Secretary of state fulfills records request from GOP group

CARSON CITY — The secretary of state’s office on Friday responded to a public records request made by a Republican group, sending out nearly 3,000 pages of material by certified mail.

“As you’ll see, relative to the massive task of responding to the request, the office of the secretary of state has responded in a timely and appropriate manner,” said Robert Walsh, deputy secretary for Southern Nevada.

The State Government Leadership Foundation, which is connected to the Washington, D.C.-based Republican State Leadership Committee, requested the records in March.

It asked for public records detailing Secretary of State Ross Miller’s travel, cellphone information, compensation and public schedule.

The group filed suit in Carson City District Court in May, accusing the agency and Miller of failing to follow Nevada’s public records law for not fulfilling the request in a timely manner.

There was no immediate comment from the group on the fulfillment of the request since it had not yet received the documents.

Some of the requested documents were redacted to remove personal and family information, secure billing and credit card account numbers, and annual leave and sick leave balances.

The request totals 2,907 pages and the group was billed $4,132 for the staff time and copying required to compile the documents.

The foundation said it made the requests as part of a review of Senate Bill 49, a bill introduced in the 2013 Legislature which would have enhanced gift and campaign reporting by candidates and elected officials. The bill died at the end of the session.

The Republican State Leadership Committee earlier this year also launched a campaign attacking Miller for what it says is his acceptance of generous gifts and efforts to hide assets from the public.

Miller called the committee a “shadowy out of state group” that was attempting to “politically smear” him at a time he was trying to push through the campaign finance reform and gift reporting measure.

Miller is in his last term as secretary of state and plans to run for attorney general in the 2014 election.

Contact Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.