U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) attended a roundtable discussion with members of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Las Vegas Chapter (LCLAA) to talk about their priorities – including health care, housing, and public safety – and discuss her work in the Senate to address them. The roundtable consisted of members of the Transport Workers Union; the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers; the Laborers’ International Union of North America; the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Association; and the Sheet Metal, Air Rail, Transportation Union. “Thanks to unions and their fight for living wages and better working conditions, hardworking Nevada families are able to pursue the American Dream,” said Senator Rosen. “I was glad to meet with members of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Las Vegas and hear their stories and the issues that are top of mind. From creating more good-paying union jobs to fighting for paid family leave to lowering costs for families, I am committed to helping hardworking Nevada families thrive.”  “Latino workers make important contributions to Nevada’s economy every single day, and they deserve quality working conditions like a living wage and paid sick leave,” said Vince Saavedra, President of LCLAA. “We’re grateful to Senator Jacky Rosen for sitting down with the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Las Vegas to discuss our priorities and the work she’s doing on behalf of workers in our state.” Senator Rosen has been a champion for Nevada workers and the Latino community in the state. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen helped introduce the PRO Act to strengthen protections for workers’ rights to form a union and bargain for benefits. This comes in addition to the FAMILY Act that Senator Rosen co-sponsored to provide all workers with twelve weeks of paid parental, medical, and caregiving leave. Senator Rosen has also helped introduce legislation to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Last Congress, she introduced two pieces of legislation to support Latino-owned and other minority-owned businesses in the wake of the pandemic.

Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) announced that up to $195 million in funding has been made available from the Department of the Interior to support drought resiliency projects, water management planning and design improvements, and cooperative watershed management projects. Congresswoman Lee fought to secure these funds by championing and voting to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as through her work as a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.   “Last Congress, I helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to ensure that your taxpayer dollars get to work for Nevada, and that includes tackling the drought,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03). “Southern Nevada continues to face the worst drought in 12 centuries, and we need bold solutions to protect our precious water, natural resources, and the hardworking families who depend on them. Today’s announcement reflects a strong investment in those solutions and helps put our state and the West on a path to long-term sustainability.”  This funding comes primarily from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s WaterSMART program. As a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lee ensured this program was properly funded by helping to secure $124 million more than what was initially requested by the Biden Administration for the current fiscal year. In Southern Nevada, WaterSMART funding has helped support initiatives ranging from the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s landscape rebate program, which incentivizes residential property owners to replace turf with water-efficient landscaping, to the ongoing restoration of the Las Vegas Wash, which returns more than 200 million gallons of water a day to Lake Mead from the Las Vegas Valley.  Today’s funding announcement includes up to $55 million for drought resiliency funding to develop projects that can increase water management flexibility, and up to $35 million for planning and design grants to support water management improvements, including efforts to enhance water supplies and create comprehensive drought contingency plans.  You can read more about this announcement here. 

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) have made updates the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act’s (SNPLMA) Affordable Housing Guidance to make it easier to build affordable housing units on federal land across Nevada. Senator Cortez Masto worked with local stakeholders in Las Vegas to repeatedly push for streamlined and improved guidance. “Nevada is facing an affordable housing crisis and we need to be doing more to ensure we can build more homes for working families,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “For too long developing affordable housing on public lands in Nevada has been bogged down by an inefficient process, and I pushed for these vital improvements that will make it easier to build more homes for Nevada’s working families.” The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) contains provisions allowing for the sale of public land in Clark County to build affordable housing, but a burdensome process has been keeping developers from being able to access the land they needed to begin construction. In April, Senator Cortez Masto attended a groundbreaking for the first affordable housing complex in more than a decade that has been constructed on land obtained under SNPLMA’s affordable housing authorities, and she has consistently advocated for a better, more streamlined process. The BLM and HUD updated SNPLMA’s “Nevada Guidance” that guides the implementation of the law in response to repeated advocacy from Senator Cortez Masto and her office. The new guidelines will: 2.    Formalizes the process for HUD and BLM to make land throughout Nevada available at a discount for rental or for-sale homes serving families with incomes below 80% of Area Median Income; 3.    Establishes a streamlined process to assess affordable housing proposals in the state and calls for a review the process after ten years. Senator Cortez Masto has been a leader in the fight to lower housing costs and keep Nevadans in their homes. In the Senate, she is a reliable champion of affordable housing, including leading the Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act and the HOME Reauthorization Act to help more families afford homes. She is also a sponsor of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act and the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act to help build more affordable housing across the country. She has secured more than $1 billion for affordable housing in the state, helping build and preserve more than 14,000 new affordable housing units.

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced the bipartisan Supporting Our Seniors Act to create a National Advisory Commission on long-term care services for seniors and individuals in need of support for activities of daily living. The commission would assess and provide regular reporting to Congress on service delivery, financing, workforce adequacy, and other issues related to long-term care in order to help increase seniors’ and individuals with disabilities access to affordable care services.  “Having cared for my aging parents, I know how important access to affordable, quality care and support services can be for families and their loved ones,” said Senator Rosen. “Our bipartisan legislation would help to increase access to long-term care by creating a commission to examine the challenges and needs in care services. This legislation will help provide invaluable information to Congress so that we can develop better solutions to ensure seniors have access to the care and support that they deserve.” “Americans are living longer and their health care needs will continue to evolve,” said Senator Boozman. “Establishing a national advisory commission will help us better prepare for future challenges in regards to coordinating services, training a workforce to meet seniors’ and individuals’ with disabilities needs as well as providing information and options to empower them and their caregivers with the resources available. I’m pleased to join Senator Rosen in leading this bipartisan initiative.” “Affordable long-term care services for seniors and other individuals is paramount to a strong healthcare system,” said Michelle Webb, DNP, RN, CHPCA, President of the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association, and Ginger Marshall, MSN, ACNP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, CEO of the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association. “Creating a Commission on Long Term Care is just the first step in ensuring seniors have access to the care they need.  The importance of including individuals with experience in Palliative Care on the Commission is extremely important in the formation of this venture, as they have the unique skill set, training, and education to care for people who need long-term care. On behalf of the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA), and our nearly 10,000 members we commend Senators Rosen and Boozman in introducing the Supporting Our Seniors Act to further address the need for affordable, accessible long term care in the United States.”  “Access to comprehensive, person-centered care should be a right, not a privilege, for every American,” said Ben Marcantonio, Interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “NHPCO is proud to endorse the Supporting Our Seniors Act and thank Senators Rosen and Boozman for prioritizing the future of the hospice and palliative care community through this bipartisan commission addressing long-term care.”   “The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine is proud to offer its strong support for the Supporting Our Seniors Act, and we commend Sen. Rosen and Sen. Boozman for their leadership in recognizing the important role palliative care plays in improving the lives of people residing in long-term care,” said American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine President Holly Yang, MD, HMDC, FACP, FAAHPM.  “A growing number of older Americans are living with serious or complex chronic illnesses, and more families are facing demanding caregiving responsibilities. Prioritizing and addressing their palliative care needs is critical to ensure that older adults and those with serious illness receive the right care when and where they want to receive it.” As co-founder and co-chair of the Senate’s bipartisan Comprehensive Care Caucus, Senator Rosen has been a leader in helping Nevada’s seniors access quality long-term care. Senator Rosen recently introduced a pair of bills that would help increase the number of doctors trained in palliative care and improve hospice care for patients by increasing access to blood transfusions for those who rely on this care to maintain quality of life. She also introduced the Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act to provide comprehensive palliative care services much earlier in the course of illness, helping improve both the quality of care for patients and their families and the outcomes of treatment.

Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced that nearly $33 million dollars in grant funding is heading to Nevada to restore and protect Pyramid, Summit, and Walker Lakes. Senator Cortez Masto drafted legislation to extend the Desert Terminal Lakes Restoration program, which was set to expire in 2023, and worked with Senator Rosen to pass the provision into law in 2022. “We must protect and preserve Nevada’s unique landscapes and lakes so that they are accessible for generations to come,” said Senator Cortez Masto, “This funding will support important conservation work being done by Nevada Tribes and the communities who rely on these vital water resources.” “The Walker Basin is a beautiful natural ecosystem and home to diverse wildlife and lakes that we must protect,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to have helped secure this funding by extending the Desert Terminal Lakes program so that we can preserve the basin for future generations.” Pyramid, Summit, and Walker Lakes are considered “terminal lakes” because they are isolated bodies of water that have no outlets, making them extremely vulnerable to disruptions and changes in water flows. This grant funding will support voluntary water acquisitions, community-based conservation efforts, and environmental stewardship programs in the Pyramid, Summit, and Walker Lake basins to help recover these unique ecosystems and benefit local fish and wildlife species, communities, and Tribes. Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have been a strong advocate for Nevada’s natural and cultural resources. They’ve passed critical legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects public lands in Nevada and across the country. Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have been vocal supporters of the Avi Kwa Me national monument in Southern Nevada and have both urged Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to support the creation of the Bahsahwahbee (or Swamp Cedars) National Monument in Eastern Nevada.

Today, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) responded to the Supreme Court decision, 6-3, to gut the ability of private and public colleges and universities to consider race and ethnicity in admission decisions: “Today’s decision underscores the realities that exist in our society that many, as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said in her dissent, would rather ‘ostrich-like’ stick their heads in the sand and pretend that preventing consideration of race will end racism. It will not. For decades, affirmative action has opened doors to segments of our population, from white women, to Black, Latino, Asian, and Tribal youth, who had persevered as barrier after barrier came in their path, including many Nevadans. Inherently, the court is saying those who are wealthy, those who have family that have gone to these institutions, those with the privilege to attend elite prep schools, can have an advantage in getting a higher education, while those who have succeeded despite centuries and decades of institutional abuse and racism, from slavery to internment camps to forced deportations of American citizens, will struggle to compete with the wealthy and elite. “Let’s be clear – Mitch McConnell and conservative leadership are cheering this moment after denying President Obama his rightful appointment to the court. Former President Trump said on the campaign trail, ‘what do Black people have to lose.’ Today, that question has been answered.”