December '09 Nevada Government—U.S. Senator Harry Reid Column

Health Insurance Reform Passes
in the Senate December 24, 2009

December 24, 2009
Washington, D.C.

Dear Friends,

After a long fight, I am pleased to report that the Senate just passed the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this morning. This bill will ensure all Nevadans will finally have access to quality, affordable health insurance. Nevada has the second highest rate of uninsured in the nation, according to the Associated Press, and businesses are struggling with the costs of providing health care to their employees. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will greatly improve Nevada's health in the following ways:

Three years of full funding for the Medicaid expansion;
Affordable coverage to 518,000 Nevadans who are uninsured;
Premium tax credits available to more than 300,000 Nevadans so they can purchase coverage;
Tax credits to 24,000 small businesses in Nevada to make premiums more affordable for their employees;
Lower premiums and prescription drug costs for Nevada’s 328,000 Medicare beneficiaries;
Increased funding for community health centers;
Increased medical residency slots, bringing more doctors to Nevada;
And it will help relieve Nevada tax payers from the burden of paying for those who don’t have insurance.

The importance of this bill for Nevada can’t be overstated. This bill saves lives, saves money and saves Medicare for Nevadans. More than 500,000 Nevadans will receive affordable coverage, and 24,000 small businesses are going to be able to make premiums more affordable for their employees. No longer will insurance companies be able to discriminate because of preexisting conditions or gender, and they won’t be able to drop you when you get sick. And that’s just the beginning.

I applaud my Senate colleagues for supporting a bill that will mean so much for struggling families in Nevada and across the nation.

I encourage you to learn more about the benefits Nevada will receive as a result of this historical legislation by visiting the HealthReform.Gov Nevada webpage. For more information on my work in the Senate or to contact me, please visit my website, reid.senate.gov.

I wish you and your family happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year.

Sincerely,

HARRY REID
U.S. Senator for Nevada

Reid: Real People Understand
The Urgency For Health Reform

December 23, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor this afternoon. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

“The health care votes we have held this week have been procedural in nature. Each has been a party-line vote. And much of this debate has focused on politics.

“But health reform is not about procedure, or partisanship, or politics.

“It is about people. People like the thousands who write us every day. A small, small fraction of those letters are right here on my desk.

“Each one of these letters represents a story, a tragedy, a life, a death—a person. People who wake up every morning and struggle to get health care or struggle to hold on to it. People who lie awake every night second-guessing the agonizing decisions they have to make about what to sacrifice just to stay healthy.

“Here’s a letter that was written to Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania:

‘Dear Senator Casey: In a country like the United States, we shouldn’t need a tip jar at an ice cream shop to raise money for a kid with leukemia.’

“Here’s what another one of these letters says—a plea that a father in North Las Vegas, Nevada sent to me:

‘Can you imagine what it’s like to have a doctor look you in the eye while you hold your one-year-old child and tell you that you will likely outlive your son? I am certain my story is not unique. But it is real.

‘Stop forcing Americans to use the most expensive point of service—the emergency room—to get what the system won’t give them.

‘Let’s make all Americans equal in the eyes of health care. Please.’

“This is not about the number of pages in this bill. It is about the number of people whom this bill will help.”

Reid Statement On Job Creating Power Contract Between NV Energy And Solarreserve

New solar energy facility to be built in Nye County, bringing jobs to rural Nevada

December 22, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following statement after NV Energy announced a 25 year agreement with SolarReserve to construct a new solar energy facility with innovative energy storage that will create up to 450 construction jobs, 45 permanent operations jobs, and 4,000 indirect jobs, while producing enough electricity to power 75,000 homes during peak electricity periods:

“This is a major jobs announcement for rural Nevada,” Reid said. “When the U.S. Air Force expressed reservations about the construction of this facility, and the project seemed dead, I contacted Defense Secretary Robert Gates to discuss how we could figure out a way to get this done for our state without interfering with the critical military training and testing activities at the Nellis Air Force Range.

“I’m pleased that we were able to work together to ensure that this state-of-the-art solar facility will be built in Nye County, bringing nearly 500 construction and permanent jobs and up to 4,000 indirect jobs to rural Nevada, as we make Nevada the nation’s clean energy leader.”

Small Business Benefits in Health Reform Bill

December 19, 2009

Dear Fellow Nevadan,

This morning I released the details of the final version of the health insurance reform bill. The bill will reduce the deficit by roughly $1.4 trillion over the next 20 years – more than twice the previous estimate – due to modifications we made over the past week. We strengthen patient protections, lowered consumer costs, improved our short-and long-term economic health, and provided tax breaks to small businesses.

Every day, nearly 200 people in Nevada lose their health insurance each day and too many file bankruptcy because of health care costs. Nevadans with health insurance will see their premiums decrease by up to $1,600 per year because of this bill. I am confident that this bill will be really good for Nevadans.

Small businesses will see immediate tax benefits for providing coverage to their employees. I have detailed below some of the ways this bill will help Nevada’s small businesses.

I hope that you will read this update and visit my website for more information.

HARRY REID
United States Senator for Nevada

Expanding Small Business Health Care Affordability Tax Credits

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide tax credits to small businesses to help them provide health insurance for their employees. These tax credits will make health insurance more affordable for small businesses and their employees.
The Manager’s Amendment will expand the existing small business tax credits in the underlying bill.
The small business tax credits will begin a year earlier – in 2010 – giving eligible small businesses access to up to six years of tax credits to purchase health insurance for their employees and ensuring immediate access to tax credits for eligible small businesses.
The wage thresholds for small business tax credits will be expanded. The credits will be available on a sliding scale to small businesses with fewer than 25 employees and average annual wages of less than $50,000. The full credit will be available to employers with 10 or fewer employees and average annual wages of less than $25,000. These changes will help more small businesses will qualify for the tax credit and the tax credit will phase out more slowly as average annual wages increase.

Ensuring Small Business Administration Resource Partners Are Eligible for Awareness Grants

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act lists Small Business Development Centers as eligible recipients of Exchange public awareness grants.
The Manager’s Amendment will include all Small Business Administration partners in the program, including: Women’s Business Centers, SCORE, Minority Business Centers, Veteran Business Centers, and others.

Reviewing the Impact of Reform on Small Businesses

The Manager’s Amendment requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to specifically review the impact of Exchanges on access to affordable health care for small businesses to ensure that Exchanges are indeed making a difference for small business owners.

Adhering to Small Business Contracting Regulations

The Manager’s Amendment clearly states that agencies cannot waive the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which requires them to report small business contracting numbers and meet small business contracting goals of 23 percent.

Clarifying Part-Time Worker Definition

The Manager’s Amendment modifies the definition of a full-time employee to 390 hours per calendar quarter (13 weeks) instead of the current definition of 30 hours per week on average. This would take into account fluctuation in employee hours, and reduce the impact of employer responsibility requirements for industries with high turnover and that rely on part-time employees to sustain their business.

Small Business Representation on Workforce Commission

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act establishes a national workforce commission to gather information on the health care workforce and better coordinate and implement workforce planning and analysis.
The Manager’s Amendment ensures that small businesses will be represented on the commission.

Increasing Access to Workplace Wellness Programs

The Manager’s Amendment authorizes grants to help small business employees access comprehensive workplace wellness

Reid Statement On The Opening Of
The Clark County Shooting Park

December 18, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – The Clark County Shooting Park, the largest shooting range in the world, will open for weekend hours tomorrow. The park covers 2,900 acres with areas for multiple shooting sports. The park includes an archery range, a pistol center and a shotgun center. Senator Reid authored the legislation that provided the land for the facility and helped deliver more than $60 million in funding for the park’s development. The facility will formally open in January, but will have weekend hours between this Saturday and January 3rd.

“This park is a symbol of the good things that are possible when Nevadans come together to solve problems. With the growth of southern Nevada’s communities, traditional shooting areas were being lost on a regular basis. It became clear that we needed a safe place where people of all ages could practice and compete,” Reid said. “Now, through the establishment of the Clark County Shooting Park, we have a state-of-the-art that will bring visitors from around the world, including military and law enforcement personnel. I congratulate everyone who had a hand in this effort, and I look forward to visiting the park again soon.”

Reid, Ensign Light The Hanukkah Menorah
With Nevada Rabbis

Chabad of Nevada rabbis present menorah
and offer prayers for Nevada’s elected officials

December 17, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign welcomed three rabbis from Chabad of Nevada to their weekly breakfast with constituents. Rabbi Mendel Cunin, Rabbi Chaim Cunin and Rabbi Yosef Cunin presented the senators with a menorah and invited them to light the Hanukkah candles.

“Nevada has one of the fastest growing Jewish populations in the country,” said Senator Reid. “I am so pleased to welcome the rabbis and thank them for bringing with them the joy and light of the holiday season. Their prayers are a reminder to us of the hope we have, even in the darkness of difficult economic times.”

“Hanukah speaks to the values long held by Jews and by Americans—faith and freedom of religion. It is also the ultimate story of light prevailing over dark. In this sometimes ‘dark’ atmosphere of Washington, D.C., the light of the menorah is welcomed and cherished,” Ensign said.

Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign join Rabbi Chaim Cunin from Chabad of Nevada as they light the Hanukkah candles during a breakfast for constituents.

Rabbi Chaim Cunin and Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign

Rabbi Chaim Cunin and Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign

Rabbi Chaim Cunin from Chabad of Nevada discusses the holiday of Hanukkah at a breakfast hosted by Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign for their constituents.