Weekly Update: Nevada Workdays in Review

Statement

I hope this New Year is off to a positive start for you. I was privileged to spend the first weeks of 2010 traveling across the state and meeting with hundreds of Nevadans. I saw how our citizens are fighting this challenging economy with an unmatched entrepreneurial spirit; I listened to their concerns on healthcare reform; and I shared their frustration about the way Washington is spending their money. I returned to our nation's capitol this week with renewed enthusiasm for what the year has in store for our state and look forward to continuing to fight for Nevadans.

Here are some of the highlights from my most recent workdays back in the state:

· Speaking with the students at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and, as a father of a teenage musician, I really enjoyed listening to the styling of the Bishop Gorman Band

· Touring Upper Las Vegas Wash with North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck and members of Protectors of Tule Springs

· Presenting Senatorial Recognition Certificates to Rich Little and to six members of the military after they took their oaths of citizenship. It is always a great honor for me to be a part of such a life changing event for new citizens.

· Meeting with Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell and employees of the city.

· Touring the NNCC biomass power plant; it is estimated that the NNCC biomass power plant will cut the center's annual utility costs by $1.3 million. The power plant came to fruition through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, which I authored, and the White Pine County Lands Bill.

· Touring Click Bond in Carson City and speaking with their employees about important issues facing the country.

· Touring the United Parcel Service Facility and speaking with their employees about healthcare reform.

· Enjoying the beautiful views that a tour of Nellis Dunes offers

· Practicing my shooting skills at Advanced Interactive Systems, which is revolutionizing how our servicemen and --women weapon train.

Perhaps the most fulfilling aspect of my time in the state was the chance that I had to speak directly with Nevadans about healthcare reform. I held my first town hall meeting in Reno, at the University of Nevada Reno, and the room was full of people opposed to the Democrat healthcare bill. I was scheduled to hold another town hall meeting in Las Vegas the very next day. However, because the turn out for this town hall was so high, I scheduled an impromptu second town hall meeting to immediately follow the first to ensure that all the Nevadans who showed up to have their voice heard on healthcare reform had the chance to speak directly with me. There were some strong supporters of the Democrat healthcare bill in the room, but the majority of the people were vocally opposed to the cost of the legislation, the tax increases that they will suffer through because of this bill, and the loss of quality health care that will result because of this healthcare reform. At all three meetings, I explained what I think should happen with health care in America.

First, we need to scrap this bill and start over. We need to go back to the drawing table and craft legislation that will eliminate pre-existing conditions, will increase the quality of care, will increase access to care, and will reduce costs for all Americans, all while keeping taxes low and upholding the President's pledge to not raise taxes on Americans making less than $250,000 a year. Sweetheart deals made in the dead of the night in some back room in the Capitol need to give way to an open and transparent discussion of healthcare reform. The American people deserve nothing less and they have been promised so much more by this Administration.

I would be remiss in not mentioning the tragic shooting death of Court Security Officer, Stanley Cooper. Stanley lost his life in the line of duty on January 4, 2010, when a gunman stormed the federal courthouse in Las Vegas. A Federal Marshal was also wounded. My Las Vegas office is housed in this building and we are forever grateful for the protection that these men and women offer. I attended Stanley's funeral and it was truly an honor to witness such an outpouring of support for this man by the law enforcement community and the Las Vegas valley as a whole.

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