As companies cut jobs, hours, and benefits, I fought to provide assistance for Nevadans who found themselves out of work. So far, the Recovery Act has saved or created more than 6,000 jobs, with more on the way. Funding has created construction jobs improving our roads and weatherizing Nevada homes and schools. The Recovery Act is also an investment in our future. The next time tourism is down, Nevada will be ready with a stronger, more diverse economy, powered by new industries like clean energy.
Our state is leading the way in clean energy production and will begin revolutionary work on energy transmission. NV Energy was granted $138M that will create hundreds of jobs over the next year building smart grid technology to help Nevadans take control of their energy consumption and save on utility bills. Creating infrastructure and producing and exporting renewable energy will assist in Nevada’s future.
It will take time to create the jobs needed to reduce our unemployment rate. That’s why I pushed hard to extend unemployment benefits for families still looking for work, and despite opposition, I was successful in doing so.
In that same bill we also continued the tax credit for first-time homebuyers for another seven months, and expanded the program’s eligibility. The current program has been very helpful in bringing some stability to the housing sector, and with these improvements we hope to get this market back on track. No other state needed this help or took advantage of the credit more than Nevada.
Finally, we are taking on the immense challenge of reforming our health insurance system. We are closer than ever to holding insurance companies accountable, reducing costs, and making health coverage available to everyone.
The last 11 months comprised the most productive Congress since the Great Depression as a response to the economic crisis. I will never stop fighting to get help to those who need it.
Contact Harry Reid at http://reid.senate.gov/
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