is found to have violated state ethics laws, there is virtually no penalty unless the violation is determined to be "willful." He said he would mandate ethics education for elected officials, state employees and lobbyists and said any violation of state ethics laws should come with a penalty.
"If they violate it, there should be strict liability," he said. "There are all kinds of loopholes that need to be closed."
That includes members of the governor's staff, he said.
"I want my administration to be open and transparent so people understand why I'm doing what I'm doing," Reid said.
To that end, he said, his schedule would be posted on the Internet daily, he would hold weekly press conferences and periodic town hall meetings across the state.
He said any individuals he appoints to boards would be required to sign "a code of responsibility" and disclose any instances where they have a potential conflict of interest.
Reid said he also wants to tighten rules for lobbying.
"To get Nevada back on track, we need to create a foundation of trust," he said.
Source:rgj.com/
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