Attorney General

Catherine Cortez Masto

Presented to

Nevada Assembly Committee

On Government Affairs

February 25, 2011

Overview of the

Attorney General’s Office

OVERVIEW OF THE

ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE

• Mission Statement:

To serve Nevada by advising and

defending its institutions, enforcing

laws for the protection and benefit of

its citizens, ensuring open

government and empowering through

education outreach.

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Attorney General’s Office Duties

• General duties:

– Provide legal counsel and

representation for state agencies,

boards & commissions

– Investigate and prosecute state

crimes

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Agency for Nuclear Projects

Budget Division

Buildings & Grounds

Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Bureau of Early Intervention Services

Bureau of Enforcement

Bureau of Services to the Blind

Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation

Capitol Police

Child Care Licensing

Child Support Enforcement

Child Welfare

Children's Mental Health

Common Interest Communities Ombudsman

Communicable Diseases

Community Health Nurses

Consumer Affairs Division

Consumer Health Assistance

Controller

Department of Administration

Department of Agriculture

Department of Business & Industry

Department of Cultural Affairs

Department of Education

Department of Health & Human Services

Department of Motor Vehicles

Department of Public Safety

Department of Taxation

Department of Wildlife

Department of Conservation & Natural Resources

Department of Corrections

Department of Employment, Training & Rehab

Department of Information Technology (DoIT)

Division of Parole & Probation

Department of Transportation (NDOT)

Desert Regional Center

Division of Aging Services

Division of Child & Family Services (N)

Division of Environmental Protection

Division of Forestry

Division of Health

Division of Industrial Relations

Division of Minerals

Division of Museums & History

Division of Parks / Park Advisory Commission

Division of Resource Protection

Division of State Lands

Division of Water Resources

Division of Welfare

Elder Abuse

Emergency Management

Emergency Medical Services

Employment Security Department

Energy Office

Family Health Services

Fire Marshal

Full Faith and Credit Project

Gaming Division

General Improvement Districts

Governor's Alliance for a Drug Free America

Council for Employment of People w/Disabilities

Governor

Housing Division

Insurance Division

Internal Audit Division

Labor Commissioner

Land Registrar

Library

Lieutenant Governor

Manufactured Housing Division

Medicaid Provider Administrative Issues

Mortgage Lending Division

Motor Pool Division

Nevada Attorney for Injured Workers

Nevada Checkup

Nevada Division of Investigations

Nevada Highway Patrol

Nevada System of Higher Education

Office of Business Finance & Planning

Office of Community Services

Office of Disability Adjudication

Office of Historic Preservation

Office of Traffic Safety

Printing Division

Public Employees' Benefits Program(PEBP)

Purchasing Division

Real Estate Division

Rehabilitation Division

Risk Management

State Engineer

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA)

Taxicab Authority

Transportation Services Authority (TSA)

Treasurer

Unclaimed Property Division

Welfare

Agencies Represented by the Attorney General

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Advisory Commission for Participatory Democracy

Advisory Commission on Control of Emissions

Advisory Council for Community Notification

Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys

Agriculture & Irrigation Commission Industry

AIDS Advisory Task Force

Apprenticeship Council

Athletic Commission

Barbers' Health & Sanitation Board

Batterer's Treatment Certification Commission

Board of Examiners for Alcohol & Drug Abuse

Board of Examiners for Alcohol, Drug and

Gaming Counselors

Board of Examiners for Audiology and Speech

Pathology

Board of Registered Env. Health Specialists

Board of Examiners for Long Term Care

Board of Marriage & Family Therapist Examiners

Beef Council

Bicycle Advisory Board

Board for Financing of Water Projects

Board of Athletic Trainers

Board of Cosmetology

Board of Dispensing Opticians

Board of Education

Board of Examiners

Board of Examiners for Social Workers

Board of Fire Safety

Board of Hearing Aid Specialists

Board of Homeopathic Medical Examiners

Board of Massage Therapists

Board of Occupational Therapy

Board of Oriental Medicine

Board of Parole Commissioners

Board of Psychological Examiners

Board of Search & Rescue

Board of Wildlife Commissioners

Certified Court Reporters' Board

Colorado River Commission

Commission for Public Safety

Telecommunication

Commission for the Protection of Children

Veterans' Affairs Advisory Council

Commission to Study Funding of High Ed.

Commission of Real Estate Appraisers

Commission on Aging

Commission on Economic Development

Commission on Medical Research

Commission on Mineral Resources

Commission on Post-Secondary Education

Commission on Sports

Committee on Domestic Violence

Committee on Emergency Med. Services

Committee on Local Gov. & Finance

Committee on Testing for Intoxication

Common Interest Community Board

Communications Board

Comstock Historic District Commission

Conservation & Natural Resources

Advisory Board

Conservation Commission

Council on Libraries

Council on Library & Literacy

Council on the Arts

Dairy Commission

Board of Prison Commissioners

Domestic Violence Prevention Council

Earthquake Safety Council

Emergency Response Commission

Environmental Commission

Equal Rights Commission

Fairgrounds Board

Funeral Board

Gaming Commission

Gaming Control Board

Grazing Board

Halfway House Certification

Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee

Historical Society

Homeland Security Commission

Indian Commission

Institutional Review Board

Junior Livestock Show Board

Landscape Architecture Board

Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board

Local Governmental Advisory Committee

Local Gov. Employee-Management Relations Board

Mental Health Commission

Nurses Advisory Council for CE

Occupational Therapy Board

Pardons Board

Personnel Commission / Department

Private Investigators' Licensing Board

Public Utilities Commission

Public Works Board

Rangeland Resources Commission

Real Estate Commission

Cavin, Kateri Civil – Deputy

Social Workers Board

State Board of Equalization

State Board of Geographic Names

State Board of Health

State Board of Professional Engineers and Land

Surveyors

State Board of Podiatry

Tax Commission

Technological Crime Board

Tourism Commission

Transportation Board

Trust Fund for Public Health

Uniform Crime Reporting Advisory Commission

Welfare Board

Boards & Commissions Represented by the

Attorney General

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State Board of Accountancy

Committee of Catastrophic Leave

Commission on Construction Education

Contractors’ Board

Credit Union Advisory Council

Board of Dental Examiners

Developmental Disabilities Planning Council

(DETR)

Board for the Education and Counseling of

Displaced Homemakers

Education Technology Commission

Employment Security Council

State Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors

Council for Establishment of Academic

Standards for Public Schools

Ethics Commission

Humanities Committee

Independent Living Council

Industrial Insurance Appeals Panel

Information Technology Advisory Board

State Board of Medical Examiners

State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Boards & Commissions NOT Represented by the

Attorney GeneralJoint Information Center

Judicial Discipline

Land Use Advisory Council

Maternal and Child Health Advisory Board

Mental Health Planning Advisory Council

Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of

the V&T Railway

Nevada Cultural Affairs Foundation

State Board of Nursing

Occupational Safety and Health Review Board

State Board of Optometry

Patriot Fund

Public Utilities Commission

Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation

Task Force

Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics and

Election Practices

Vocational Rehabilitation Council

Pharmacy Board

State Board of Physical Therapy

State Board of Chiropractic Examiners

State Board of Architecture

Board of Osteopathic Medicine

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Attorney General’s Office

Organization

• Office Organization

– Bureau of Government Affairs

– Bureau of Litigation

– Bureau of Criminal Justice

– Bureau of Consumer Protection

– Administration

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Bureau of Government Affairs

DIVISIONS

• Gaming: Gaming Commission,

Gaming Control Board, PEBP

• Transportation: Department of

Transportation, Public Works Board

• Business & Taxation; Boards and

Licensing : Provides legal counsel to

various state agencies, boards and

commissions

• Health and Human Services:

Medicaid, Welfare, Child & Family

Services, Aging Services, Mental

Health

• Government & Natural Resources:

Department of Environmental

Protection, Department of Wildlife,

Constitutional Officers, PERS

Outreach at Sandy Valley

Senior Citizen Center

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Bureau of Litigation

DIVISIONS

• Personnel: Interpret and advise Executive Branch on

State and Federal laws and serve as personnel counsel

on all matters involving State’s personnel system

•Appellate: Maintains consistency in the AG’s and

State’s legal position and policy through:

Federal habeas and inmate appeals

Appeals before Nevada, U.S. Supreme

and Ninth Circuit Courts

Conducts amicus program

Coordinates Attorney General opinions

•Public Safety: DMV, Department of Public Safety,

Department of Corrections, and handles complex

litigation for

-Inmate civil rights

-Tort claims

-Title VII

-ADA

-Employment cases

Public Safety Press

Conference in Carson City

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Bureau of Criminal Justice

DIVISIONS

Special Prosecutions: Federal Habeas Corpus actions, Public Integrity, Elder Exploitation, Missing Children, Tri-County Prosecutor

Fraud Unit:

Medicaid Fraud

Workers Compensation

Insurance Fraud

Mortgage Fraud

Securities Fraud

Consumer Fraud

Fight Fraud Press Conference

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Bureau of Consumer Protection

Functions

• Utilities Advocacy - Represents the interests of customers of

Nevada’s regulated public utilities through the Consumer

Advocate

• Consumer Protection – Enforces various consumer protection

statutes

• Antitrust and Unfair Competition – investigates and pursues

through criminal or civil litigation

• Provides Consumer Education

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Investigations

Carson City National Night Out

• Investigates criminal offenses

committed by state officers

and employees

• 48 Peace Officers

• General Investigations

• Worker’s Compensation

• Fraud

• Bureau of Consumer Protection

• Missing Children

• Tobacco Enforcement

• Medicaid Fraud Control

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Special Units

Domestic

Violence

Yucca MountainOpen Meeting

Law

Missing

Children’s

Clearinghouse

Cyber Crime

Task Force

Tobacco

Enforcement

Prosecution

Advisory

Council

Drug Abuse

Senior

Protection

Unit

Mortgage

Fraud Task

Force

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• Legal Opinions issued by the

Attorney General’s Office

– Who can request one?

Attorney General Opinions

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NRS 228.150

(1) When requested, the Attorney General shall give his opinion, in writing, upon any question of law, to the Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Controller, the State Treasurer, the Director of the Department of Corrections, to the head of any state department, agency, board or commission, to any district attorney and to any city attorney of any incorporated city within the state of Nevada, upon any question of law relating to their respective offices, departments, agencies, boards or commissions.

(2) Nothing contained in subsection 1 requires the Attorney General to give his or her written opinion to any city attorney concerning questions relating to the interpretation or construction of city ordinances.

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Attorney General’s Office

Questions?

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