Campaign finance reform bill stalled

      CARSON CITY -- The fate of a key campaign finance reform bill remained in doubt Tuesday when Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio insisted it include provisions to end negative political campaigns.
      Democrats mustered enough support to postpone a vote on Senate Bill 215 after several members objected to Raggio's amendments. They directed the state Ethics Commission to decide whether candidates maliciously lie or use false advertisements in campaigns.
      The bill initially was drawn up as part of an effort by Secretary of State Dean Heller and Gov. Bob Miller to require the disclosure of all campaign contributions of more than $100. Under current law, only contributions of more than $500 must be revealed. The source of 60 percent of all contributions goes undisclosed.
      But last week, Republicans tried to tack on amendments to end negative campaigning.
      With little opposition, they initially won Senate approval of an amendment that makes it a criminal offense to maliciously lie or print falsehoods about an opponent in a campaign.
      That proposal quickly came under fire from the Nevada Press Association and newspaper editorials and was pulled before a final vote was conducted Monday.
      Raggio, R-Reno, sought Tuesday to adopt a replacement amendment that would put the part-time Ethics Commission in a position to settle questions of truthfulness in political campaigns.
      Sen. Ernie Adler, D-Carson City, charged the amendment would politicize the Ethics Commission.
      "Whichever way they go would determine who wins the election," Adler said.
      The six-member Ethics Commission now meets about once every four weeks. Its members include former assemblyman Scott Scherer of Las Vegas, a retired judge, a Reno lawyer and businesspeople.
      Lee-Ann Keever, the commission secretary and sole employee, said she was not aware of Raggio's amendment before being questioned by the media.
      Opponents speculated the Ethics Commission would be overwhelmed with complaints about malicious political advertisement during the final days of campaigns.
      Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said the Ethics Commission lacks an investigative staff and could not perform the duties Raggio wants without many changes.
      Titus pointed out that other bills to revamp the Ethics Commission are under consideration. She said she will move today to place Raggio's provisions into one of them.
      But Titus insisted campaign finance reform bill must move forward without a partisan fight. In the meantime, she said legislators can conduct hearings and debate whether the Ethics Commission should serve as an election arbiter.
      Titus predicts that at least a couple of Republicans would support her plan. Republicans hold a 12-9 edge in the Senate.
      "I think you will get enough Republicans to pull it out," she said. "This bill is not dead."
      After the vote was postponed, Raggio walked away insisting the bill must pass with the Ethics Commission amendments.
      "We are going to secure something about negative campaigning," he said.
      Raggio said later the provisions on negative campaigning are too important to leave out.
      "Every time the opposite party doesn't like something should we pull it out?" he asked.