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Accomplishments

Economy

Creating Jobs

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Is already starting to help Nevada out from under the weight of the economic downturn by creating or saving roughly 34,000 jobs over the next two years, providing tax relief to more than one million Nevadans and bringing as much as $1.5 billion in federal funding to the state to help keep police offices on the street, keep teachers in classrooms, investing in necessary infrastructure projects, provide assistance to the unemployed and investing in renewable and energy efficiency technology.

Housing & Tax Issues

Housing

Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009
Will help law enforcement crack down on mortgage fraud by providing the funding and tools they need. The bill also closes loopholes that make it easier for individuals who commit mortgage and corporate fraud evade prosecution on a technicality. Senator Reid cosponsored and helped pass this important legislation.

Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008
Provides emergency assistance for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes. The legislation authorized $10 billion nationwide ($100 million for Nevada) housing finance agencies to refinance subprime loans, to provide mortgages for first-time homebuyers, and for multifamily rental housing.

Taxes

Permanent deduction for state and local sales taxes
Benefits nearly 350,000 Nevadans by permanently extending the deduction for state and local sales taxes, providing equity to residents in states like Nevada that don't have an income tax.

Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act of 2007
Helps Nevada homeowners having difficulty meeting rising mortgage payments by eliminating the income tax penalty that arises when the debt is forgiven as part of a mortgage restructuring.

Jobs, Energy, Families and Disaster Relief Act of 2008
On October 3, 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 was signed into law, including many of the provisions from this legislation:

    Energy Tax Package
  • An 8-year extension of tax credits for commercial and residential solar property.
  • A 2-year extension of tax credits for the production of electricity from renewable sources including geothermal.
  • A new $7,500 tax credit for plug-in hybrid vehicles.
  • 1-year extension of income tax credits for energy efficient homes.
  • An extension of tax credits for energy efficient appliances.
    • Other Tax Relief
  • A 1-year extension of existing relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax, protecting 100,000 Nevadans from this tax.
  • A 2-year extension of the deduction for state and local sales taxes benefitting nearly 350,000 Nevadans who will get an average deduction of $1,640.
  • A 2-year extension of the tuition deduction benefitting nearly 33,000 Nevadans.
  • A 2-year extension of the teachers’ deduction for out-of-pocket classroom expenses benefitting nearly 24,000 Nevada teachers.
  • A 2-year extension of the research credit.
  • A 2-year extension of business writeoffs for leasehold improvements and restaurant property, including an expansion to retail owners and new restaurants.

Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008
Includes tax relief to help property owners and first-time homebuyers. In addition to the allocation of mortgage revenue bond authority described above, the legislation increased Low-Income Housing Tax Credit allocations to each state to develop affordable housing. The bill includes a temporary refundable tax credit of 10 percent of the purchase price of a home between April 9, 2008, and July 1, 2009, and a new deduction for 2008 for property taxes paid by those taxpayers who otherwise do not itemize their deductions on their federal income tax returns.

Health Care

Health Care

Medicare
Reid led the effort to pass the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 over President Bush’s veto. This legislation stopped the looming 10.6% Medicare physician pay cuts and provided a 1.1% physician fee increase for 2009. The bill helped ensure care for seniors and people with disabilities and extended the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative for two years and increased reporting incentive payments, while reducing administrative costs. By encouraging physicians to transition to electronic prescribing, the legislation will help prevent serious medical errors and save taxpayer dollars. The bill also includes measures to improve benefits for Nevada’s seniors by promoting beneficiary access to primary care services, providing Medicare mental health parity, and increasing coverage for preventative services. The bill also will help Nevada’s pharmacies, dialysis patients and providers, community health centers, ambulances, rural providers, psychologists, social workers and others.

Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act
Sponsored by Senator Reid, this legislation will help to establish a national strategy to study the potential links between the environment and breast cancer and would authorize funding for such research. The resulting discoveries could be critical to improving our knowledge of this complex illness, which could lead to new treatments and perhaps, one day, a cure.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Registry Act
Sponsored by Senator Reid, this legislation would create an ALS registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and would aid in the search for a cure for this devastating disease. A national registry will help arm our nation’s researchers and clinicians with the tools and information they need to make progress in the fight against ALS. The data made available by a registry will potentially allow scientists to identify causes of the disease, and maybe even lead to the discovery of new treatment, a cure for ALS, or even a way to prevent the disease in the first place. The legislation is on its way to the President, who is expected to sign it into law.

Energy

Energy Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007
Substantially reduces our dependence on oil by increasing fuel economy standards for the first time since 1975, significantly increases the renewable fuel standard, and establishes important energy efficiency standards for lighting, appliances and buildings. The new fuel economy standards from this bill will create new jobs in Nevada, and will save Nevadans well millions of dollars in energy costs.

Clean Renewable Energy and Economic Development Incentives Act of 2007
Provides long-term extensions and expansions of tax incentives to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation. The legislation extends for ten years the production tax credit for electricity from renewable sources such as wind, biomass and geothermal. It permanently extends the investment tax credits for commercial and residential solar energy property, increases and extends the program authorizing tax exempt bonds for municipal renewable energy projects, expands tax incentives for residential wind energy systems, extends tax credits for improving the energy efficiency of new and existing homes, and for investments for equipment used to produce advanced batteries for electric vehicles and electricity distribution.

Jobs, Energy, Families, and Disaster Relief Act of 2008
This bill provides a long-term extension of solar investment tax credits for commercial and residential systems, and a shorter term extension of the renewable energy production tax credit for wind, geothermal and other sources. Nevada has the potential to lead the nation in production of clean renewable energy, and this bill’s tax incentives combined with access to $800 billion in clean renewable energy bonds will create thousands of new jobs and stimulate billions of dollars in new investment in our State.

National Geothermal Initiative Act of 2007
Establishes a federal geothermal initiative to achieve a national goal that 20% of America’s electricity production comes from geothermal resources by 2030. Nevada already has 17 geothermal plants with more than 333 megawatts of capacity built or under construction. We can create thousands of jobs by continuing to tap Nevada’s vast potential for geothermal energy production.

Yucca Mountain

Reid’s tireless work of more than twenty years to stop the Yucca Mountain project has paid off. Working with the Obama Administration, Senator Reid was able to slash funding for Yucca Mountain to its lowest levels ever and dedicated that funding to a Blue Ribbon Commission to study alternatives to Yucca and to prepare the project for its complete shutdown. Also, Reid worked with the Obama Administration and secured a promise that funding for Yucca Mountain will be eliminated entirely under their next budget.

Read the Las Vegas Sun’s editorial on Senator Reid’s latest victory in the fight against Yucca Mountain

Security

Security

Police

Drug Endangered Children Act of 2007
Authorizes grants to improve coordination among law enforcement, child protection services, and health care providers to help transition children who have been abandoned because of their parents’ involvement in the drug trade into safe homes.

PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008
Increase prosecutions of individuals producing and trading child pornography by providing funding to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), which has developed the technical ability to identify individuals involved in the online distribution of child pornography but lacks the manpower needed to pursue and prosecute the offenders. Studies show that 30% of the people identified by the ICAC technology are actively engaged in molesting a child.

Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2008
Assists law enforcement’s efforts to track the sale of over the counter drugs that can be used in the illegal production of methamphetamines.

National Security

FISA Amendments Act of 2008
Replaced the highly-flawed Protect America Act, which undermined strong civil liberties protections for Americans, with balanced amendments to the 1978 FISA statute providing for strong intelligence collection tools to counter terrorism as well as congressional oversight mechanisms and privacy protections that the President previously refused to provide. The bill also provided for an Inspector General investigation of the President’s secret wiretapping program.

United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act
Gave final approval for the agreement to provide India with civilian nuclear cooperation. The agreement allows for increased sharing of civilian nuclear technology with India while preserving and enhancing our efforts at combating nuclear proliferation.

Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008
Authorized $48 billion to combat HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in developing countries. Senator Reid played a leading role in overcoming opposition that had kept the legislation from moving forward.

Veterans

21st Century GI Bill of Rights

Helps our newest veterans make the transition back to civilian life by updating the GI Bill to ensure veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have the same opportunity to take advantage of an affordable higher education as veterans did when President Roosevelt first signed the GI Bill. The bill gives veterans four years’ worth of tuition and fees at Nevada colleges and universities – benefits that are good for up to 15 years and can be transferred to a spouse or child if the veterans chooses – as well as a yearly $1,000 stipend to help cover the cost of books and supplies and an increased housing allowance for veterans going back to school.

Infrastructure Growth

Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009
Senator Reid led the Senate in passing the Omnibus Public Lands Act, which contained several important Nevada projects. Those projects included:

  • The Reno ReTRAC Act, which will allow for new development on as many as 120 acres by lifting restrictions on land in and around Reno’s downtown railroad corridor.
  • The Carson City Vital Community Act, which includes a land swap between Carson City and the Forest Service to help the city move forward on its plans for smart growth.
  • The Aging Water Infrastructure and Maintenance Act, which will help the Bureau of Reclamation better manage aging water facilities under the control of the federal government.
  • The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley Reservation Water Settlements Act, which settles the tribal governments’ claims against the federal government for failing to protect natural resources and water rights and will ratify a water rights agreement between the State of Nevada, the Tribes and individual water rights holders.
  • The Nevada Cancer Institute Expansion Act, which will open 80 acres to the Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas for the construction of a facility dedicated to developing new cancer treatments.
  • The Orchard Detention Basin Flood Control Act, which will allow for the construction of a flood control project by opening a small section of the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area.
  • The Southern Nevada Limited Transition Area Act, which opens new land for development and urban green space near the Henderson airport.

Transportation

Outdoors/Environment/Lands

PILT/County Payments
Sen. Reid successfully led efforts to fully fund Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) for five years and reauthorize and expand Secure Rural Schools (County Payments) for four years. This is an unprecedented effort that brings $77 million to Nevada’s rural counties for essential services like law enforcement and schools.

Southern Nevada Land Bills

Southern Nevada Readiness Center Act
Allows Clark County to convey about 50 acres of land to the State of Nevada, for use by the National Guard. The bill was needed because Clark County originally acquired the land from BLM through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) with restrictions that require Clark County to get fair market value if they re-convey the land. This legislation waives that requirement and lets Clark County convey the land to the State without consideration.

Sportsmen / Second Amendment

Reaffirmation of State Regulation of Resident and Nonresident Hunting and Fishing Act of 2005.
After a court attempted to undermine the traditional role states play in regulating hunting and fishing, Senator Reid wrote this important legislation to protect the right of Nevada and every other state to regulate hunting and fishing. The bill was attached as an amendment to another act and signed into law by President Bush.

Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
Senator Reid supported this legislation, signed into law in 2005, that protects law-abiding firearm manufacturers and sellers from frivolous lawsuits.

Education

Senator Reid guided The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Senate and the bill provided $400 million in flexible spending dollars for Nevada’s universities, colleges and schools to keep teachers in the classroom, maintain current programs and stay tuition hikes.

The College Costs and Reductions act
Provides $20 billion in financial aid and benefits for students in Nevada and across the country. This money will make it easier for families to pay for college, and ensure our college graduates don’t enter the work force with a mountain of debt. Additionally, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act raises the maximum Pell Grant amount by $500 (to $5,300 for the upcoming school year) and created a new partially refundable tax credit, the American Opportunity Credit, that provides up to $2,500 for higher education expenses.

Teach For America
The program brings quality teachers to high-need school districts and areas that need them the most. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also provides grants of $4,000 per year for undergraduates who pledge to teach in school districts with a need for more teachers.

Delivering for Nevada

Throughout his time in the Senate, Sen. Reid has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for vital Nevada projects that create jobs, improve infrastructure, advance cutting-edge scientific research and medical technology and help make Nevada a better place to live, work and raise a family. Some of the most recent projects funded thanks to Sen. Reid include:

    Agriculture
  • $275,000 for UNR’s research initiative on Western crops and livestock through the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute
  • $211,000 for UNR’s Great Basin Environmental Initiative
  • $269,000 to help Caron City rehabilitate land destroyed by the 2004 Waterfall Fire
  • $235,000 to fight invasive weeds through the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Weed Management Program
    Commerce, Justice, Science
  • $750,000 to help the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police purchase police technology and equipment
  • $754,000 to help Clark County set up a KidsPeace therapeutic foster care center
  • $600,000 for a Regional Law Enforcement Training Facility for the Boulder City Police Department
  • $500,000 for a tactical robot and training facility for the Henderson Police Department
  • $300,000 for the second phase of North Las Vegas’ records management equipment update
  • $400,000 to help Las Vegas reduce copper wire theft
  • $250,000 to form a substance abuse program for probationers through the Nevada Department of Public Safety
  • $200,000 for a foster care center for at-risk youth in Las Vegas
  • $200,000 for judicial personnel training at the UNR’s Grant Sawyer Center
  • $2,720,000 for Reno’s Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
    Energy Projects
  • $1,189,375 to help Clark County Schools develop a solar thermal system
  • $951,000 for energy and water sustainability research at UNLV
  • $1,427,250 to help UNLV digitize Nevada Test Site workers’ records
  • $1,024,167 for biofuel research at UNLV
  • $523,325 for hydrogen fuel research at UNLV
  • $682,778 for geothermal energy development at the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy
  • $2,560,410 for the Nevada System of Higher Education to coordinate renewable energy research at Nevada’s research institutions
  • $475,750 for the Department of Energy to perform renewable energy planning at the Nevada Test Site.
  • $1,066,841 for water resources research at the Desert Research Institute
  • $713,625 for biodiesel research at the Desert Research Institute
  • $475,750 for the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization to accelerate bringing renewable energy research and technologies to the marketplace.
  • $380,660 for the Carbon Neutral Green Campus Initiative at Nevada State College
  • $142,725 for to help- Las Vegas convert part of its fleet to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
  • $475,750 to help coordinate renewable energy research at the Desert Research Institute
  • $761,200 for solar lighting in the Clark County School District
    Water Projects
  • $4,780,000 to reduce flood damage, restore the ecosystem and improve recreation along the Truckee River
  • $2,500,000 to help determine how much rehabilitation is needed along the Truckee Canal
  • $3,500,000 for the restoration of Lake Tahoe
  • $18,000,000 for water quality and infrastructure projects in rural Nevada
  • $2,700,000 for the Las Vegas Wash/Lake Mead Program for restoration, habitat enhancement and water quality improvement activities.
  • $2,750,000 for the Water Reuse Facility in North Las Vegas
  • $300,000 for Walk River Basin water rights research through the Desert Research Institute
  • $300,000 for habitat monitoring in central Nevada’s lakes
  • $92,000 wetlands restoration and development in the Lake Tahoe region
  • $15,048,000 for the Water for America Initiative
    Interior Appropriations
  • $1,500,000 for Elko’s California Trail Interpretive Center
  • $650,000 to conduct a joint mineral assessment of northern Nye County
  • $250,000 for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout restoration and habitat work
  • $500,000 the EPA’s Water Quality Improvement Program in Reno
  • $500,000 for a third Lake Mead water intake
  • $400,000 for wastewater system improvements in Henderson.
  • $300,000 for wastewater treatment facility improvements in Goldfield
  • $300,000 to improve the maintain the Reno-to-Tahoe Trail
    Health Projects
  • $571,000 to help the Access to Healthcare Network provide health care services to uninsured Nevadans
  • $571,000 to build a new emergency care center at the Boulder City Hospital
  • $381,000 to build a mobile mammogram unit for the Nevada Cancer Institute
  • $523,000 to help the Southern Nevada Health District respond to the hepatitis C crisis
  • $571,000 for UNR’s Center for Molecular Medicine
  • $381,000 to build a facility at Touro University that will provide preventive treatment and health education to Nevada’s senior population
  • $951,000 to help the Nevada System of Higher Education for the University of Nevada Health Sciences System bring nurses and other health professionals to the state
    Education Projects
  • $856,000 for dropout prevention and counseling in the Clark County School District
  • $856,000 for dropout prevention in the Washoe County School District
  • $618,000 to improve distance education in the Elko County School District
  • $285,000 to help the Nevada State College equip teachers to participate in distance education programs
  • $285,000 to help the Truckee Meadows Community College recruit first-generation, low-income students and provide them with mentoring and tutoring
  • $143,000 to help expand career and technical education programs in the Nye County School District
  • $24,000 to help expand early education services for low-income students in the Lincoln County School District
  • $24,000 to help recruit and train special education teachers through the Nevada Speech and Hearing Association
    Transportation and Development Projects
  • $1,254,000 to Reno for work on the I-580/US395 Meadowood interchange
  • $1,187,500 to Henderson for work on for the Starr Road interchange and extension to St. Rose Parkway
  • $475,000 for work on the Reno/Sparks Bus Terminal.
  • $855,000 for improvements on the Boulder City bypass
  • $475,000 for bus facilities in the lake Tahoe area
  • $475,000 for the Sloan to Apex interchange on I-15
  • $475,000 to Carson City for work on the V&T Railroad
  • $237,500 to Henderson for the second phase of Lake Mead Parkway
  • $608,000 to Wells for downtown redevelopment after last year’s earthquake
    Housing Projects
  • $807,500 to help prevent home foreclosures in Southern Nevada
  • $190,000 for the Oliver Montello Affordable Housing Project in Reno
  • $190,000 for the Amargosa Valley Community Center in Ny County
    Defense Projects
  • $3 million for Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot for the processing and disposal of Multiple Launcher Rocket System munitions
  • $1.6 million for the purchase of land mobile radios for the 98th Range Wing at Nellis Air Force Base
  • $4 million to upgrade unmanned threat emitters at the Nellis Air Force Base training range complex
  • $3.5 million to the Nevada Guard for counterdrug operations
  • $800,000 for the Scathe View Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance system for the Nevada Guard
  • $2.5 million for UNLV to conduct research into management of wounded servicemembers from initial air evacuation through rehabilitation
  • $1.6 million to the Nevada Cancer Institute of Las Vegas for research into novel approaches for reducing the severity of battlefield combined tissue injury
  • $3.1 million to University of Nevada School of Medicine for development of high speed blood and fluid transfusion equipment
  • $2 million to the Desert Research Institute in Reno, to conduct research on military operating environments
  • $240,000 to the University of Nevada, Reno, for research and development of new types of secure, encoded, tamper proof, high density media for use in ID cards, credit cards, and other applications
    Military Construction Projects
  • $30.8 million for the construction of a hangar and aircraft maintenance unit for the F-16 aggressor squadron at Nellis Air Force Base
  • $17.5 million for operations facility and infrastructure improvements for the F-16 aggressor squadron at Nellis Air Force Base
  • $9.8 million for the construction of an airfield fire rescue station at Nellis Air Force Base
  • $5 million for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter airfield pavements at Nellis Air Force Base
  • $16.2 million for the construction of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Operations Facility at Creech Air Force Base
  • $9.8 million for the construction of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight Simulator and Academics Facility at Creech Air Force Base
  • $9 million for the construction of a dining hall at Creech Air Force Base
  • $7 million for the construction of a Mission Support Facility at Creech Air Force Base
  • $6.5 million for infrastructure improvements at Creech Air Force Base, including the main gate and the sewage transfer facility
  • $11.375 million for the construction of a Nevada National Guard readiness center in Elko
  • $2.058 million for the completion of the design of Army National Guard Field Maintenance Shop in Las Vegas
  • $1.5 million for an OSHA-compliant, energy efficient paint booth at the Nevada Guard facility in Carson City
  • $33.9 million for the construction of an Army Reserve Center in Las Vegas

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