Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark R. Denton and Valorie J. Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058

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My (Governor Kenny C. Guinn) Message for December 31, 2003*1
By Kenny Guinn

Following September 11, 2001, when it appeared for a time that northern Nevada had suffered an anthrax attack, we learned that our state is not immune to a potential terrorist attack. In response to this, I formed a Joint Information Center (JIC) within Nevadaˇ¦s Division of Emergency Management (DEM). The JIC is a working group of public information officers (PIOs) from virtually every state agency, who are called into service during a time of crisis so that state government can respond quickly and effectively to catastrophic events in our state.

During a crisis or disaster, communicating accurate and timely information to the public can and does save lives. When I activate the JIC, my office and other agencies will have the ability, through the PIOs, to work productively with outside agencies to receive and disseminate information regarding these events. The JIC will work to ensure that information is accurately gathered and effectively disseminated to enable our citizens and governments, at all levels, to counteract effects of the crises.

Recently, the JIC was tested. More than 1,600 responders participated in "Determined Promise 2003", which was a two-week bio-terrorism exercise that involved about 60 agencies, including military units. The JIC oversaw communications for that operation and proved to be an effective conduit for and a valuable source of accurate information for the public and the media.

Greg Bortolin, my Director of Communications, works closely with the members of the center and other federal, state, and local authorities to gather, verify, and disseminate vital facts to the public through the media. Others who play a key role in our JIC include Jerry Bussell, my Homeland Security Advisor; Frank Siracusa from the Division of Emergency Management; Thomas Jacobs from the Department of Motor Vehicles, who is the JIC director; and Kimberly Evans from the Department of Public Safety, who is the JIC deputy director.

For more information on the center, you may visit its Web site at http://nvstatejic.nv.gov/. This site is available to the public during times of crisis.*2

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References

*1. Office of the Governor. 'A message from Governor Kenny C. Guinn -- December 31, 2003,' "E-mail to Dr. Tony T. Lei," (December 31, 2003), Office of the Governor: Carson, Nevada.
*2. Ibid. p.2.