Las Vegas Asks to Close Security Meetings

The city of Las Vegas, one of the nation’s most popular tourist destinations, is asking the Nevada senate to allow local governments to conduct closed-door sessions when discussing security and terrorism concerns.

According to an article by Sean Whaley in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the city of Las Vegas is seeking the measure, which was introduced last week into the state Senate. If the proposal goes through, the city’s Emergency Management Committee would be allowed to close its meetings from the public when discussing “security briefings, procedures for responding to terrorism or related emergencies and security gaps,” Whaley says.

The state’s homeland security panel was given similar considerations in 2003, a move that “sparked controversy” in the area, according to Whaley. The new bill, he says, “would allow any local governing body, such as a city council, and any advisory body reporting to a governing body, to hold the closed security-related sessions.”

However, the bill also requires a majority vote of the city's emergency management committee to exclude the public for the security and terrorism discussions.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Feb-23-Wed-2005/news/25919858.html