An attempt to create a watchdog within Nevada government has fizzled again.

Assemblyman Chris Edwards, the lone Republican co-sponsor of AB404, said the bill that would have established an Office of the Inspector General will likely die this legislative session. Per the bill language, the office would consist of an inspector general, deputy inspector general, special counsel and other staff as deemed necessary and financially doable.

The bill never made it out of committee before the first house deadline, meaning it’s dead unless legislative leadership resurrects it by the end of Friday, Edwards said.

“It sadly did not get the kind of attention that I think it deserved,” he said.

Edwards became a co-sponsor of the legislation after a similar bill he introduced before the start of session never received a work session and died, he said. AB404’s primary sponsors include Democratic Assembly members Brittney Miller, William McCurdy and Teresa Benitez-Thompson. Assemblymen Chris Brooks and Ozzie Fumo, both Democrats, joined Edward as co-sponsors.

The inspector general and his or her office would be tasked with preventing waste, fraud, abuse and corruption at every level of government, Edwards said. It’s the type of entity that can ultimately save the state a hefty chunk of money by both spotting misuse and training government agencies and employees about how to better protect finances.

But, in the end, money may have been what derailed the bill. Three state departments, including the governor’s office, submitted fiscal notes saying they could not determine the financial effect of establishing and running an Office of the Inspector General.

“Cost, of course, is always a concern,” Miller said, acknowledging the bill doesn’t have a bright future this session. “I, of course, support it. I’m going to resubmit it. I’m going to continue working on it, and that’s all I can say right now.”

As for why the state needs such an entity, Edwards pointed to a recent case involving an employee charged with stealing and selling more than $6.7 million worth of ink cartridges and toners from the Las Vegas Valley Water District.

But Edwards said many of his legislative colleagues didn’t understand the concept or didn’t think it was necessary, leading to meager interest in the bill.

“The overall intent is that the people’s money is spent properly,” he said. “Even just having an inspector general oftentimes inspires people to be more conscientious of what they’re doing in their job.”

The Association of Inspectors General estimates that roughly 200 offices dedicated to government accountability and oversight exist nationwide. The Nevada Department of Corrections has an Office of the Inspector General that’s charged with performing criminal investigations pertaining to prisons and prisoners, among other things.

AB404 wasn’t the first attempt to create an Office of the Inspector General that would monitor state agencies and local government. A similar bill proposed in 2011 — and backed by Gov. Brian Sandoval — also died.

Edwards, who vowed to resurrect the bill in 2019, blamed Democrats for not giving AB404 more time or attention this year.

“This has been a strange session where the focus has not been on the things I would have prioritized,” he said. “I think it’s a session where we’ve lost opportunities to really do some good things for the people.”

Reporter Riley Snyder contributed to this story.