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From YouTube: 5/26/2021 - Senate Committee on Government Affairs
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A
A
Here,
chair
don
darrell
loop
here,
thank
you
very
much
and
all
are
present,
so
we
are
going
to
move
right
into
hearing
our
bill
and
I'll
open
the
hearing
on
assembly
bill
357.
A
D
Thank
you
so
much
chair
and
members
of
the
community.
My
name
is
jessica
adair
for
the
record
and
I'm
here
happily
to
present
a
bill
ab-357
that
was
sponsored
by
speaker,
jason
freyerson.
D
I
am
going
to
try
to
abbreviate
my
prepared
remarks,
given
the
the
late
hour
in
the
day
and
the
late
day
in
the
session,
but
happy
to
answer
any
questions.
The
just
for
brief
context.
D
Nearly
10
years
ago,
the
nevada
attorney
general's
office
entered
into
a
multi-state
settlement
and
a
separate
state
settlement
with
bank
of
america
as
a
result
of
the
2008
mortgage
crisis
and
after
those
respective
settlements,
the
state
of
nevada
received
1.2
billion
dollars
in
consumer
protection
in
borrower
relief
directly
to
borrowers,
as
well
as
87
87.3
million
dollars
to
the
state
of
nevada
for
consumer
protection
efforts.
D
A
majority
of
that
funding
was
directed
to
the
bar
to
the
department
of
business
and
industry,
to
ameliorate
the
effects
of
the
mortgage
crisis,
but
a
portion
of
that
funding
was
designated
to
be
used
by
the
attorney
general's
office
and
then
attorney
general
catherine
cortez
masto
directed
this
funding
to
be
used
for
primarily
for
two
purposes:
one.
D
This
funding
has
been
absolutely
critical
to
our
state
and
has
helped
so
many
nevadans.
In
the
past
decade,
the
ag's
office
has
answered
call
after
call
from
constituents
who
didn't
know
where,
to
turn
after
being
scammed,
we've
investigated
and
prosecuted
countless
fraudsters
who
steal
from
the
vulnerable,
and
I
will
spare
you
the
details
of
some
of
those
success
stories,
but
you've
probably
heard
of
the
cons,
the
equifax
consumer
data
breach
guardianship,
fraud,
transvaginal
net
mesh,
volkswagen.
D
D
In
addition,
legal
aid
organizations
will
lose
millions
of
dollars
in
annual
grant
funding.
We
were
faced
with
three
choices,
one
in
the
program
entirely,
which
is
frankly
not
acceptable.
Two
ask
this
legislature
for
millions
of
dollars
in
general
fund
to
replace
the
funding
which,
given
the
time,
is
not
reasonable
or
think
outside
the
box.
D
So,
with
the
input
of
stakeholders
and
legislative
leadership,
we
crafted
an
alternate
solution
and
ab357
is
simple:
in
design
and
efficient
in
structure,
the
goal
is
to
direct
sporadic
settlement
funding
to
consumer
protection
needs,
and
it's
accomplished
as
follows:
fear
if
you're
looking
at
the
first
reprint
of
the
bill,
I'm
going
to
skip
to
the
end
first
in
sections,
four
five
and
six
settlement
funds
are
placed
into
a
consumer
protection
administrative
account.
There
are
some
exceptions,
such
as
restitution
to
victims
and
certain
other
recoveries.
D
The
consumer
protection
administrative
account
replaces
an
account
that
currently
already
exists
for
administrative
purposes.
This
account
covers
many
of
the
administrative
costs
of
consumer
protection
investigations
and
litigation
and
is
designed
to
not
follow
fall
below
five
hundred
thousand
dollars.
D
50
goes
to
fund
attorney
general
staff
that
work
on
consumer
protection
efforts
and
other
consumer
protection
activities
led
by
our
office,
such
as
public
education
and
then
50
goes
to
fund
consumer
protection
efforts
throughout
the
state
by
the
three
legal
aid
nonprofit
organizations
that
are
currently
receiving
home
again.
Funding
legal
aid,
center
of
southern
nevada,
nevada,
legal
services
and
washoe
legal
services
and
the
distribution
that
is
in
the
bill
is
cur
the
current
distribution
of
the
home
again.
Funding
for
transparency
and
accountability.
D
The
legal
aid
organizations
are
also
required
to
submit
financial
statements
regarding
the
use
of
the
funding
and
the
ag's
office
has
the
right
to
audit
the
legal
aid
organizations
and
how
they
use
that
money.
This
solution,
while
some
may
argue,
is
not
perfect,
because
we
have
no
way
of
anticipating
incoming
settlement.
Funds
to
the
state
is
one
that
has
the
potential
to
be
self-funding
in
its
success.
D
The
bill
also
allows
our
offer
office
to
carry
forward
revenue
to
manage
our
funding
and
avoid
future
shortfalls.
Most
importantly,
this
bill
allows
us
to
continue
doing
our
job
to
help
nevadans.
No
one
in
the
state
investigates
and
prosecutes
fraud.
Like
the
he's
office,
no
one
else
in
the
state
investigates
and
prosecutes
individuals
and
companies
who
violate
our
consumer
protection
laws
like
the
ag's
office.
B
B
Yes,
madam
chair
members
of
the
committee
for
the
record,
my
name
is
barbara
buckley
and
I'm
the
executive
director
of
legal
aid
center
of
southern
nevada.
B
We
are
the
state's
largest
legal
aid
organization,
providing
free
legal
assistance
to
individuals
who
cannot
afford
an
attorney
with
civil
cases.
One
of
our
most
important
programs
is
our
consumer
protection
unit.
B
In
our
system
of
law,
the
ag's
office
can
prosecute
consumer
fraud
cases
and
file
actions
against
wrongdoers
on
behalf
of
the
state,
but
cannot
represent
an
individual
who
is
defrauded
and
if
you
cannot
afford
an
attorney.
Well,
that's
where
legal
aid
comes
in
without
it,
someone
can
lose
their
life
savings,
their
home,
their
property,
their
shot
at
the
american
dream.
B
A
good
example
of
this
is
guardianship
fraud.
A
few
years
ago,
predatory
guardians
were
ruining
the
lives
of
vulnerable
nevadans.
Someone
would
show
up
on
a
doorstep,
saying
I've
now
got
guardianship
of
you
before
you
knew
it.
The
senior
was
placed
out
of
their
home
placed
in
a
group
home
and
had
their
life
savings
dissipated
by
a
fraudster.
B
I
can
give
you
so
many
examples:
foreclosure,
predatory
lending
scams-
I
mean
there's
a
scam
a
minute,
especially
here
in
las
vegas,
but
I'll
spare
you
the
details,
because
I
know
how
short
your
time
is,
as
mentioned
by
misadare
legal
aid
organizations
in
our
state,
washoe
legal
services
for
washoe,
county
nevada,
legal
services
for
the
rurals
legal
aid
center
for
clark
county
have
been
funded
by
the
national
mortgage
settlement
for
over
a
decade.
B
A
Thank
you
very
much
was
miss
content
going
to
talk
her.
A
E
If
there
are
any
questions
and
basically
to
to
offer
me
to
I'll,
just
add
quickly
that
you
know
we
used
home
again
funds
in
the
same
way
that
speaker
buckley,
mentioned
and
just
grateful
to
have
consideration
for
this
bill
so
that
we
can
keep
doing
this
great
work
that
we've
been
doing.
So.
Thank
you.
A
Thank
you
very
much
so
with
that
questions
committee
senator
neil.
C
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
so
I
just
I
had
a
question.
I
guess
section
four
sub
three,
so
the
discretion
of
the
consumer
advocate.
So
I
was
I'm
actually
not
clear.
So
the
consumer
advocate
is
in
the
ag
or
bni.
D
Thank
you
for
the
question
jessica
dear
for
the
record.
It's
in
the
ag's
office
and
the
consumer
advocate
currently
serves
as
the
chief
of
our
bureau
of
consumer
protection
and
when
the
when
the
bill
was
originally
drafted,
it
only
had
those
two
dates
and
what
we
wanted
to
avoid
is
if
we
had
a
significant
amount
of
money
sitting
in
that
administrative
account,
or
we
were
running
out
of
money
in
the
legal
account
to
just
have
the
ability
in
the
consumer
advocates
discretion
to
move
that
money
over
to
the
legal
account.
D
C
So
so
my
question
is,
you
know,
because
the
language
reads
any
amount
in
the
excess
of
500
000.,
so
how?
What
are
the
chances
that
there
will
be
in
excess
of
500,
000
right
and
so
how
many
transfers
are
envisioned
to
occur,
because
clearly
the
language
is
there?
It's
not
to
me.
I
didn't
see
it
as
a
limit.
I
saw
it
as
this
is
the
overage
that
I
want
you
to
make
sure
we
get.
D
Thank
you,
jessica.
Dare
for
the
record?
Yes,
it
is
the
it
is
the
overage,
and
so
we
want
to
keep
that
500
thousand
dollars
that
we
have
the
ability
to
participate
in
multi-state
investigations
that
often
have
cost
sharing.
But
to
answer
your
question,
how
much
settlement
funding
do
we
get?
It
is
totally
random
and
very
unpredictable.
We
get
an
average
of
about
three
million
dollars
per
year
in
settlement
funds,
so
we
do
anticipate.
D
There
will
be
overage
and
and
that's
what
we
want
to
use
that
outreach
for
is
for
ag
staff
and
and
for
legal
aid.
Sometimes
we'll
have
a
banner
year
and
get
a
10
million
dollar
volkswagen
settlement.
Sometimes
we
won't
have
a
lot
of
settlement
funding.
But
frankly,
I
can't
be
too
sad
about
that
because
it
means
the
state
has
not
had
its
consumer
protection
laws
violated.
So
but
yes,
the
the
goal
here
is
that
we
have
continued
funding
to
participate
in
those
multi-state
investigations,
but
everything
else
besides.
D
D
D
We
might
be
able
to
use
that
excess
money
for,
for
example,
public
education
or
to
do
other
programming
around
consumer
protection,
but
we
what
we
don't
want
to
do
is
get
in
a
situation
where
the
ag's
office
has
spent
money
on
other
things
without
paying
for
its
staff
first,
and
this
is
really
just
a
legacy.
Building
exercise
for
future
attorneys.
General
thanks.
Madam.
C
A
Thank
you
very
much
questions
from
the
committee,
mr
arnchov.
Any
questions.
C
Well,
not
not
a
question,
but
I
appreciate
the
bill
appreciate
general
ford,
bringing
the
bill
and
to
former
speaker
buckley
and
to
former
director
content,
appreciate
all
the
hard
work
you
do
at
your
different
legal
aid
offices
there
and
in
terms
of
helping
our
constituents.
I
think
that
you
feel
a
vital
need
that.
C
Certainly
you
know
looking
back
at
nevada
that
I
grew
up
in.
It
was
very,
very
lacking
so
appreciate
the
bill
and
appreciate
all
everybody's
hard
work.
A
Thank
you
very
much.
I
have
a
question
is
speaker
buckley.
Can
you
tell
me
how
many
I
don't
know
cases
or
people
that
may
come
into
the
office
that
are
looking
for
assistance
with
this
kind
of
legal
help.
B
Yes,
thank
you,
madam
chair,
the
the
numbers
for
our
organization,
especially
with
the
pandemic
or
off
the
charts.
Last
quarter.
It
was
over
10
000
requests
for
services
just
to
our
organization
alone.
B
We
are
the
largest
recipient
of
funding,
of
course,
but
we've
used
that
to
build
up.
We
have
over
14
ftes
paid
for
from
this
funding
and
the
cases.
As
I
mentioned,
it's
everything
from
guardianship.
Fraud
to
you
know,
scams
you
name
it.
We
see
it.
My,
I
think
my
favorite
one
from
last
year
was
an
organization
called
uber,
but
it
was
spelled
u
b
ubre
and
it
convinced
individuals
to
go
into
their
own
business
here.
Buy
these
cars
you'll
work
with
us
at
uber.
B
You
know,
you'll
create
your
own
small
business.
Well,
there
was
no
such
thing,
and
so
all
these
cars
were
purchased
in
their
names,
and
so
we
had
to
sort
out
with
the
dealership
get
the
cars
back
to
the
dealership.
Get
these
folks
out
of
this
system.
The
ag
ended
up
getting
involved,
but
the
things
we
see
you
would
you
would
shake
your
head.
A
A
F
G
G
Look
at
the
last
year,
where
the
state
in
the
in
the
local
governments
which
are
presumably
under
your
purview,
spent
billions
of
dollars
paying
their
their
employees,
while
prohibiting
the
majority
of
the
of
the
society
from
even
working,
and
it
looks
from
what
these
the
person
here
said
testified
that
they're
really
concerned
about
the
employees
not
about
really
about
retaining
their
employees
and
being
able
to
pay
their
employees
and
not
about
this.
G
The
services
to
the
to
the
public
to
the
people
that
are
harmed,
the
public
was
harmed
immensely
by
the
actions
of
the
government
during
the
last
12
months
or
14
months.
Then
then,
someone
talks
about
guardianship.
G
I
I
had
a
radio
program
back
in
the
1994
and
a
councilman
miller
from
from
the
city
of
las
vegas
also
had
a
radio
program,
and
we
talked
about
the
guardianship
fraud
that
was
being
committed
at
that
time.
G
Clear
back
then,
and
there
was
no
action
by
the
government,
the
the
the
government
itself
was
committing
the
fraud.
The
government
creates
90
percent
of
the
fraud
in
this
state,
so
I
don't
know
how
it
relates
to
this
particular
bill,
but
but
it's
really
interesting
to
see
how
we're
out
to
protect
all
the
employees
of
the
government
and
all
the
government,
but
huge
harm
being
done
to
private
individuals.
G
I
know
I
have
a
neighbor
who
has
people
not
paying
rent,
even
though
they're
they
they
have
plenty
of
money
to
pay
the
rent
it's
fortunately,
unfortunately,
I
haven't
been
subjected
to
that,
but
I
have
a
neighbor
who's
losing
tens
of
thousands
of
dollars.
Thank
you.
A
Thank
you,
mr
uliness
good,
to
see
you
in
the
building
any
additional
opposition
in
the
room.
If
not,
we
will
go
to
broadcasting
when
you're
ready.
F
A
A
Thank
you
very
much
so
with
that
I
will
ask
miss
adair.
Do
you
have
some
closing
remarks
on
assembly
bill
357.
D
Thank
you,
chair,
jessica,
dear
for
the
record.
I
don't
know
quite
how
to
respond
to
some
of
the
accusations
that
were
made
on
the
record
against
the
attorney
general,
but
to
the
extent
that
the
committee
has
questions
about
these
specific
positions
that
we're
seeking
to
to
use
settlement
funding
to
pay,
for
it
is
constituent
services,
unit
staff,
criminal,
investigator
2
and
compliance
auditor
positions
who
work
in
our
financial
fraud
and
elder
abuse.
D
Division
attorneys
who
work
in
our
criminal
prosecutions,
division
who
prosecute
financial
fraud
as
well
as
attorneys
and
legal
support
staff
and
our
bureau
of
consumer
protection,
and
I
will
say
that
it
will
save
bureaucracy
in
that.
You
will
not
see
my
face
in
the
future
at
the
interim
finance
committee
asking
for
permission
to
spend
settlement
funding
on
anything
other
than
consumer
protection.
D
A
Thank
you
very
much,
miss
adair
speaker
buckley.
Do
you
have
any
closing
remarks.
A
Thank
you
very
much,
okay.
So
with
that,
I
will
close
the
hearing
on
assembly
bill
357,
but
I
would
also
like
to
work
session
this
bill.
If
we
don't
have
any
more
discussions,
so
I
would
entertain
a
motion.
Do
pass
move.
A
Thank
you
very
much
vice
chair
earnshaw.
Do
I
have
a
second
second
from
senator
neil
any
discussion
on
the
motion,
all
in
favor
say
aye
aye
all
opposed,
nay.
Thank
you
very
much.
The
motion
carries
and
right
now
I
will.
I
will
take
that
floor
statement
and
with
that
we'll
move
on
to
the
last
piece
on
our
agenda,
and
that
will
be
public
comment,
and
please
remember
that
during
our
public
comment
time,
you
can
comment
on
anything
that
is
not
related
to
the
bill
that
we
just
heard.