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Rep. Amodei Rejects Congressional Earmarks, Says Projects Should Go Through Regular Budget Process

By Sean Whaley | 3:51 pm January 9th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said today he opposes the earmark process used to fund various projects around the country, advocating instead that state priorities for federal support go through a regular budget review.

“The problem with earmarks, when you look at them, it’s symbolic largely, because it’s not that it’s a huge part of the federal budget,” he said. “But a lot of them appear at the end with absolutely no hearings and they are in bills.

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev.

“It’s not that you shouldn’t spend federal money for specific things like that, whether it’s capital improvements or something else, but there should be some level of hearing on them,” Amodei said in an interview on the Nevada NewsMakers television show. “And the problem with earmarks is it has become synonymous with little or no hearing whatsoever. So you find out about them after the fact with absolutely no record in support.”

The appropriateness of earmarks generated some controversy in Northern Nevada last week when U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., toured the new air traffic control tower at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Heller in November 2010 said he would not seek earmarks for Nevada projects.

The $27 million in funding for the tower was provided with earmarks supported by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Heller acknowledged helping with the funding for the project as well, and the Nevada State Democrat Party criticized the freshman senator for what it said was his flip-flopping on the issue.

“It’s hypocrisy,” said Democratic Party Communications Director Zack Hudson. “It’s another example of how he’ll say anything and do anything just to get elected again.”

Heller, appointed to the Senate in May by Gov. Brian Sandoval, is facing a challenge from Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. in the 2012 general election.

Amodei was elected Sept. 13 in a special election to take Heller’s seat in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers all of Northern and rural Nevada.

In the interview, Amodei said he believes the tower would have been built without the earmark process because it was desperately needed for safety reasons.

“Because I’ve been in that tower during my first 115 days, and you look across at the old one, where you couldn’t even the ramps down there . . .,” he said. “I am certain that you could have made a very strong public case for this should rise to the top for tower improvements for FAA facilities throughout the nation. I mean, it speaks for itself, if you will.”

Amodei said he has priorities for federal spending in Nevada, but that the projects should go through the budget process and compete for funding.

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Audio clips:

Rep. Mark Amodei says projects should go through the regular budget process:

010912Amodei1 :13 are in bills.”

Amodei says state funding requests need to go through a hearing process:

010912Amodei2 :16 record in support.”

Amodei says the Reno-Tahoe Airport tower was a project that stood on its own merits:

010912Amodei3 :20 if you will.”

 

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Nevada’s GOP House Reps Disappointed At Short-Term Deal On Payroll Tax Cut, Jobless Benefit Extension

By Sean Whaley | 7:55 pm December 22nd, 2011

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s two Republican House representatives today said politics won out over policy on the newly announced deal for a 60-day extension on a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefit extension.

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said: “I will apologize in advance for what people are going to be going through 60 days from now because we have resolved nothing. And I predict the discussion 60 days from now will not only mirror this one, but you will also have a large revenue package which will be a condition to approving any sort of extensions for a year or two years.

“Nothing has changed, and it’s sad,” Amodei said. “We have done nobody any favors. As many commentators have said, you’re right on the policy but you’re wrong on the politics. Hopefully there will be a day when the policy rules the roost and not the politics but that’s probably a naive thing too.”

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., said he was prepared to remain in Washington to reach a long-term solution to the extensions.

Courtesy of Kmccoy via Wikimedia Commons.

“The whole time my primary concern was making sure that we had a one-year extension for the folks back home,” he said. “That was the No. 1 priority. And it seems that in typical Washington fashion that politics trumped out over doing the right thing.

“I don’t think folks back home should suffer because Washington wants to get home for the holidays,” Heck said. “I made no secret about my desire to stay and get the job done. I’ve been away from my family; I’ve been deployed over the holidays; it’s not fun. But doing the right thing isn’t always fun or easy.”

Despite his disappointment at the short-term fix, Heck said Congress worked collaboratively in approving the Defense Authorization Act, and he has confidence in the House conferees appointed to work on a more permanent solution to the tax cut and unemployment benefit extension by a Feb. 29, 2012 deadline.

Heck said that if the Senate sends over members who are willing to look at the policy reforms approved by the House in its Dec. 13 bill, “that we will be able to come to a conclusion hopefully by the end of January.”

Both Amodei and Heck are now back in Nevada for a recess that will run through mid-January.

Amodei said he is still in the process of assessing the deal announced earlier today that will lead to the House endorsement of the Senate measure to extend the tax cut and unemployment benefits. Amodei said he plans to issue a formal statement tomorrow after he is confident about the details of the deal.

The House may be able to approve the Senate legislation by a process called unanimous consent, which will not require House members to return to Washington, DC, for a formal vote.

The deal means the continuation of both a payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and a 99-week unemployment benefit for two million jobless Americans.

Other comments on the deal came from President Obama and other members of Nevada’s representatives in Congress.

President Obama issued a statement that said in part: “This is good news, just in time for the holidays. This is the right thing to do to strengthen our families, grow our economy, and create new jobs. This is real money that will make a real difference in people’s lives.”

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who supported the 60-day extension, said: “I am pleased the House is moving forward with the Senate’s bipartisan compromise. Extending the payroll tax and unemployment insurance will benefit Nevadans greatly. Now that Congress has moved beyond this impasse, we can work on a year-long extension.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said: “I am grateful that the voices of reason have prevailed and Speaker (John) Boehner has agreed to pass the Senate’s bipartisan compromise.

“Year-long extensions of the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance and Medicare payments for physicians has always been our goal, and Democrats will not rest until we have passed them,” he said. “But there remain important differences between the parties on how to implement these policies, and it is critical that we protect middle-class families from a tax increase while we work them out.”

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. said: “While its good news this massive middle class tax hike has been averted, this is one more example of why Washington doesn’t work. This should have been a no-brainer, but instead Tea Party Republicans held Nevada’s middle class families hostage to their extreme Wall Street agenda. The middle class should not be a bargaining chip for DC political games.”

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Audio clips:

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., says the deal resolves nothing:

122211Amodei1 :32 or two years.”

Amodei says he believes a large revenue package will be part of the next round of discussions:

122211Amodei2 :27 naive thing too.”

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., says his goal all along was a one-year deal:

122211Heck1 :15 the right thing.”

Heck says Congress should have got the job done:

122211Heck2 :14 fun or easy.”

Heck says he is hopeful the conference committee will reach a deal by the end of January:

122211Heck3 :32 month of March.”

 

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Rep. Mark Amodei Says House Republicans Will Reject Short-Term Senate Payroll Tax, Jobless Benefit Fix

By Sean Whaley | 9:09 pm December 19th, 2011

CARSON CITY – Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said today that Republicans in the House do not believe a 60-day stopgap response to expiring tax breaks and unemployment benefits as approved by the Senate is a workable solution.

Amodei, in a telephone interview this evening with the Nevada News Bureau, said the temporary fix is unworkable for the business community and creates too much uncertainty that could threaten job creation efforts. Congress needs to approve legislation resolving these issues for a full year, he said.

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev.

As a result of the concerns, Republicans in the House are going to reject the Senate version of a compromise bill approved Saturday to extend jobless benefits and ensure a payroll tax break continues for 160 million working Americans, Amodei said.

The House passed a bill addressing the issues earlier this month that would resolve the issues for a full year.

“Why would you put people through this again 60 days later?” he asked.

The result will be to send the two different versions of the payroll tax and unemployment benefit fix to a conference committee to resolve differences, Amodei said. Whether the Senate returns to the Capitol to work on a compromise bill remains to be seen, he said.

If a compromise is not reached by the end of the year, working Americans will see a payroll tax hike, and five million unemployed workers will face a loss of jobless benefits starting Jan. 1.

Amodei, elected in September to fill out the term of now-U.S. Sen. Dean Heller in Congressional District 2, arrived home Saturday only to turn around and fly back to Washington, DC, on Sunday, to take up the issues. Amodei has not yet served 100 days in office.

The Senate, after voting to amend the House bill to deal with the issues for two months, has adjourned.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said the Senate won’t negotiate further until the House passes the 60-day extension.

In a statement, Reid said: “Speaker (John) Boehner should allow an up-or-down vote on the compromise that Senator McConnell and I negotiated at Speaker Boehner’s request, and which was supported by 89 Republican and Democratic senators.

“With millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet, it would be unconscionable for Speaker Boehner to block a bipartisan agreement that would protect middle-class families from the thousand-dollar tax increase looming on January first,” he said. “It is time for Speaker Boehner to follow through.”

But Amodei said House Republicans want to follow the proper procedure to iron out differences in the conflicting versions of the legislation. That means a conference committee, he said.

“By the way, yes, it does happen to be December, but . . . the issues are important enough, you need to work on them until you get it worked out,” Amodei said. “And by the way, you haven’t got a heck of a lot of time, and yes, there is Christmas and New Years in there, but so be it.”

Amodei said the House is expected to vote to take the Senate version of the bill to the rules committee for its review. The full House will then vote Tuesday to appoint its representatives to a conference committee.

“This is going to be an interesting thing to see whether or not policy prevails or politics prevails,” he said.

There are other concerns with the Senate version of the bill as well, including the proposal to charge a fee on Federal Housing Authority loans to help pay for the expense of the extended benefits and tax cuts, which would be a particularly hard hit on Nevada’s real estate industry, Amodei said.

The House bill also set the number of weeks of federal unemployment to 57, and allowed for means testing for unemployment and food stamps for the wealthy as a state option, he said. It also put in a pay freeze on federal employees and members of Congress to help pay for it, another provision that did not survive in the Senate version.

“Another two-month extension is another exercise in, can you hold your breath for another two months if you are a senior, if you are a veteran, if you’re an employer, if you work for wages or if you are on unemployment,” Amodei said. “I mean, I just think it is absolutely tone deaf to the reality of people looking for work, people who are working, seniors, veterans, home buyers. I mean, it’s like how can you talk about this with a straight face.

“The Senate’s amendment was amending the bill in whole, and basically kept everything the same except made it 60 days, and you’re like, what is the magic in 60 days?”

Nevada’s Republican representatives in Congress are not in complete agreement on how to proceed. Heller, R-Nev., voted for the two-month extension in the Senate.

“There is no question we need to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance for the entire year,” he said. “The American people deserve long-term, forward-thinking policies. However, there is no reason to hold up the short-term extension while a more comprehensive deal is being worked out.

“What is playing out in Washington, DC, this week is about political leverage, not about what’s good for the American people,” Heller said.

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Audio clips:

Rep. Mark Amodei says the Senate needs to work with the House to resolve the issues:

121911Amodei1 :15 so be it.”

Amodei says another two-month extension does not deal with the realities being faced by Americans:

121911Amodei2 :26 a straight face.”

Amodei asks what is the magic in 60 days:

121911Amodei3 :11 in 60 days.”

 

 

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Las Vegas Attorney Readies Nevada For U.S. Supreme Court Review Of Federal Health Care Law

By Sean Whaley | 2:43 pm November 15th, 2011

CARSON CITY – The Las Vegas attorney representing Nevada in the 26-state challenge to the new federal health care law says the case is critically important because of the mandate for people to purchase health insurance.

“Never before in our nation’s history has the federal government required its citizens to purchase a product or service as a condition of citizenship in this country,” said Mark Hutchison, who is representing Nevada without charge in the case. “This case is of high importance to all Nevadans, because if the federal government can require us to purchase health insurance, then they can require us to purchase anything they choose.”

Hutchison, in a statement issued Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, said the initial written briefs are due Dec. 29. Oral arguments are expected to be in March. The court will issue a decision in the case before its term expires at the end of June 2012.

U.S. Supreme Court.

First appointed by Gov. Jim Gibbons, and then re-affirmed by Gov. Brian Sandoval, Hutchison was named to serve as lead special counsel for the state when Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto declined to represent the state in the federal litigation.

In addition to the 26 states, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is a party to the challenge.

Randi Thompson, Nevada state director for the NFIB, said in a statement Monday: “This act is already increasing the cost of health care on Nevadans, increasing costs to Nevada taxpayers for Medicaid and Medicare coverage, and causing business owners to even drop coverage for their employees. Health care needs to be more accessible and affordable, but this act is not the way to reach that goal.”

Others also weighed in on the decision.

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer issued this statement: “Earlier this year, the Obama Administration asked the Supreme Court to consider legal challenges to the health reform law and we are pleased the court has agreed to hear this case.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, one million more young Americans have health insurance, women are getting mammograms and preventive services without paying an extra penny out of their own pocket and insurance companies have to spend more of your premiums on health care instead of advertising and bonuses. We know the Affordable Care Act is constitutional and are confident the Supreme Court will agree,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said in a statement: “Nevada families and businesses are already struggling in this current economic environment, and the president’s job killing health care law is making a difficult situation worse. The law’s excessive taxes, expensive regulations and questionable constitutionality are stripping businesses of the certainty they need to hire at a time when Nevadans and the rest of the country are desperate for jobs.

“While the Supreme Court considers this case, the president should work with Congress to find real solutions to health care reform so the excessive mandates in this law do not add to our national debt or hurt our struggling economy,” he said.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a statement: “Families, seniors and small businesses in Nevada and across the country are reaping the benefits of health insurance reform. Prescription drug costs for seniors are falling as the Medicare ‘donut hole’ closes, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, and business owners are taking advantage of tax breaks.

“Just last week, a conservative judge appointed by President Reagan ruled that this legislation is constitutional, and I am confident the high court will do the same,” he said.

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said in a statement: “I believe that the individual mandate is unconstitutional and it is my hope that the Supreme Court will overturn it. Already, during my short time in Congress, I voted to repeal a provision of the president’s health care law that raised eligibility for Medicaid far beyond the intended poverty level. This correction is estimated to save taxpayers at least $13 billion over 10 years.

“I eagerly await the court’s decision and from there we’ll be able to assess the path for repealing what amounts to government control of 16 percent of our economy,” he said.

A number of federal courts have weighed in on the law with sometimes contradictory rulings on the constitutionality of the law and the individual mandate. President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law in March 2010.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided to use the case filed by the states, including Nevada, and the NFIB, to determine the constitutionality of the law.

Nevada and the other states challenged the law in federal court in the Northern District of Florida. U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson ruled in the states’ favor and declared the individual mandate in the federal health care law unconstitutional. He declared the entire law unconstitutional without the mandate.

The 11th U.S. District Court Appeals then upheld Vinson’s ruling on the individual mandate but said the rest of the law could stand.

The U.S. Supreme Court will now take up the issues of whether the individual mandate is constitutional and whether the entire law is unconstitutional if the individual mandate is unlawful.

The individual mandate requires all U.S. citizens and residents to purchase health insurance from a private company or face government-imposed penalties enforced by the Internal Revenue Service.

“We are pleased that the highest court in the country will make a final decision about the constitutional fate of the healthcare legislation,” Hutchison said. “The states are confident that the U.S. Supreme Court will determine that the law is unconstitutional.”

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In Case You Missed It: The Week in Nevada Politics

By Elizabeth Crum | 1:36 pm October 8th, 2011

And what a week it was! You’re sure to have missed at least one or two of the following items. And if I forgot something, feel free to post it below in Comments, along with your…comments.

Redistricting

I’m working on a blog post including links to the latest that I’ll get up by Monday, Dear Readers. Documents are flying and quite a bit has happened since Sept. 21 when a Carson City judge ordered public hearings on the matter.

If you want to attend the public hearing still scheduled for Las Vegas, it’s Monday, Oct. 10, at 9:30 a.m. in the Grant Sawyer building, 555 E. Washington Ave., Room 4401.

In Carson City, the public hearing will be Tuesday, Oct. 11, in room 4100 of the Legislative Building, 401 S. Carson Street.

Or you can find links to live broadcasts here.

Caucuses/Primaries

After Florida jumped ahead to Jan. 31, South Carolina scheduled on Saturday, Jan. 21, and Nevada settled on Saturday, Jan. 14. Then, Iowa yesterday set their caucus date for Tuesday, Jan. 3. This creates a problem for New Hampshire which has a statute saying their primary has to be at least seven days before the next primary/caucus. If New Hampshire schedules on Tuesday, Jan. 10, Nevada’s caucus will fall just four days later.

Presidential Race and Related Matters

George and Jeb were in town. The former gave a speech and then went to see his old pal Sheldon Adelson at the Venetian; the latter mostly hung out with Gov. Sandoval including headlining a big ($600,000) fundraiser, also at the Venetian. (Ralston wrote up some of Jeb’s remarks after his tour of Agassi Prep.)

Team Ron Paul is up with their first TV ad. No word (yet) on the size of the buy in Nevada.

Herman Cain is on the rise.

Immigration matters. Romney v. Perry.

Stuart Rothenberg says he thinks the electoral vote advantage goes to Romney in a match-up against Obama.

A Tea Party Express spin-off group (numerous TPX staffers migrated) called Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama put out a YouTube ad called “Liberal Mitt’s Greatest Hits.” Safe to say, they aren’t Romney fans.

SuperPACs galore.

U.S. Senate

“Senate in chaos” says Politico. Procedurally speaking, that is. By a 51-48 vote, the Senate voted (along party lines) to change the precedent and limit how amendments can be considered once a filibuster is defeated. This after the GOP tried to tie up the Chinese currency bill by tacking on unrelated amendments. (Both parties have done plenty of this kind of thing at various times over the years.)

CSM wrote about it, too.

Is prayer the Senate’s only hope?

China’s currency meddling and related legislation was a topic in the Berkley-Heller Senate race this week.

Berkley out-raised Heller by nearly double in Q3. She now has $3.2 million cash on hand. Heller has $2.8 million. And let’s not forget all the money that will be spent here by the NRSC, DCSC, and various IEs and SuperPACs.

House

Amodei: Got Committees?

The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, on which Rep. Joe Heck sits, this week held a hearing to explore ways to modernize the nation’s job-training system. Here’s video of Heck questioning witnesses.

Miscellaneous

Clark County is moving forward, making NBC and ABC (no, not the TV networks) happy in their PLA/union fight. Interesting stuff.

Our thanks to the LVRJ for running Sean Whaley’s story on Medicare fraud.

 

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Democrat Candidate For Nevada U.S. Senate Seat In 2012 Says He Is In The Race To Stay

By Sean Whaley | 3:18 pm August 1st, 2011

CARSON CITY – Nevada Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Byron Georgiou said he is in the race to win it in 2012 despite facing opposition from U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Georgiou, who has put in more than $1 million of his own money into what is expected to be a tough primary race against Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said that he will carry on regardless of how much money Reid puts in against his candidacy.

“Sen. Reid, and I have tremendous respect for him, I supported him, I’m glad that he beat Sharron Angle, I think it would have been a mistake for Nevada to have done otherwise,” Georgiou said. “He’s entitled to his opinion, he is one person and we respectfully disagree.

“If I didn’t believe, Sam, that I was the strongest candidate in this race of the three candidates, that is Dean Heller, Shelley Berkley and myself, I wouldn’t be in it.”

Byron Georgiou, Nevada Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate.

Georgiou made his comments in an interview that aired today on the Nevada NewsMakers television show hosted by Sam Shad.

“I believe that I have a better chance, the best chance, to beat Dean Heller in the general election in November, and I will abide by the judgment of the people of Nevada who will make that choice,” he said.

Georgiou declined to specify how much of his own money he will put into the race.

Berkley announced her intention to seek the seat in April.

Georgiou’s entry into the race means there will be a potentially competitive Democrat primary that could drain both candidates of campaign funds needed to beat Heller in November next year.

Heller was appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to the Senate seat made vacant with the resignation of John Ensign.

Georgiou said that as a candidate he will focus on the issues of greatest concern to Nevadans, from the highest rate of home foreclosures and unemployment to bankruptcy filings, among other grim statistics.

Nevada is at “ground zero” of the financial crisis, he said.

Georgiou was appointed in 2009 as one of 10 members nationwide to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission with Reid’s support. The commission spent more than 18 months examining the causes of the financial crisis.

Georgiou said he is calling for a reduction in the principal balance of all underwater mortgages in Nevada down to the actual current market price of the home.

“This is just recognizing a reality that is already true,” he said.

Georgiou lives in Las Vegas with his wife and two daughters. He has a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Georgiou said as an outsider, he can bring a fresh perspective to the challenges facing the country.

“I think that the voters of Nevada recognize that the problems in Washington have been created largely by the people who are there and they’re the ones least likely to solve them,” he said.

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Audio clips:

Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Byron Georgiou says he is the strongest candidate in the race:

080111Georgiou1 :25 be in it.”

Georgiou says he will abide by the choice of Nevada voters:

080111Georgiou2 :11 make that choice.”

Georgiou says he will focus on the issues of most concern to Nevadans, including unemployment and home foreclosures:

080111Georgiou3 :24 to focus on.”

 

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U.S. Chamber Study Highlights National, Nevada Economic Losses Due To Stalled Energy Projects

By Sean Whaley | 12:29 pm March 10th, 2011

CARSON CITY – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a first-of-its-kind economic study today identifying stalled energy projects – including 10 in Nevada – that are costing billions of dollars in lost gross domestic product.

The study says the delays are costing the state’s economy $66.9 billion in GDP and that 86,700 jobs a year could be created in Nevada during the construction phase of the projects.

The study estimates the potential loss of investment and jobs in the 351 proposed solar, renewable, coal, natural gas, nuclear, and transmission projects in 49 states. The dollar value is $577 billion.

“This study should serve as a wake-up call for legislative action to improve the permitting process,” said William Kovacs, U.S. Chamber senior vice president of Environment, Technology and Regulatory Affairs during today’s unveiling of Project Denied: The Potential Economic Impact of Permitting Challenges Facing Proposed Energy Projects.

The study by TeleNomic Research was conducted by Steve Pociask, president of the American Consumer Institute, and Joseph Fuhr, professor of economics at Widener University and senior fellow at the American Consumer Institute.

It was based on an initial chamber review as of March 2010 of all the energy projects being sought by developers that could not get permits, called “Project No Project.”

“These are projects that would create jobs in Nevada and give a much-needed boost to the state’s economy, but with every day that passes, the more expensive the projects become,” Kovacs said. “In most cases, if the projects are substantially delayed they won’t be built.”

The 10 projects identified in Nevada include the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, which has been abandoned by the Obama Administration, although several states are challenging that decision in federal court.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports the project.

Four of the stalled projects identified in Nevada are alternative energy projects, including the Duke Energy Wind Project at Searchlight, the New Comstock Wind Energy Project, the Crescent Dunes Solar Project, and the Virginia Peak Wind Project.

Four others are coal projects and one is a transmission line.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid has in the past stated his opposition to the development of coal-fired energy plants in Nevada.

Pociask said not all of the 351 projects evaluated in his study are probably worthy of being built, nor would anyone expect them all to be constructed.

But even if just the top project in each state was allowed to go forward, the economic value would be significant, he said.

The permitting process used to approve these energy projects needs to be streamlined, Pociask said.

“What we need to have is a fair review process,” he said.

The report comes out at the same time Nevada officials are seeking help from federal officials to clear the way for permits to be approved so mining companies can expand and hire more workers. Gov. Brian Sandoval, who met with officials on a recent trip to Washington, DC, said there are several permits awaiting action that mining officials have told him could lead to the creation of 1,000 high-paying jobs in rural Nevada.

“The concern for me was that there are several permits that are pending before the BLM that have been there for years,” he said.

On Wednesday, state Sen. Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora, introduced a resolution urging the federal government and other governmental entities to expedite and streamline the requirements for conducting mining operations in Nevada.

Among the Nevada projects highlighted in the chamber study is NV Energy’s proposal to upgrade an existing line to a 20-wire, 230-kilovolt line to help meet projected energy needs for the Las Vegas Valley.

The project drew opposition from Henderson residents, who said that their lifestyle was threatened by the proposed transmission line. After several hearings, the Henderson Planning Commission voted in June 2009 unanimously to deny NV Energy’s proposal.

The route preferred by the commission would have added $19.5 million to the total project cost, which NV Energy had rejected. NV Energy litigated the matter, and in May 2010 the Clark County District Court upheld the Henderson Planning Commission’s rejection of the project.

“In going through the study, the results were simply startling,” said Peter Morici, former chief economist at the International Trade Commission, and the study’s peer reviewer. “We anticipated the impact all the projects collectively would have on jobs and the economy. But the real surprise was how positively Nevada could be affected if it moved forward on just two projects.”

Kovacs said in the report that these energy projects, “are being stalled, stopped, or outright killed nationwide due to ‘Not In My Back Yard’ (NIMBY) activism, a broken permitting process and a system that allows limitless challenges by opponents of development.”

Audio clips:

U.S. Chamber official William Kovacs says the study reviews projects sought by developers that could not get permits:

031011Kovacs1 :20 get a permit.”

Kovacs says the longer the projects are delayed, the more likely they won’t go forward:

031011Kovacs2 :16 ever moving forward.”

Chamber study author Steve Pociask says not all of the 351 projects are viable:

031011Pociask1 :19 terms of jobs.”

Pociask says the initial investment value of the projects was $577 billion:

031011Pociask2 :16 up these projects.”

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Gov. Sandoval Says Washington, DC Meetings Productive, Could Help On Jobs Front

By Sean Whaley | 1:19 pm March 1st, 2011

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today he had productive meetings in Washington, DC, including talks with federal officials about clearing the way for permits to be approved so mining companies can expand and hire more workers.

Sandoval said there are several permits awaiting action that mining officials have told him could lead to the creation of 1,000 high-paying jobs in rural Nevada.

Gov. Brian Sandoval/Photo: Cathleen Allison/NevadaPhotoSource.com

Creating jobs in Nevada is Sandoval’s top priority as governor. Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation and ranks first in home foreclosures as well.

Sandoval met with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Bob Abbey, director of the Bureau of Land Management, to talk about ways to get the permits approved so the mining industry could expand. He also met with an official with the Environmental Protection Agency, which is also involved in the permitting process.

“The concern for me was that there are several permits that are pending before the BLM that have been there for years,” he said. “And so my message was to see if we could expedite the consideration or what was the (cause of the) delay in doing that.”

Sandoval said Salazar has committed to talking with the mining industry about the permits.

There has been significant investment in those mines, he said.

“So I had a very productive meeting with the secretary,” Sandoval said. “It means a lot of jobs to our state, it is very important to our rural economy and I was very, very pleased at how receptive he was to that meeting.

“So I think it is an exciting development,” Sandoval said. “The secretary has made it a priority for him and I’m looking forward to a continued dialogue.”

Sandoval said the jobs that would come with the mining expansion pay on average $70,000 annually. There would also be a benefit to Nevada from taxable sales purchases of equipment by the mining companies, and eventually an increase in the net proceeds tax, he said.

Sandoval said the meeting with Salazar involved other issues important to Nevada, including wild horses.

The meeting regarding the mining industry permits was just one of many for Sandoval. He met with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, among others. The conversation with LaHood touched on the concept of a new interstate 11 connecting Las Vegas and Phoenix and on the potential for high speed rail between Las Vegas and Southern California.

Sandoval also met with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and had a discussion about the state’s potential interest payments on the money it has borrowed from the federal government to pay unemployment benefits.

“My understanding now is that the interest would be deferred and that the clock wouldn’t be running which would be beneficial to the state of Nevada,” he said.

If the proposal survives the federal budget process, it could mean $66 million to the Nevada general fund.

Sandoval and his 14-year-old daughter Maddy also visited the White House, where she met President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

“It was an incredible four days,” he said.

Sandoval also attended the National Governors Association meeting during the visit.

Now back in Nevada, Sandoval will continue his focus on jobs with an announcement Thursday in Las Vegas with Microsoft Corp. executives about a new technology center.

“It is exactly what I talked about in my State of the State,” he said. “That we’re going to identify these business clusters that we can capitalize on and technology is one of those.”

The center will produce a “few hundred” new high technology jobs and expand Microsoft’s presence in the state, Sandoval said.

Audio clips:

Gov. Brian Sandoval says he meet with Interior Secretary Salazar to see if mining permits can be processed:

030111Sandoval1 :13 in doing that.”

Sandoval says mining jobs are important to Nevada’s economy:

030111Sandoval2 :09 to that meeting.”

Sandoval says Interior Secretary Salazar was receptive to his concerns:

030111Sandoval3 :20 to continued dialogue.”

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GOP Political Operative Sig Rogich Says Palin Not Electable As President

By Sean Whaley | 3:24 pm December 13th, 2010

CARSON CITY – Long-time Republican political operative Sig Rogich said today that Sarah Palin is not a viable candidate for president in 2012.

Rogich, who was involved in the campaigns of Ronald Reagan and both Bush presidents, said Palin, a Tea Party favorite and former Republican Alaska governor, is unelectable.

“I’m not overly enamored with (Palin),” he said.

“As a candidate nationwide I don’t think she is electable for a presidency, and I think that over time you will see reasons why,” Rogich said.

Rogich made his comments in an interview on the Nevada NewsMakers television program.

Rogich said he does not believe a clear front-runner for the GOP in the 2012 presidential election has emerged yet.

Asked about possible choices within the GOP to face President Obama, Rogich mentioned former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour as potential candidates.

Rogich also headed up Republicans for Reid in the Nevada Senate race. U.S. Sen. Harry Reid easily won another term on Nov. 2, and Rogich said early on he did not believe the outcome of the contest against GOP challenger Sharron Angle was ever in doubt.

A lot of Nevadans, including moderate Republicans, thought Angle was eccentric and took positions that were not good for the state despite flawed polling that showed a much closer race, he said.

“So I felt pretty good about winning this election,” Rogich said.

Audio clips:

Nevada political operative Sig Rogich says Sarah Palin is not electable as president:

121310Rogich1 :08 see reasons why.”

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National Conservative Think Tank Launches Spanish Language Website

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 12:34 pm December 2nd, 2010

CARSON CITY – A national conservative think tank today launched a new website to give Spanish-speaking Americans access to its analyses and policy recommendations on the nation’s most pressing problems.

The Heritage Foundation launched Libertad.org, where the organization’s work on issues ranging from education reform to the new national health care law will be available in Spanish.

“The new website, Libertad.org, will give Spanish-speaking Americans access to the top-flight research and informed, conservative commentary that has helped Heritage build a center-right majority in the nation as a whole,” said Heritage Vice President for Communications Mike Gonzalez.

The new site will be in Spanish only.

“Surveys show that vast majorities of Hispanic Americans already embrace conservative attitudes, such as the desire for smaller government and less regulation,” he said. “They also cherish personal freedom and free enterprise – the promise of which drew them and their forebears to this country in the first place. Heritage Libertad will provide the hard facts and conservative analysis too often ignored by the liberal-dominated media currently serving the Hispanic community.”

 The new site, which is aimed both at the influential Spanish language media and Spanish speaking residents of the U.S., will include information, statistics and analysis of special interest to Hispanics, as well as blogs, audio and visual content in Spanish.

“Heritage Libertad will include a robust social media platform for sharing and discussion with an intention to give conservative, free market-oriented Hispanics the opportunity to meet, exchange views and form online communities of their own,” Gonzalez said.

In a teleconference announcing the launch of the new site, Gonzalez said the time is right to reach out to the nation’s Spanish-speaking communities.

He said the progressive agenda suggests incorrectly that the U.S. is an unfair country where Hispanics are victims who need big government assistance to become successful.

“We need to reach out to them and tell them the opposite,” Gonzalez said.

Israel Ortega, Spanish media associate for the Heritage Foundation who will serve as editor of the site, said issues from rising deficits and unrestrained government borrowing to education challenges are important to all citizens. Libertad will be a conservative voice on these policy issues for Spanish speakers, he said.

While Hispanic Americans may hold conservative views on many policy issues, turnout at election time suggests many vote for Democratic candidates.

In the Nov. 2 contest between Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. and GOP challenger Sharron Angle, exit polls showed that Hispanic voters played a key role in the majority leader’s election victory.

The Heritage Foundation, established in 1973, works to develop effective policy solutions based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense.

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Reno Mayor Cashell Defends Reid, Criticizes Extreme Right Element In GOP

By Sean Whaley | 9:00 am November 26th, 2010

CARSON CITY – Reno Mayor Bob Cashell said this week he expects to see Harry Reid continue to help northern Nevada in a variety of ways now that he has won re-election in a bitterly contested Senate race.

Cashell, interviewed Wednesday on the Nevada NewsMakers television program, is a Republican who supported Reid, D-Nev., in his bid for another term over GOP rival Sharron Angle.

“He’s done an outstanding job,” Cashell said. “Do I like everything going on in Washington, DC, no I don’t. But I didn’t like the alternative.”

Reid helped with Reno’s efforts to build a trench for the railroad to improve downtown and helped craft a water-sharing agreement with California over the use of Truckee River water, he said.

Cashell, elected as mayor for a final term, said Reid can help Nevada in a number of ways, including finding potential new uses for Yucca Mountain rather than the proposed nuclear waste dump. One alternative being discussed is a research center, including ways to reprocess nuclear waste, that could bring much-needed jobs to the state, he said.

Cashell said he switched to the Republican Party after a conversation with President Ronald Reagan who said the GOP can accommodate multiple points of view. He called the extreme right element of the current GOP party the RINOs, not himself or Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, who also endorsed Reid over Angle.

RINO is a term meaning “Republican In Name Only.”

The extreme element of the GOP is excluding moderates and as a result is hurting the party, he said.

Cashell also defended Raggio, who lost his job as state Senate minority leader after lending his support to Reid’s re-election bid. Cashell said Raggio’s leadership will be missed in the upcoming 2011 session where redistricting, the budget and taxes will all be critical issues for the state.

Cashell called Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, who took over the minority leadership position in the state Senate from Raggio, a “good guy.” But he said Raggio’s replacement was “petty and vindictive.”

“To call Bill Raggio a RINO is probably the most ridiculous thing that I’ve ever heard with what he’s done for the party and how he’s helped,” Cashell said. “He’s been a great Republican.”

Raggio was blamed for supporting a tax increase in the 2009 session of the Legislature, but without him the increase would not have come with a sunset clause, he said. The tax increase will expire next June 30 without an extension by lawmakers.

“I think they are going to miss his leadership,” Cashell said.

Audio clips:

Reno Mayor Bob Cashell says Sen. Reid has done a good job for Nevada:

112410Cashell1 :10 like the alternative.”

Cashell says extreme right in GOP are RINOs:

112410Cashell2 :12 they’re the RINOs.”

Cashell says calling Sen. Raggio a RINO is ridiculous:

112410Cashell3 :19 miss his leadership.”

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Veteran GOP Leader Raggio Out In State Senate Leadership Shakeup

By Sean Whaley | 3:23 pm November 4th, 2010

CARSON CITY – Veteran Republican state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, won’t be minority leader in the upcoming 2011 session, withdrawing his name from consideration for the leadership post today after getting GOP criticism for backing Sen. Harry Reid in the Tuesday general election.

The 10-member GOP Senate caucus instead unanimously supported Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, as minority leader. A member of the Senate since 1992, McGinness is in his last legislative session because of term limits.

No other caucus member sought the leadership post.

Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, who on Tuesday won a hard fought re-election campaign, was named assistant minority leader.

“I withdrew my name,” Raggio said. “If it unifies the party and pacifies some folks who are still agitated, that’s fine. My goal is to unify the party instead of splinter it.”

The Washoe County Republican Party put out a statement congratulating McGinness and thanking the GOP caucus for, “making the leadership change the caucus badly needed.”

“Senator McGinness truly represents the small government, low tax views of Washoe County Republicans and would be a strong unifying leader the party needs at this juncture,” the statement said. “The WCRP looks forward to working with Senator McGinness and the rest of the Republican caucus during the next legislative session and beyond.”

Reid said in a statement: “In this election Nevadans, Republicans, Democrats and independents voted to reject extremism. That some of Senator Raggio’s Republican colleagues even considered punishing him for being on the side of a majority of Nevadans shows that they clearly missed that message and are not listening to their constituents.

“Senator Raggio has served in the state Senate longer than any of his colleagues and he has been long respected by Republicans and Democrats alike,” Reid said. “He has been a true champion of the people of Nevada in his work to represent them in Carson City. I appreciate his support and look forward to working with him to do what is best for Nevadans.”

Raggio, who will also be serving in his last session because of term limits, won’t be in the top Republican leadership post for the first time since 1983. He has served in the Senate since 1973 and is Nevada’s longest serving state legislator.

Some state Republicans sought a replacement for Raggio because of his endorsement of Reid over GOP challenger Sharron Angle. Reid won re-election on Tuesday. Raggio also faced a contentious primary race against Angle in 2008 that created animosity between the two Northern Nevada Republicans.

This is not the first time Raggio has been at odds with the more conservative and libertarian factions of the party. In 2003, he joined Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn in support of a tax increase. Then, in 2009, Raggio and four other GOP senators joined Democrats to override Gov. Jim Gibbons’ veto of a state budget that included tax increases.

Raggio said today he will also voluntarily step down as a member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. The newly elected GOP senators are seeking fundamental changes to the way state government is funded and Raggio said he did not want to be an impediment to the process.

“They are all good people,” he said. “They’ve got their job ahead of them. There is no question this is the toughest session we’ll ever face.”

Six of the 10 members of the caucus were newly elected on Tuesday.

The caucus meeting came just two days after Republicans picked up a seat in the 21-member Senate, closing the gap with Democrats to just one. Sen.-elect Michael Roberson defeated Democratic incumbent Joyce Woodhouse in Clark District 5 to reduce the margin from 12-9 in the 2009 session. Republicans also held on to an open Las Vegas seat and Cegavske fended off a challenge from a well-financed Democratic opponent.

Despite the increase in numbers, Raggio said he and his colleagues are concerned that Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, re-elected by his caucus yesterday, has devised a plan for committee assignments that will have 5-2 Democratic majorities on two committees in the 2011 session: Commerce and Labor and Health and Education.

“It is completely inequitable when you have an 11-10 split,” Raggio said. “It is hardly fair representation on a committee.”

Raggio said that when he questioned Horsford about the plan he was told there is precedent for such a move.

“I think this will cause concern and it is not the best way to start a session,” Raggio said.

Horsford could not be reached for comment.

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Nevada’s “Actual” Unemployment Rate Hit 22.3% In Third Quarter

By Sean Whaley | 2:05 pm October 29th, 2010

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s “actual” unemployment rate in the third quarter of 2010 increased to 22.3 percent from 21.5 percent in the second quarter, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows a much worse unemployment situation in Nevada and nationally because it includes workers who are too discouraged to seek employment and have given up searching, and workers employed part time for economic reasons.

The number is generated as a three-month average every quarter.

The monthly unemployment report for Nevada for September, released a week ago, showed the state’s jobless rate at 14.4 percent, unchanged from August and still the highest in the nation. But the monthly jobless report underestimates the number of unemployed because it only estimates unemployed workers who are actively seeking employment.

In citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics data when the July Nevada jobless rate was reported, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) said: “Despite the historic run up in the unemployment rate, the reality of the recession’s impacts on Nevada’s workforce is much worse than presented.

“Use of the alternative measure of unemployment for research purposes is limited since the information is only available for the past five years, so comparisons to past recessions is not possible,” DETR reported. “But, from a policy perspective, the actual unemployment rate presents a more complete picture of what is currently occurring in the economy.”

Stacey Standish, a press information officer for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said the numbers for the quarterly report are generated from a survey of 60,000 households nationwide. The 22.3 percent rate for Nevada, which is 16.8 percent nationally, includes part-time workers who want to work full time, and discouraged workers who have not actively sought employment over the past year, she said.

Nevada is tops in the nation in the Labor Statistics report, followed by California at 22.1 percent and Michigan at 21.3 percent.

The grim data comes out just days before the Nov. 2 general election, where the economy and jobs have been the major focus of candidates.

The state’s record high unemployment rate, combined with Congressional approval last year of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is aimed at reducing the national jobless rate, have become major campaign issues in the Nevada Senate race between Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and GOP challenger Sharron Angle.

The effectiveness of the stimulus spending also came up in a recent debate between Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., and GOP challenger Joe Heck in the Congressional 3 race. Heck called the stimulus bill a failure at generating jobs. Titus said the state’s unemployment rate would be much worse without the jobs created through the stimulus legislation.

Both Reid and Titus are locked in dead-heat races with their opponents.

Some of the stimulus projects have also been criticized as being wasteful, including a tree planting project in Clark County first reported by the Nevada News Bureau that made a GOP list of the top 100 worst projects nationwide.

The majority of the nearly $2.5 billion stimulus funds received by the Nevada have not gone to job creating projects. The money has spent on Medicaid caseloads and jobless benefits as specified in the legislation. Three jobless related programs alone account for nearly $1.3 billion in total spending in Nevada.

The federal stimulus reporting website shows 9,300 jobs created in Nevada from the stimulus funding through June 30.

The September 2010 Nevada unemployment report showed a total of just over 1.1 million jobs in the state, nearly 24,000 fewer jobs than in September 2009.

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Nevada Secretary Of State Says No Evidence Of Vote Fraud

By Sean Whaley | 11:06 am October 27th, 2010

RENO – Secretary of State Ross Miller said today there have been no complaints filed with his office about suspicious voter activity despite email rumors and media accounts that at least some electronic voting machines are pre-programmed to support U.S. Senate candidate Harry Reid, D-NV.

Miller, holding the first of two media briefings on the allegations, urged anyone seeing a violation of election or voting law to file a formal complaint with his office so it can be investigated.

“I know that tensions are running high this election and that emotions are running very strong, but I want to set the record straight,” he said. “This is the entire reason that we have formed the Election Integrity Task Force in 2008. I’m not going to stand for any fraud or intimidation at the polling place, but nor will I stand idly by and listen to rumors and innuendos undermine the integrity of our electoral process.”

Miller said several allegations have been raised as early voting is set to conclude ahead of Election Day on Nov. 2, none of which have been substantiated.

The most shocking allegation came Tuesday from Boulder City resident Joyce Ferrara, who complained to Fox news in Las Vegas that when she went to vote for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle, Reid’s name was already checked on the electronic voting machine.

Miller said he first heard of the allegation via a Google alert from Fox news, and subsequently on the Drudge Report. Miller said the voter did not contact his office but went directly to Fox5 News.

Miller said it is “technically impossible” for someone to pre-program software in Nevada’s voting machines because it is not a centralized process. The election is carried out by the 17 county election officials, he said.

While it possible for a voter to inadvertently select a candidate, it is not possible for the machine to automatically select a candidate, Miller said. The electronic voting machine has a verification screen at the end of the process so the voter can see who was selected. Only then is the vote cast, he said.

It is irresponsible and unfortunate that such claims are being made because it undermines the public’s confidence in the electoral process, Miller said.

Other claims in the run-up to Nevada’s election include that voters are being compensated to cast their ballots. The task force has not received any complaint of that occurring and neither has the FBI, Miller said.

The basis of these claims is rumor and innuendo, he said.

“We want the public to come forward,” Miller said. “If someone is compensating somebody by giving a Starbucks card in order to vote for Harry Reid, we want to know about it because that is a violation of state law and a violation of federal law.”

Voters can be given something of value to generally encourage them to vote under Nevada law, he said.

Miller said his office is investigating one formal 44-page complaint filed Tuesday by the Nevada Republican Party regarding differences in the number of votes cast on the machines and the paper voting logs. A secretary of state attorney outside the elections division is doing the investigation.

These differences occur every election cycle and are usually due to common elections procedures, he said. The numbers are always reconciled and all votes that are actually cast are counted, Miller said.

“That said, we’re taking these issues very seriously,” he said.

A final report of the investigation into the issue will be made available to the public.

Washoe County Registrar of Voters Dan Burk said voters have a role in the process as well. If they have a question or concern in the middle of the voting process they need to tell the poll workers right away.

“If they don’t let us know and they go ahead and cast their ballot, there is no way we can assist them,” he said.

Miller said election complaints can be filed on the secretary of state’s website main page in the lower left-hand corner by clicking on the Election Integrity Task Force Badge.

Audio clips:

Secretary of State Ross Miller says despite rumors and news reports, there is no evidence of vote fraud in the Nevada election:

101710Miller1 :28 our electoral process.”

Miller urges the public to come forward if they have evidence of attempts to buy votes:

102710Miller2 :12 of federal law.”

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Nevada Sen. John Ensign Defends Requests For Stimulus Money He Opposed

By Sean Whaley | 3:31 pm October 20th, 2010

CARSON CITY – U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., is defending his decision to seek stimulus money on behalf of constituents and Nevada government entities despite voting against the massive funding measure in February 2009.

The response came after documents obtained by the Center for Public Integrity showed several instances where Ensign wrote letters in support of stimulus grant requests despite voting against the $787 billion funding bill.

Jennifer Cooper, press secretary to Ensign, said: “Nevada is at a great disadvantage when it comes to federal funds returning to our state. The stimulus bill passed, and Senator Ensign voted against it because it wasn’t the right way to repair our economy.

“That said, there is a pot of money that has been allocated to states to fund programs, and Senator Ensign fights to get Nevada its fair share,” Cooper said. “He advocated on behalf of these entities, at their request, for federal grants that would have otherwise gone to states that already receive the bulk of these funds.”

The Center for Public Integrity published an article identifying “scores” of Republicans and conservative Democrats who voted against the act and subsequently sent letters supporting requests for funds by private companies and public entities. The letters were sent to the Transportation, Energy and Commerce departments.

The article, titled “Stimulating Hypocrisy: Scores of Recovery Act Opponents Sought Money Out of Public View,” includes links to letters written by members of Congress.

Some have criticized the practice, including Rob Gaudet, national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, who told the Center for Public Integrity: “The GOP should not be taking this money and spending it regardless of where it came from. They should be fighting against it with every fiber of their elected beings.”

Ensign called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act a “so-called” stimulus measure when he voted against it.

At the time of his vote, Ensign said in a press release: “Today’s vote is more of the same in Washington – spend, spend, spend. Government has a role to play, but the American people deserve a better effort than this. For Nevada, when you peel back a few layers, this bill is not as beneficial as it first looks, and it will ultimately increase taxes.”

But soon after, he was writing letters seeking those same funds on behalf of constituents.

In a letter dated June 15, 2009, Ensign wrote to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu in support of a grant application by Altair Nanotechnologies for stimulus funding for its battery technology.

Ensign said the company’s proposal to expand battery production in Reno and Anderson, Indiana, would “directly and indirectly create or save over 330 jobs in locations which have unemployment rates considerably higher than the national average. In these difficult economic times, growing jobs in the United States is vital.”

In a later dated Sept. 10, 2009, Ensign wrote to U.S. Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood in support of an application by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada seeking stimulus funds for a rapid transit line.

“The ability to move the community’s two million residents and nearly 40 million visitors is critical to the economic health of the region and the state,” he said.

Ensign also sent letters this past summer in support of applications by the Nevada Hospital Association and the Lyon County School District seeking stimulus funding for broadband technology.

Documents obtained by the Center for Public Integrity also includes correspondence from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.,  in support of several stimulus funding grant requests for public broadband projects. Reps. Dina Titus, D-Nev., and Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., wrote letters in support of broadband projects as well.

All three representatives voted for the stimulus bill.

There were no letters from Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who also opposed the stimulus bill.

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