Support shown for heft pay raises for sheriffs and district attorneys

Lobbyists for the Clark County district attorney and sheriff on Wednesday won Senate Government Affairs Committee support for another bill giving them hefty pay raises.

They want Assembly Bill 23 because a political dispute has stalled another piece of legislation to raise pay for not only district attorneys and sheriffs but county commissioners, clerks, treasurers, assessors and recorders. The Senate in Senate Bill 53 included pay raises for all county elected officials, but that measure is stuck in the Assembly Government Affairs Committee because key committee members questioned why Clark County commissioners should get raises when they were refusing to sign a new contract with county workers.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said he wants to amend the other raises back into the bill because sending over AB23 with only district attorney and sheriff's raises will probably prevent action on raises for the other officials.

"They haven't had a raise since 1995," Raggio said adding that he wants to provide raises for all county elected officials.

After a majority of the committee made it clear they intended to put the bill out with just district attorneys and sheriffs in it, Raggio served notice he will amend in the other officers on the Senate floor -- just as he did with SB53.