Thursday, March 31, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Giunchigliani pushes change to ethics law
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
CARSON CITY -- Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani said Wednesday that she expects the Legislature will back her bill to remove unconstitutional portions of an ethics law.
Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, introduced Assembly Bill 546 on Tuesday, the same day that Senior U.S. District Judge Lloyd George declared unconstitutional a law that permitted the state Ethics Commission to fine politicians who make false statements about opponents.
Giunchigliani has spoken out against the law since it was adopted in 1997 at the urging of Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno. He proposed that the Ethics Commission act as a "truth squad" over campaign advertising in a move to reduce negative campaigning.
"We need to get rid of the law," Giunchigliani said. "None of us supports negative campaigning, but the law represses free speech."
After reading the opinion, Raggio said he might propose amending the law in a way that still retains the Ethics Commission as an arbiter over campaign statements. Raggio said George was concerned that the law does not give someone charged with a campaign violation enough time to prepare a response to the charges.
"He said the Legislature has an interest in ensuring campaigns are fair," Raggio said. "There is a difference between hard campaigning and negative campaigning."
Stacy Jennings, executive director of the Ethics Commission, said commissioners have had no complaints about false campaign statements since 2002.
