March '09 Nevada Government—Shelley Berkley Column

Funding for Schools, Law Enforcement, Cancer Research, Dropout Prevention, McCarran, I-15/LV Beltway Included in Package Southern Nevada will benefit from tens of millions of dollars in federal funding included by Congresswoman Shelley Berkley in legislation passed by the House. Among the Las Vegas needs addressed in the package are funding for Metro, Clark County Schools, safety upgrades at McCarran Airport and for Valley buses. The legislation, which passed 245 to 178, also slashes an additional $100 million from the failed Yucca Mountain waste dump. “This bill will provide funding for work on the Las Vegas Beltway and I-15, for safety equipment and air traffic control needs at McCarran Airport and to build a modern transportation center in downtown Las Vegas -- and that’s just for starters,” said Berkley. “Clark County schools will see additional funding to help with dropout prevention efforts and to increase energy efficiency and Metro will get funding for the removal of hazardous material from meth labs,” said Berkley. “The Nevada Cancer Institute will also get funding for vital prevention screenings and radiation therapy, while North Las Vegas will see more than $2 million for a water re-use facility. All of these are worthwhile investments that are crucial to public safety, education, the health of our families and other issues that impact the Valley’s quality of life,” said Berkley. Berkley also hailed a $100 million Yucca Mountain funding cut included in the legislation. “Once again we have taken a knife to this pile of radioactive pork and slashed another $100 million from Yucca Mountain’s budget. The fact remains that America can safely store nuclear waste at existing reactor sites for the next 100 years, eliminating transportation and terrorism threats and ending the need to dump this waste outside Las Vegas,” said Congresswoman Shelley Berkley. NEVADA FUNDING Transportation/Housing and Urban Development New Downtown Las Vegas Transportation Center: $950,000 Bus and bus system (statewide): $1.4 million McCarran Airport wind hazard detection equip: $807,500 Roads: I-15, Sloan to Apex Interchange: $475,000 Southern Nevada Beltway interchanges: $2.9 million Las Vegas TRACON air traffic control facility @ McCarran Airport: $9.9 million Commerce-Justice-Science: North Las Vegas Police records management system: $300,000 Las Vegas Metro Police methamphetamine hazard response: $200,000 Boys Town Nevada at-risk youth programs: $200,000 City of Las Vegas copper wire theft prevention: $400,000 Clark County/KidsPeace foster care: $750,000 Energy and Water: North Las Vegas water re-use facility: $2.75 million Las Vegas Wash/Lake Mead program: $2.7 million Agassi Prep “Alternative Energy School of the Future: $1.9 million City of Las Vegas plug-in hybrid vehicle program: $143,000 Clark County School District (CCSD) solar lighting: $760,000 UNLV, Sustainable Las Vegas research program: $950,000 Desert Research Institute (DRI) data modeling center $1.1 million Labor/Health and Human Services Agassi Prep, technology upgrades: $260,000 Clark County School District CCSD, Family Leadership Institute: $190,000 Clark County School District CCSD, dropout prevention services: $856,000 Smith Center for the Performing Arts, K-12 education: $409,000 Black Mountain Institute (UNLV), int’l literary center: $95,000 Olive Crest, Strong Families Safe Kids foster care program: $190,000 Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI), breast cancer screening program (mammovan) $381,000 NVCI, radiation therapy center: $262,000 Interior: Water Research Foundation, water supply research: $1.7 million


Berkley Votes To Give Homeowners More Help To Avoid Foreclosure Legislation Allows Judges Option to Modify Existing Mortgages Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today (March 5, 2009) voted in favor of legislation to help millions of families facing foreclosure. The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act gives bankruptcy judges the ability to modify existing mortgages for families who file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy as an incentive to spur lenders into voluntarily modifying loans. The bill passed the House on a vote of 234 to 191. “I support this legislation because it will help more families avoid foreclosure by providing bankruptcy courts the option to modify existing mortgages,” said Berkley. “This will enable more Americans to remain in their homes, which in turn protects neighborhood values by reducing the number of empty houses. This package also provides new incentives for lenders to work with borrowers in arranging new financing that is stable, affordable and based on the true value of a home. Nevada has seen record foreclosures -- leading the nation for two years -- and the impact can be seen and felt in neighborhoods across the Las Vegas Valley.” The bill also spurs mortgage refinancing by fixing the Federal Housing Administration’s Hope for Homeowners Program, reducing fees and offering new incentives for lenders. “The steps we are now taking in Congress, combined with the actions of President Obama, are all designed to help slow the foreclosure crisis, to increase affordable financing opportunities and to give judges the ability to modify existing mortgages. These changes are critical to the recovery of our housing market, which remains a key component of America’s economy. And a new report shows that more than half of Las Vegas homeowners owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth. As a result, they cannot refinance, so this legislation is a vital step in helping our community and our housing market recover,” Berkley said. The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act puts in place a key first piece of President Obama’s comprehensive Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan. Details of the President’s plan can be found at www.financialstability.gov. Included is an eligibility quiz for homeowners struggling to make their payments.