Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate on the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.  Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Yesterday, 3,500 kids who had never smoked before tried their first cigarette.  Today, another 3,500 will do the same.

“For some, it will also be their last.  They will feel as I did when my older brother let me try my first cigarette – and like me, they will say that once is enough.

“But for far too many others, it will become a part of their daily lives.

“If you think three-and-a-half thousand kids is a scary number, how about three-and-a-half million?  That’s how many American high school students smoke – and nearly all of them aren’t even old enough to buy cigarettes.

“Three-and-a-half million.  That means there are one million more students who smoke than there are men, women and children living in all of Nevada.
 
“It means that we have as many boys and girls smoking as we do playing high school football, basketball, track and field, and baseball – combined.  When there are as many students endangering their health as there are staying healthy by playing the four most popular high school sports in the country, it is time to act.

“But should we be surprised?  Every year, the tobacco industry pours billions upon billions of dollars into marketing designed to get more people – including children – to start smoking.

“Unfortunately, with nine out of 10 regular smokers in America having started when they were kids, these marketers are very good at their jobs. It’s time we do ours.

“The bipartisan bill that Senator Kennedy and the HELP Committee have delivered does a lot of good:
 
·       it will keep American children and families healthier;

·       it will keep tobacco companies honest about the dangers of using their poisonous products by strengthening existing warning labels;

·       it will make it harder for those companies to sell cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to children; and

·       it will make it harder for tobacco companies to lure our children in the first place.


“When it becomes law, this responsible bill will also help those who smoke overcome their addictions and make tobacco products less toxic for those who cannot or do not want to stop.

“Let’s be clear: No one is trying to ban the use of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco. But we are giving the proper authority – the FDA – the tools it needs to help those who smoke and protect those around them.

“We will talk a lot in the coming weeks and months about different ways to lift the heavy weight of health insurance costs.  These crushing costs keep Americans from getting the care they need to stay healthy or help a loved one do the same.  They have driven countless families into bankruptcy or foreclosure, let alone disease and even death.

“We will debate, and at times, we will disagree.

“But one of the most surefire solutions is to prevent health emergencies before they begin.  And there is no doubt that the effects of smoking qualify as such an emergency.

“Tobacco-related health care costs Americans almost $100 billion every year.  If you think the government is spending too much of your money, consider this: Your state and federal governments spend about $60 billion every year on Medicare and Medicaid payments for health problems created by tobacco.
 
“So it’s not just a health crisis; it’s an economic one, too – one we can hardly afford.

“And still, almost half a million people die every year as a result of their smoking or someone else’s.  These deaths – from lung cancer, emphysema and other diseases – are at once among the most painful and the most preventable.

“At its heart, this bill aims to ease that pain and to prevent others from going through it.

“The dangers of smoking are hardly breaking news. We have known about them for decades.  And we know volumes more today.  But we must do more.
 
“This vote is simple.  It is between endangering our children’s health and enriching the multibillion-dollar tobacco industry that poisons and preys on them.
 
“It is between accepting the responsibility we have to our future and rejecting the irresponsibility of the pervasive and perverse tobacco companies.
 
“And it is time we have that vote – because tomorrow, 3,500 more of our sons and daughters will light up their first cigarette.”

Reid Responds To McConnell Letter Regarding Sotomayor Confirmation Process  

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent the following letter today (June 9) to Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, responding to concerns about the process for confirming Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Reid writes, “I appreciate that Senate Republicans are committed to a fair and respectful confirmation process for Judge Sotomayor.  I believe it is important that Senators be permitted the opportunity to thoroughly review Judge Sotomayor’s record and to fulfill our constitutional duty to provide advice and consent.  I believe our proposed schedule for hearings and a floor vote on her confirmation will do so.”

The full text of the letter is below:

June 9, 2009
 
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Republican Leader
United States Senate
S-230 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20510
 
Dear Senator McConnell:
 
Thank you for your letter regarding the process for considering the nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court.  I have taken your concerns into consideration and have discussed the confirmation process with the President and the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.  
 
Judge Sotomayor’s judicial record is largely public and has been undergoing extensive review by all interested parties at least since the President announced her nomination on May 26.  In addition, she has returned her questionnaire, including available records of her speeches and writings, in record time.  Her record for review is now essentially complete.
 
In contrast, both Judge Roberts and Judge Alito had spent significant time in the executive branch and much of their record was therefore not public or available for review following their nominations.  Numerous executive branch documents were not included with their questionnaires, and much staff preparation time was devoted to extensive negotiations over document production with both nominations.  
 
In 2005, Senator Leahy agreed to a September 6 hearing date for the Roberts nomination before Judge Roberts had submitted his questionnaire, and before more than 75,000 pages of documents, primarily from the Reagan Library and the National Archives, came in throughout August and before the hearings began in September.  Indeed, on the eve of the planned start of the hearing, on August 30, the Archives notified the Judiciary Committee that they had found a new set of documents consisting of approximately 15,000 pages.  These were delivered September 2, further complicating hearing preparations.  Hearings went ahead on September 12.
 
Furthermore, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and Chief Justice Rehnquist passed away while the Senate was considering Judge Roberts’ nomination to be an Associate Justice, leading to a week-long delay in his hearing after he was then nominated to be the new Chief Justice.    
 
Despite these obstacles, Judge Roberts was confirmed 72 days after President Bush named him as a nominee to the Supreme Court.  If Judge Sotomayor is confirmed before the Senate recesses in August, she will have been confirmed on a virtually identical timetable.  If, however, she is not confirmed until the beginning of the Court’s term in October, consideration of her nomination will have lasted nearly twice as long as that of Judge Roberts.  
 
Confirming Judge Sotomayor before the August recess would give her time to prepare adequately for the Court’s fall term, including review of hundreds of petitions for certiorari for the Court’s first conference and preparation for merits arguments.  It would also allow her time to move and hire law clerks.  I do not believe it is fair to delay Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation if it is not absolutely necessary.
 
I appreciate that Senate Republicans are committed to a fair and respectful confirmation process for Judge Sotomayor.  I believe it is important that Senators be permitted the opportunity to thoroughly review Judge Sotomayor’s record and to fulfill our constitutional duty to provide advice and consent.  I believe our proposed schedule for hearings and a floor vote on her confirmation will do so.

Travel Promotion Act

In these difficult economic times, I am working hard to strengthen Nevada’s travel industry, which employs more than 230,000 Nevadans. Thanks to 37 million visitors each year, Nevada’s hotels, rent-a-car companies, airports, restaurants, parks and shops provide thousands more jobs in our state. I believe that we can do even better. A 2007 study by Oxford Economics suggested that a modest travel promotion program, similar to what exists in nearly every other developed country, could drive $8 billion in new private spending and nearly $1 billion in tax revenues annually. Not only would this create new, good-paying jobs in Nevada, it could also help relieve our state’s budget crisis, since more than one quarter of the budget comes from revenues generated by the travel industry.
 
I am cosponsoring the Travel Promotion Act with Senator Ensign because I know it could bring millions more visitors to our state at no cost to our taxpayers. Simply put, our state depends on visitors.  The more who come and enjoy our state, the better off is Nevada.

Last week, I sponsored a bill to help Nevada’s National Guard and their families cope with the financial difficulties that come with overseas deployment. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to discuss this legislation with some of Nevada’s Guardsmen and –women and their spouses. This legislation does not call for any new government spending, instead allowing taxpayers the option of contributing a portion of their income tax return to the families of our deployed Guardsmen. Click here to learn more or click here to read the Las Vegas Review Journal’s article.

Reid Delivers More Than $33 Million For Transportation, Jobs In Southern Nevada

Economic recovery funding on the way will bring help for economy while helping traffic, mass transit

Nevada Senator Harry Reid today announced more than $33 million in economic recovery funding to assist three major transportation products in southern Nevada.

The funding will be used by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada for the ACE Green Line on Boulder Highway, Centennial Hills Transit Center Park & Ride and Central City Intermodal Transportation Terminal. These projects will bring jobs to southern Nevada while improving our mass transit systems and easing commutes for drivers.
 
“We must continue to work to meet the challenges of growth throughout southern Nevada,” Reid said. “This funding will not only help to do that, but it will create jobs we sorely need to build the facilities and infrastructure for the future.”
 
Details of the projects are as follows:

Central City Intermodal Transportation Terminal: ($5,538,371)
The RTC will construct a new transit terminal in downtown Las Vegas.  This facility will be the main transit hub for Southern Nevada’s ACE, ACExpress and regular fixed route bus services.  The 21,000 square foot terminal will be constructed at the corner of Casino Center Boulevard Bonneville Avenue.  The facility is designed with a commitment to sustainability and the RTC is pursuing a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification of Gold.  The RTC is expected to break ground on the project in June 2009 with the facility scheduled to open in 2010.
 
Centennial Hills Transit Center Park & Ride: ($8,873,350)  
The RTC will break ground in June 2009 on a new park and ride facility at U.S. 95 and Durango Drive in the northwest part of the valley.  The facility will provide passengers with a park and ride lot, an air-conditioned facility to wait for transit service and ticket vending machines.  The RTC will launch the first ACExpress transit service from the facility when it opens in January 2010.  The ACExpress C Line will provide fast, limited-stop service from the Centennial Hills area to downtown Las Vegas, using the high-occupancy vehicle lanes on U.S. 95.  From Downtown, ACExpress will continue service to the resort corridor and UNLV.
 
ACE Green Line on Boulder Highway:  ($19,329,930)
The RTC’s ACE rapid transit service will feature fast transit service that includes many of the features of a light rail service, including dedicated lanes for much of the route; sleek, rail-like vehicles; level platform boarding; and ticket vending machines.  The ACE Green Line will be constructed on Boulder Highway.  The ACE Green Line will link downtown Las Vegas with Henderson.  It will feature dedicated transit lanes for much of the route, making service much faster than the traditional bus service that runs on Boulder Highway today.  The ACE Green Line is expected to be completed in 2011.