Happy New Year, Nevada!
As the holidays come to a close and we look forward to a new year, I want to take a moment to reflect on 2018 and how grateful I am to serve you as your United States Senator.
Since coming to the United States Senate, one of my biggest priorities has been to ensure that every Nevadan knows my office is here as a resource. My office locations in Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Reno, as well as my traveling rural office, are open to all Nevadans who may need assistance in dealing with a federal agency. This year, my office was able to help Nevadans on casework ranging from helping veterans navigate the VA to providing guidance on applying for passports, visas and citizenship. In total, my office processed and completed over 870 casework requests this year.
In Washington, I continued my fight to ensure all Nevadans are getting the support they need to thrive. I worked to pass bipartisan legislation to fight the opioid crisis, support Nevadans living with Alzheimer’s, and stood up for hardworking families by advocating for bills that fix challenges in our healthcare system and end Nevada’s affordable housing crisis. I’ve also made sure we work to provide Nevada’s service members with the tools they need to keep us safe and fought for the critical programs our veterans need when they return home.
As we enter 2019, please know that I – along with my office – will continue to be a resource and advocate for Nevadans in Washington. I enter the New Year with renewed enthusiasm, passion, and hope.
From my family to yours, I wish each of you a happy and prosperous 2019!
Senator Cortez Masto Announces Appointment to Powerful Senate Finance Committee
Senator Cortez Masto was appointed to the powerful Senate Finance Committee in early December. The Finance Committee has authority over critical programs Nevadans care about including healthcare, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Senator will have the opportunity to advocate for crucial issues on behalf of the Silver State from this new committee. In addition, the Senator will continue to serve on four other committees that impact Nevada including the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Energy and Natural Resources; Indian Affairs and Rules and Administration.
Senator Cortez Masto Completes Annual Tour of Every Nevada County
Senator Cortez Masto completed her annual tour of all seventeen Nevada  counties in early November. The Senator began her most recent tour in Elko County, visiting West Wendover. While there the Senator met with Mayor Daniel Corona and discussed the importance of ensuring that businesses and communities in rural Nevada have the infrastructure necessary to grow and thrive. The Senator wrote to Amtrak President Richard Anderson in October advocating for service on the California Zephyr line to continue and encouraging Amtrak to expand service to a new station in West Wendover. Senator Cortez Masto also held a meeting with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, hosted a constituent meet and greet, met with survivors and support organizations helping Nevadans escaping domestic violence, visitedMaggie Creek Ranch and toured the wildfire damage to Lamoille Canyon as well as hosted a roundtable on wildfire prevention and conservation in the Ruby Mountains area during her time in Elko.
Following her visit to Elko, Senator Cortez Masto continued to Eureka County, where she went to Beowawe to tour the Horseshoe Ranch and meet with the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. During her meeting, Senator Cortez Masto heard from local ranchers on how she can best fight in Congress for the support and resources they need to combat wildfires, protect private property and mitigate the impact of wildfires on rural communities and local economies.
The Senator continued her tour in Lander and Humboldt counties where she heard from local officials on how best she can fight to ensure the federal government provides support to foster economic growth. In Winnemucca, Senator Cortez Masto held a roundtable with local business owners, telecom industry representatives, police officers as well as state and local leaders to discuss the importance of broadband internet access to rural communities. The Senator made clear she is fighting to make sure that access to reliable internet service in Nevada’s rural communities is one of her top priorities in Congress.
From Winnemucca, the Senator continued to Pershing, Churchill, and Lyon counties. In Lovelock, Senator Cortez Masto met with the Lovelock Paiute Tribal Council to listen to the challenges facing Indian Country in securing support from the federal government as well as how federal agencies can best coordinate with local law enforcement in tribal communities. She continued to Fallon where she met with constituents.
In Fernley, the Senator visited with local, state and federal officials, as well as community stakeholders to discuss affordable housing in rural communities as part of her continued efforts to address the affordable housing crisis in Nevada. The Senator has previously met with stakeholders in Reno and Las Vegas working to fix the affordable housing crisis. While hosting the roundtable in Fernley, the Senator heard about the challenges hardworking families throughout the State of Nevada are facing in finding secure, affordable housing and discussed the legislative actions she can take in Congress to support Nevadans.
 Senator Cortez Masto completed her rural county visits in Mineral, Nye and Esmeralda counties. While in Schurz, Senator Cortez Masto met with members of the Walker River Tribe to discuss how best she can fight to protect indigenous rights for tribal communities in the United States Senate.
She continued to Hawthorne where she met with advocates of the Walker River Working Group fighting to protect Walker Lake. After her visit, Senator Cortez Masto continued to Tonopah where she met with executives of and toured the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project and heard about how best she can continue to fight for Nevada’s clean energy future and create good paying green jobs throughout the state. The Senator completed her rural visits touring the Historic Goldfield Hotel where she learned more about Goldfield’s many contributions to the history of the Silver State.
A full photo album of the Senator’s trip can be found on her Facebook page.
The Senator previously visited Clark, Carson City, Douglas, Lincoln, Storey, Washoe and White Pine counties during visits earlier in 2018.
Senator Cortez Masto Secures Critical Grants for Nevada
 In late November, Senator Cortez Masto thanked the Department of Justice for awarding $16.7 million through the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) to the State of Nevada to support survivors and first responders of the 1October attack in Las Vegas. Previously the Senator, along with the rest of the Nevada Congressional Delegation, sent a letter to the Attorney General of the United States supporting the State of Nevada’s application for this grant funding that provides survivors relief from mounting costs associated with their mental and physical recovery.
In December, Senator Cortez Masto applauded the Department of Transportation  for awarding Las Vegas $5.3 million to further Southern Nevada’s advancements in autonomous vehicle utilization as well as to fund the GoMed project, which will connect passengers from Downtown Las Vegas to the Las Vegas Medical District. Additionally, she thanked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for awarding $20.8 million to the state for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects.
Senator Cortez Masto Touts Priorities in Farm Bill
 In December President Trump signed the Farm Bill which includes a bill led by Senator Cortez Masto that creates a permanent interagency rural council and rural broadband integration working group as well as provisions that strengthen conservation efforts across the country.
Senator Cortez Masto Innovation State Initiative Bills Made Law
This October, Senator Cortez Masto celebrated the passage of several bipartisan provisions she introduced and cosponsored as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill. The Senator fought for an amendment to the legislation that prioritizes Nevada’s regional airports so that they may receive much-needed resources to improve infrastructure and ensure Nevadans have reliable transportation at regional airports like the Boulder City Airport, a hub for both commerce and travelers in Southern Nevada. This will now allow airports like Boulder City to be eligible for necessary safety improvement funding. In addition, Senator Cortez Masto secured passage of the Generating Revenue for Electric and Emission Negligible (GREEN) Vehicles at Airports Act, which will allow for the purchase and lease of zero-emission vehicles through the Airport Improvement Program at our nation’s airports. The Senator also secured passage of the Drone Safety Enhancement Act which will increase safety and encourage the continued development of drone technology, as well as the UAS Critical Infrastructure Protection Act which requires safeguards be put in place for the responsible use of drones around sensitive infrastructure in America, including airports and railroad facilities.
|