Ex-nuclear agency chief in talks to settle ethics case

Former Nevada nuclear agency chief Bob Loux is proposing to settle his case with the State Ethics Commission by admitting he violated Nevada law when he gave himself an unauthorized pay raise last year.

A copy of the agreement says he will pay $16,444 in restitution for overpayment of his salary in addition to $12,922 in overpaid retirement benefits, or a combined $29,366.

That represents a 14 percent raise that had put his salary at $132,630, up from $116,322, based on a rate of $63.52 an hour last year, according to the proposal the Ethics Commission will consider at its Feb. 12 meeting.

If approved by the commission, the agreement would preclude holding a hearing on the matter in March.

State investigators found that Loux was receiving $125,355 in fiscal year 2007, or 15.4 percent more than his legislative approved salary of $108,677.

The report shows in 2008 he was earning $145,718.

That's in excess of legislatively approved salary of $114,088, and $13,088 more than the salary claimed in the proposed agreement.

In addition, investigators determined there was "just and sufficient cause" that Loux violated state law when he granted his employees more than $22,489 in pay raises that weren't approved by legislature.

Loux, who resigned from the agency and was replaced in January by Bruce Breslow, said he believed he had the authority to set salaries.

Review-Journal Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel contributed to this report. Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@review journal.com or 702-383-0308.