A woman places flowers on the Remembrance Wall during First Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, at the opening ceremony of the Community Healing Garden in memory of the victims in the Route 91 mass shooting.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019 | 5:26 p.m.
In the aftermath of the Oct. 1 tragedy, then-Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak and Sheriff Joe Lombardo helped raise $31.4 million in the Las Vegas Victims’ Fund, which handled donations for victims and their families.
One-third of those monies were donated using fundraising site GoFundMe, where fees on some transactions were part of doing business.
“It was the best option at the time, but it was (also) our only option,” Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa said.
Until now.
Last week, now-Gov. Steve Sisolak signed Senate Bill 13, which gives Nevada counties the authority to establish nonprofits to aid victims of mass tragedies.
Before the bill, nonprofits had to be established through the state. Now, counties can provide oversight of donations toward victims and their families in times of emergency. The fund had 532 claimants.
“When Oct. 1 happened, a lot of people in the community wanted to do what they could to help,” Pappa said. “At that time, we didn’t have the ability to create a nonprofit to accept those donations and make those monies available to victims and families.”
Under the law, the county would have most of the same authority as any other nonprofit, excluding some powers like having the ability to borrow money or levy dues. Nonprofits under this law can also only be established in times of emergency. Also, donations would be tax-deductible.
“It’s a hugely important issue,” said Dagny Stapleton, executive director of the Nevada Association of Counties, which sponsored the legislation. “When (Clark County) made the suggestion to us, other counties agreed it was necessary.”
