We don’t need another state regulatory board

Former Gov. Jim Gibbons vowed to thin the thicket of state regulatory boards and commissions as part of his promise to downsize government.

He found the task a bit more challenging than anticipated and had little success.

But that didn't stop his successor, Gov. Brian Sandoval, from making a similar commitment. With the continued survival of Assembly Bill 289, however, Gov. Sandoval may soon learn what he's up against.

In the tried-and-true tradition of using the power of the state to stifle potential competition, the American Dietetic Association is pushing bills in 40 states -- including Nevada -- that would essentially give its members a monopoly over providing nutritional therapy to willing consumers.

It's all couched in the usual babble about dietetics being a "learned profession" and the dangers to the public of allowing "unqualified and unlicensed" individuals to dispense nutritional information.

"Such legislation impedes an individual's right to access highly qualified nutritional therapists of their choice," according to Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, a Colorado outfit that deals in organic foods, "and prohibits hundreds of qualified practitioners from providing nutritional therapy."

And that's precisely the intention.

It's reminiscent of the successful effort several years back in Carson City to police interior designers. How did the republic survive all these years without protecting its slack-jawed citizenry from the dangers of a misplaced purple and orange throw pillow?

Nevertheless, AB289 ­-- "nothing short of an effort to grow our nanny-state government," correctly notes conservative activist Chuck Muth -- sailed through the Assembly, passing 30-12 on April 25. Amazingly, eight Republicans sided with the Democrats in approving this nonsense. They deserve special recognition -- and perhaps a brand new copy of the government's food pyramid. Or would disseminating that information without a license be illegal? They are: John Ellison of Elko, Pete Goicoechea of Eureka, Tom Grady of Yerington, Cresent Hardy of Mesquite, Pat Hickey of Reno, Kelly Kite of Minden, Pete Livermore of Carson City and Mark Sherwood of Henderson.

Keep up the good work, ladies and gentlemen.

In the meantime, AB289 -- all 28 pages of it -- now awaits action in the state Senate. Let's hope reason prevails. As Gov. Sandoval is well aware, Nevada doesn't need more worthless regulatory boards, it needs fewer -- particularly of the kind that amount to thinly veiled protection rackets.

Lock AB289 in a closet somewhere and starve it.