Beers given reprieve on controversial $5,000 ethics fine

Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, has gotten a reprieve from the state Ethics Commission on a $5,000 fine imposed under a controversial campaign speech law.

He was fined in 1998 for statements he made about an opponent in his Assembly race. He said he was pleased the commission voted 5-1 to waive the fine, even though Commission Director Stacey Jennings said the ruling doesn't set aside the opinion that Beers violated the statute.

Beers said the statute is being challenged in a civil court case filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Nevada Press Association. They argue the law violates free speech by impeding healthy political debate.

The Assembly has passed AB127, which would eliminate the section of the law permitting the commission to fine political candidates for false or misleading statements about opponents. But the bill may have trouble getting through the Senate because it was the brainchild in 1997 of Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno.