Investigation access bill appears doomed

Chairwoman Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, took no immediate vote on the bill Wednesday, which automatically dies if it does not receive committee approval by midnight Friday.

She and Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, both questioned the fairness of a bill that applies only to investigations of state employees, not to police and other public employees.

Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, criticized the bill and also criticized Kent Lauer, executive director of the Nevada Press Association, who testified in support of the bill.

AB213 was spawned by the refusal of University of Nevada, Las Vegas President Carol Harter to make public an investigation into controversial comments made by UNLV Athletic Director Charles Cavagnaro.

But sponsoring Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, never mentioned the Cavagnaro case in brief testimony on the bill to the Government Affairs Committee. The bill passed the Assembly 25-17 on March 17.

Cavagnaro was accused in 1998 of making negative comments about male and female athletes at UNLV. Harter said she reprimanded him, but withheld results of the investigation.

After the investigation, Cavagnaro said he was sorry if he inadvertently used offensive language and racial slurs in referring to blacks and women.

Williams said state employees should want the bill because if they are exonerated by an investigation, then that information would be made public.

But Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, speculated that if an employee was cleared of sexual harassment charges, some people "will say he did it anyway."

Lauer testified the bill recognizes the public's right to know what happens with their tax dollars.

"We believe it should not be limited to state employees, but apply to all employees," he said.

O'Donnell said he as an employer should be able to discuss in private problems he has with an employee without the matter being publicized.

Lauer quickly pointed out the bill had nothing to do with private employees.

"But in this case (state employees), the taxpayers are the employers," he said. "They are the bosses. This information should not be kept secret from them."

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