Nevada Commission on Ethics

Last updated

The Nevada Commission on Ethics is a commission that investigates ethics violations by government officials or employees in the state of Nevada in the United States. [1] It has jurisdiction over public officers and employees at the state, county, and city levels of government, as well as various other political subdivisions. The Commission consists of eight members appointed for four-year terms.

Contents

History

In 1975, the Nevada Legislature passed the Nevada Ethics in Government Law, creating the State Ethics Commission. [2] [3] The law was struck down in 1976 by the Nevada Supreme Court for being unconstitutionally vague. [2] [4]

The legislature passed a revised law in 1977, creating the Executive Ethics Commission and the Legislative Ethics Commission. [2] [5] [6] The two commissions were dissolved in 1985 and replaced with the commission in its present form. [2] [7]

Structure

The Nevada Commission on Ethics consists of eight appointed Commissioners. Four of the Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and four of the Commissioners are appointed by the Legislature. The Commission elects a Chair and Vice Chair annually to lead the Commission in its work. [8] The selected members must: [9]

  1. Of the four members chosen by the Legislative Commission, at least two must be former public officers or employees, and at least one must be an attorney licensed to practice law in this State.
  2. Of the four members chosen by the Governor of Nevada, at least two must be former public officers or employees, and at least one must be an attorney licensed to practice law in this State.
  3. Not more than four members of the Commission may be members of the same political party. Not more than four members of the Commission may be residents of the same county.
  4. None of the members of the Commission may, while the member is serving on the Commission:
    1. Hold another public office;
    2. Be actively involved in the work of any political party or political campaign; or
    3. Communicate directly with a State Legislator or a member of a local legislative body on behalf of someone other than himself or herself or the Commission, for compensation, to influence:
      1. The State Legislator with regard to introducing or voting upon any matter or taking other legislative action; or
      2. The member of the local legislative body with regard to introducing or voting upon any ordinance or resolution, taking other legislative action, or voting upon: the appropriation of public money, the issuance of a license or permit, or any proposed subdivision of land or special exception or variance from zoning regulations.

In addition to the eight Commissioners, the Commission has a staff of six including an appointed Executive Director and an appointed Commission Counsel.

Current Membership and Appointed Staff

Current Members of the Nevada Commission on Ethics:

Nevada Commission on Ethics
PositionNamePartyTerm Expires
ChairKim Wallin, CPA, CMA, CFMDemocrat2026
Vice ChairThoran Towler, EsqNon-Partisan2024
CommissionerBrian DuffrinNon-Partisan2023
CommissionerTeresa Lowry, Esq.Democrat2026
CommissionerJT Moran, EsqDemocrat2027
CommissionerStan OlsenRepublican2027
CommissionerAmanda Yen, Esq.Republican2024
CommissionerVACANTVACANTN/A
Nevada Commission on Ethics Appointed Staff
Ross E. Armstrong, EsqExecutive Director
Brandi Jensen, EsqCommission Counsel

Commission opinions

The Nevada Commission on Ethics publishes Advisory Opinions for public officers and employees and also publishes opinions and final determinations related to ethics complaint cases. Published opinions can be found in the Commission's Opinions Database.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor of Oklahoma</span> Head of state and of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma

The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the ex officio commander-in-chief of the Oklahoma National Guard when not called into federal use. Despite being an executive branch official, the governor also holds legislative and judicial powers. The governor's responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the Oklahoma Legislature, submitting the annual state budget, ensuring that state laws are enforced, and that the peace is preserved. The governor's term is four years in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee General Assembly</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Tennessee

The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title and office of Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee. In addition to passing a budget for state government plus other legislation, the General Assembly appoints three state officers specified by the state constitution. It is also the initiating body in any process to amend the state's constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Senate</span> Upper house of the state legislature

The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single-member districts, the Senate is responsible, along with the Maryland House of Delegates, for passage of laws in Maryland, and for confirming executive appointments made by the Governor of Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethics in Government Act</span> United States federal law

The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 is a United States federal law that was passed in the wake of the Nixon Watergate scandal and the Saturday Night Massacre. It was intended to fight corruption in government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary of state (U.S. state government)</span> Official in the state governments of the United States

The secretary of state is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the secretary of the commonwealth. In states that have one, the secretary of state is the chief clerk of the state and is often the primary custodian of important state records. In the states of Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah, there is no secretary of state; in those states many duties that a secretary of state might normally execute fall within the domain of the lieutenant governor. Like the lieutenant governor, in most states, the secretary of state is in the line of succession to succeed the governor, in most cases immediately behind the lieutenant governor. In three states with no lieutenant governor as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the secretary of state is first in the line of succession in the event of a gubernatorial vacancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Legislature</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Oklahoma

The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 state representatives, each serving a two-year term, and 48 state senators, who serve four-year terms that are staggered so only half of the Oklahoma Senate districts are eligible in each election cycle. Legislators are elected directly by the people from single member districts of equal population. The Oklahoma Legislature meets annually in the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevada Legislature</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Nevada

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevada Senate</span> Upper house of the Nevada Legislature

The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the previous redistricting (2002–2011) there were 19 districts, two of which were multimember. Since 2012, there have been 21 districts, each formed by combining two neighboring state assembly districts. Each State Senator represented approximately 128,598 as of the 2010 United States Census. Article Four of the Constitution of Nevada sets that State Senators serve staggered four-year terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary of State of Wisconsin</span> Constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin

The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and is second in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Wisconsin. Twenty-nine individuals have held the office of Secretary of State, two of whom have held non-consecutive terms. The incumbent is Sarah Godlewski, who was appointed by Governor Tony Evers on March 17, 2023 to replace long-time Secretary of State Doug La Follette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Oklahoma</span> Government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma

The government of the U.S. State of Oklahoma, established by the Oklahoma Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. Through a system of separation of powers or "checks and balances," each of these branches has some authority to act on its own, some authority to regulate the other two branches, and has some of its own authority, in turn, regulated by the other branches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Colorado Amendment 41</span>

Amendment 41 is a citizen initiative adopted by Colorado voters in the 2006 general election. Amendment 41 has three main sections.

The state of Michigan is largely divided in the same way as many other U.S. states, but is distinct in its usage of charter townships. Michigan ranks 13th among the fifty states in terms of the number of local governmental entities.

Dennis Nolan was a Republican member of the Nevada Senate, representing Clark County District 9 since 2002. Previously he served in the Nevada Assembly from 1994 through 2001. Nolan served as minority whip in the assembly, and in 2001 and 2003 was elected to be the assistant majority leader of the Nevada Senate. During his tenure in the senate, Nolan focused on issues such as healthcare, transportation, "reasonable property taxation," child and victim protection, workers compensation, public safety, and homeland security. In addition to his leadership roles with the Nevada Legislature, Nolan held leadership positions in two national legislative organizations; the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL). ALEC awarded him with its national legislator of the year award in 2008.

The government of Nevada comprises three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the governor of Nevada and the governor's cabinet along with the other elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the Nevada Legislature which includes the Assembly and the Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Nevada and lower courts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama State Bar</span> Bar Association

The Alabama State Bar is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Alabama.

The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada supervises and regulates the operation and maintenance of utility services in Nevada. The agency has two headquarters, one in Carson City and one in Las Vegas.

Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan, 564 U.S. 117 (2011), was a Supreme Court of the United States decision in which the Court held that the Nevada Ethics in Government Law, which required government officials recuse in cases involving a conflict of interest, is not unconstitutionally overbroad. Specifically, the law requires government officials to recuse themselves from advocating for and voting on the passage of legislation if private commitments to the interests of others materially affect the official's judgment. Under the terms of this law, the Nevada Commission on Ethics censured city councilman Michael Carrigan for voting on a land project for which his campaign manager was a paid consultant. Carrigan challenged his censure in court and the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in his favor, claiming that casting his vote was protected speech. The Supreme Court reversed, ruling that voting by a public official on a public matter is not First Amendment speech.

In the United States, each state and territory has constitutional officers who lead the state governments of the United States. These officers may be elected or appointed, depending on the position. The number and powers of state constitutional officers varies from state to state, based on the constitution and statutes of each state. State constitutional officers may reside in the executive or legislative branch, while state constitutions also establish the judicial system of the state, including state supreme courts.

The Florida Commission on Ethics, created in 1974 by the Florida Legislature, is tasked with investigating complaints alleging breaches of public trust by public officers and employees in Florida, other than judges. It is headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida.

References

  1. ↑ "Nevada Commission on Ethics". Nevada Commission on Ethics. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Commission has come far in 24 years". Las Vegas Sun. March 28, 1999. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  3. ↑ Nevada Legislature (May 18, 1975). "Chapter 540: An act relating to public officers and employees" . Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  4. ↑ Dunphy v. Sheehan, 549P.2d332 (April 29, 1976).
  5. ↑ Nevada Legislature (May 14, 1977). "Chapter 528: An act relating to public officers and employees" . Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  6. ↑ Commission on Ethics v. Hardy II, 125Nev.285 (July 30, 2009).
  7. ↑ Nevada Legislature (June 12, 1985). "Chapter 651: An act relating to public officers" . Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  8. ↑ "MembersAndStaff". ethics.nv.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  9. ↑ "NRS: CHAPTER 281A - ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT". www.leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved 2021-08-22.



This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.