1. If the Commission directs the Executive Director to investigate an ethics complaint pursuant to NRS 281A.715 or if the Commission initiates an ethics complaint on its own motion pursuant to NRS 281A.710, the Executive Director shall investigate the facts and circumstances relating to the ethics complaint to determine whether the Executive Director believes that there is just and sufficient cause for the Commission to render an opinion in the matter in order to present a written recommendation to the review panel pursuant to NRS 281A.725.
2. The Executive Director shall provide notice of the investigation pursuant to this section to the public officer or employee who is the subject of the ethics complaint and provide the public officer or employee an opportunity to submit to the Executive Director a response to the allegations against the public officer or employee in the ethics complaint. The response must be submitted within 30 days after the date on which the public officer or employee receives the notice of the investigation pursuant to this section, unless the Executive Director grants an extension.
3. The purpose of the response submitted pursuant to this section is to provide the Executive Director and the review panel with any information relevant to the ethics complaint which the public officer or employee believes may assist:
(a) The Executive Director in performing his or her investigation and other functions pursuant to this section and NRS 281A.725; and
(b) The review panel in performing its review and other functions pursuant to NRS 281A.730.
4. The public officer or employee is not required in the response submitted pursuant to this section or in any proceedings before the review panel to assert, claim or raise any objection or defense, in law or fact, to the allegations against the public officer or employee, and no objection or defense, in law or fact, is waived, abandoned or barred by the failure to assert, claim or raise it in the response or in any proceedings before the review panel.
(Added to NRS by 2017, 2481)