The initial meeting of the Nevada Auto Theft and Insurance Fraud Task Force was scheduled for Thursday morning in Las Vegas, the Governor announced Wednesday.

Governor Gibbons in January signed an executive order creating the task force to develop a statewide strategic plan to fight auto theft and insurance fraud. The task force is also charged with making recommendations on how law enforcement agencies and insurance companies can combine their resources to address this issue.

“Auto theft and insurance fraud are massive problems throughout Nevada, but particularly in Clark County, where they have reached epidemic proportions,” Gibbons said. “This task force will develop a statewide plan for how to address these crimes and help create a public-private partnership that benefits everyone.”

A vehicle is stolen in Nevada every 19 ½ minutes, amounting to nearly 27,000 vehicles in 2006. Insurance industry studies estimate that 10 percent of property and casualty insurance claims are fraudulent and that these crimes cost the average consumer in Nevada approximately $300 a year in higher insurance premiums.

“Fighting crime is one of those essential functions of government,” Gibbons said. “Creating a statewide approach to fighting the crimes of auto theft and insurance fraud will be a great service to all law enforcement agencies throughout Nevada, as well as the general public.”

The initial organizational meeting of the Nevada Auto Theft and Insurance Fraud Task Force is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, 555 E. Washington St., Las Vegas.

 

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Governor and Lawmakers Reach Agreement On Spending Reductions

Governor Jim Gibbons and a bipartisan panel of Legislative leaders have reached an agreement on state spending reductions to balance the Fiscal Years 2007-2009 state budget, the Governor announced Wednesday.

The Governor and lawmakers have agreed to adjust state spending by about $349 million through the delay of capital improvement projects, expenditure of several reserve funds and changes to several spending programs. These reductions avoid any cuts to the operating budgets of any state agency and result in no layoffs for state employees.

“While decisions like these are never easy, we were able to work well with Legislative leaders of both political parties to find a solution that does not affect the operations of education, public safety or health and human services programs,” the Governor said. “These were some of our key goals during these budget negotiations, and I’m glad we were able to achieve them.”

“This hard look at state spending is prudent at a time when individuals, families and businesses are suffering,” Gibbons said. “Reducing state spending in this way allows us to maintain a balanced budget without balancing it on the backs of taxpayers.”

Nevada’s primary bank account is collecting significantly less revenue than anticipated when the budget was built during the 2007 Legislative Session. General Fund revenue is expected to be about $595 million less than budgeted for the biennium. Additional social services caseloads, an unexpected state obligation for K-12 education and several other components add about $319 million to the shortfall, leading to a total shortfall for the biennium of about $914 million.

The Governor announced 4.5 percent spending reductions in December that cut about $565 million from the budget. This new agreement reduces spending by another $349 million.

“These reductions highlight the need for a panel I’m creating to review the operations of state government in an effort to eliminate waste, streamline operations and generate change in how the state does business,” the Governor said. “I’m hopeful to get this panel up and running within 20 days so it can begin a solutions-based look at how the state spends taxpayer dollars.”