Opinion ID: 2590393
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest

Text: The ethics allegations against Senator Hardy assert that he violated NRS 281A.420 by failing to adequately disclose an alleged conflict of interest regarding a piece of legislation and by failing to abstain from voting on that legislation. NRS 281A.420(2) provides that a legislator may not vote on legislation when his or her interest in that legislation presents a conflict of interest. Additionally, NRS 281A.420(4) provides that a public officer may not vote or abstain from voting upon any matter (1) on which the public officer has accepted a gift, (2) that would reasonably be shaped by the officer's obligation in a private capacity to the interest of others, or (3) in which the officer has a pecuniary interest, without publicly disclosing to other members of the legislative body, the gift, commitment, or interest. The ethics laws thus make disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest a prerequisite to voting or abstaining from voting on legislation. Because voting is a core legislative function, see Brady, 790 A.2d at 432; Ohms, 881 P.2d at 848, and NRS 281A.420 makes disclosure necessary in order to vote or abstain from voting on legislation, the disclosure of potential conflicts in this context is, by extension, likewise a core legislative function. As concluded above, the discipline of legislators for disorderly conduct related to the core function activities of voting and disclosure of conflicts of interest is constitutionally committed to each house of the Legislature. And, on that basis, this authority cannot be delegated to another branch of the government. Secretary of State v. Nevada State Legislature, 120 Nev. 456, 466, 93 P.3d 746, 753 (2004); Brady, 790 A.2d at 431-33. Thus, our determination of whether the Legislature's delegation of authority to discipline legislators for disorderly conduct related to voting and disclosure to the Commission violates separation of powers principles turns on our evaluation of the Commission's position within Nevada's tripartite government system.