Harry Reid

Nevada’s unemployment dropped to 9.6 percent in April, falling nearly 2 percentage points over the year. Carson City's unemployment rate fell to 10.1 percent and is now the only metro area in the state to have a double digit unemployment rate, according to the state's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Nevada Senator Harry Reid today on Earth Day announced that USDA Rural Development has approved a loan of $3,002,000 and a grant of $2,312,794 to replace the wastewater treatment plant that serves the Virginia City and Gold Hill communities in Storey County. The existing plant is past its useful life.

U.S. Senators Harry Reid and Dean Heller joined representatives of Nevada's delegation of U.S. House of Representatives — Joe Heck (NV-03), Dina Titus (NV-01), and Steven Horsford (NV-04) — in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey and Reno VA Regional Office Director Edward Russell, offering help in addressing Nevada’s backlog of VA claims.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid said Wednesday on the floor of the U.S. Senate that he supports an assault weapons ban, limits on high-capacity ammunition clips and polices to improve access to mental health services. He spoke of mass shootings that have happened across the country and close to home in Carson City.

"As the case of the Carson City, Nevada IHOP tragedy reveals, the deficiencies in this nation’s mental health treatment system are another important part of the discussion about how to prevent gun violence," Reid said on the Senate floor. "We have simply not done a good job of providing funding for and access to mental health services. We have also done a poor job of removing the stigma that keeps many Americas from seeking the treatment they need."

The U.S. Navy will name a Joint High Speed Vessel after Nevada’s Capital, Carson City. The vessel will be called The United States Naval Ship Carson City.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid and Congressman Mark Amodei were both informed this week of the USNS Carson City decision by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus during a meeting in the U.S. Capitol.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding the importance of anti-gun violence legislation. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Life can change in a moment. At 8:56 on September 6, 2011, a deeply disturbed man with an automatic weapon stepped out of his car outside a Carson City, Nevada restaurant. In the moment that followed, he fired nearly 80 rounds – spraying bullets across a parking lot and into an IHOP packed with breakfast customers – killing four people and wounding 7 others before taking his own life.

Sen. Harry Reid has announced $7.4 million in federal grants to fight homelessness in Nevada, including two awards to Carson City Department of Health and Human Services totaling $67,889.

The grants comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Renewal (CoCR) awards. The CoCR programs provide funding for a range of assistance to homeless persons, including transitional housing, permanent housing and other supportive services.

John Arthur “Jack” Johnson was a black heavyweight boxing champion from 1908 to 1915. On July 4, 1910 Johnson defended his title against former boxing legend James Jeffries in Reno. He won the fight, but the victory ignited race riots all over the country.

Johnson had several relationships with white women, which only added to the outrage over his race. In October of 1912, Johnson was convicted for transferring women across state lines for immoral reasons.

Nevada son and United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid addressed a joint session of the Nevada State Legislature today in Carson City. Here is the text of his speech:

The Western Nevada College exhibit "Always Lost: A Meditation on War" continues to travel the country, now with a stop at Wisconsin's Mount Mary College.
Marilee Swirczek, Emeritus Professor of English at Western Nevada College notes the exhibit at the college and an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a gun man, always has been.
And although the Nevada native has welcomed the call by President Barack Obama to respond to the Newtown, Conn., massacre with action, Reid has yet to endorse — or even utter the phrase — “gun control.”

CARSON CITY – As Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., prepared today to attend another briefing with his House Republican colleagues on the latest “fiscal cliff” negotiations, he said that he would consider tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans to reduce the deficit, but not to fund increased government spending.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today announced he will include 78,000 additional people in Nevada’s Medicaid program as provided for under the federal Affordable Care Act.

“Though I have never liked the Affordable Care Act because of the individual mandate it places on citizens, the increased burden on businesses and concerns about access to health care, the law has been upheld by the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement. “As such, I am forced to accept it as today’s reality and I have decided to expand Nevada’s Medicaid coverage.

The Carson City School District was among 16 winners of federal grant money from the The U.S. Department of Education's 2012 Race to the Top-District competition.

The Carson City School District will receive a share of the $400 million grant, around and up to $10 million, to support locally developed plans to personalize and deepen student learning, directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student to succeed in college and their careers.

"This is wonderful news for Carson City's students, teachers and parents" said Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. "As someone whose life was transformed by teachers, I understand the importance of providing all Nevadans with the opportunity to receive a quality education. While I wish that other school districts in the state were also awarded this grant, I know these funds will help put Carson's students on a path towards success."

CARSON CITY – The U.S. Department of Education announced today that 16 applicants, including the Carson City School District, will share nearly $400 million in Race to the Top funds to improve student learning.

The award will mean up to $10 million to the district. An application submitted by the Clark County School District did not receive funding.

Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign had a famous non-aggression pact. Sens. Reid and Dean Heller? Well, at least they’ve had breakfast together.
Now that the election is over, one of the biggest questions for Nevada is what the Reid-Heller relationship will look like.
For the past 18 months, it hasn’t been pretty.
When Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley was challenging Heller to represent Nevada in the Senate, Reid used the strength of his majority leadership to strike at Heller, who was serving out the rest of Ensign’s term.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada state Senate will remain in Democratic control following Tuesday’s election after three Republican candidates won victories in five closely contested races, one short of the number needed for a change of power.

Democrats won two of the five races in play for control of the Senate, maintaining the 11-10 status quo over Republicans.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid was taken to University Medical Center Trauma early Friday afternoon after his motorcade was involved in a multivehicle accident on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas.
Sources say Reid suffered no visible injuries but was being checked by doctors. Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Jeremie Elliott said the accident occurred about 1:10 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-15, north of Sahara Avenue.
Trooper Loy Hixson said five vehicles were involved in the accident: two vehicles carrying Reid and members of his party; two Metro Police vehicles; and one civilian vehicle.

This is in reference to the Letter: Think before you vote, Carson City Nevada News - Carson Now.

CARSON CITY – Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley used a second Senate debate tonight to attack Sen. Dean Heller on issues ranging from Medicare to online poker legislation, while her Republican opponent took a more restrained approach in the hour-long discussion on public television.

CARSON CITY – U.S. Sen. Dean Heller today said online gaming legislation critical to the future of Nevada’s economy should be removed from the world of politics so partisan fights don’t “poison the water” for the bill’s future in Congress.

Heller, interviewed on the Nevada NewsMakers television program, said the legislation is too important to be subjected to political fights between himself and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid between now and the Nov. 6 general election.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a percentage point to 12.1 percent in August from July, the second month of increases in the jobless rate after hitting a three-year low in May, a state agency reported today.

CARSON CITY – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today defended President Obama’s record of accomplishments in his first term, citing his preservation of the nation’s auto industry, the elimination of Osama bin Laden as a threat to America and his push to regulate the banking industry as examples of why he deserves a second term in office.

CARSON CITY – Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said today that any “green energy” policy that leads to higher electric bills for Nevadans who are looking for work in tough economic times is the wrong energy policy for the state.

“Nobody is anti-green,” he said. “We struggle to compete with the cost of a kilowatt hour when we talk about economic development. And economic development has something to do with jobs.”

Lake Tahoe will be thrust in the spotlight again when scientists, public agencies and elected officials meet Aug. 13 for the 16th annual Lake Tahoe Summit. To be discussed with great interest is the protection and health of Lake Tahoe's fragile environment and economy.
“The health of the environment and the health of the economy at Tahoe are linked,” Derek Kauneckis, political science professor and researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno said. “And the collaborations that have been established at the Lake have set the stage for future efforts.”

CARSON CITY – A pair of Nevada small business owners today said the federal government needs to ease off on its excessive regulatory efforts under the Obama administration if it wants to encourage job growth here and around the country.

CARSON CITY – A television ad campaign sponsored by the pro-Democrat Patriot Majority attacking GOP Sen. Dean Heller on his Medicare votes has expanded to Las Vegas and is again being called false by his campaign.

The ads say Heller voted to “end Medicare,” twice, once while serving in the House from the 2^nd Congressional District and once after being appointed to the Senate by Gov. Brian Sandoval in April 2011

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Arizona immigration law case points out the need for Congress and the president to come together and reform the country’s immigration laws.

LAS VEGAS — Six-hundred or so of the state’s Democratic party faithful this morning attended their annual state convention at the Bally’s Hotel conference center in Las Vegas. Five-hundred sixty-two delegates were credentialed but about two dozen vendors lined both sides of the room and guests were also welcomed.

CARSON CITY – The House Natural Resources Committee today passed, with bipartisan support, H.R. 4039, the Yerington Land Conveyance and Sustainable Development Act, which was introduced by Congressman Mark Amodei, R-Nev.

“I want to thank Chairman (Doc) Hastings and my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for their thoughtful consideration and support of this bill, which is of vital importance to the people of Yerington, Lyon County, and Northern Nevada,” Amodei said.