Ethics commission reports backlog cleared, proposes 2025 meeting schedule

The Nevada Commission on Ethics told commissioners the agency has largely eliminated a multi‑year backlog of cases and circulated a proposed meeting schedule for 2025 that the commission approved with a January date to be finalized by follow‑up.

Executive Director Ross Armstrong said case processing is timely and that only two complaints filed in calendar year 2023 remain open; five active cases are carryovers from fiscal year 2024. "When I’m looking at our case log to determine if we are timely completing tasks, we only have 2 outstanding cases that were filed in calendar year 2023," Armstrong said. He added the office no longer has stale cases of two to three years’ duration.

Armstrong also briefed commissioners on staffing and the budget process. Recruitment for an associate counsel position had not produced applicants; Armstrong said the position’s pay scale was comparable to entry‑level deputy attorney general classifications and that the governor’s ongoing compensation study could affect future classifications and pay. He said the budget build was submitted to the governor’s finance office and that the governor’s recommended budget will be released before the 2025 legislative session.

Commissioners discussed the proposed 2025 calendar of seven full commission meetings and separate panel months. Commissioner Langton moved to approve the schedule with January to be adjusted; Commissioner Lisonbee seconded. The motion passed; Commissioner Amanda Yen abstained from the final vote on the calendar.

Why it matters: A lower backlog improves timeliness for advisory opinions and complaint handling; staffing and compensation challenges affect the commission’s ability to sustain workloads.

Ending: Armstrong noted the commission will mark its 50th anniversary in 2025 and staff will return with any final calendar changes and implementation steps for staffing and the budget.