In Case You Missed It, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) is continuing her fight to support Nevada’s firefighters, introducing comprehensive legislation to prevent wildfires, pushing for permanent pay raises for federal firefighters, and highlighting the concerns of Nevada firefighters with her colleagues in the U.S. Senate.
Senator Cortez Masto has led efforts to support Nevada firefighters and combat the wildfire crisis in the West, securing billions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support wildfire risk reduction and recently delivering federal resources for wildfires fuels reduction in Northern Nevada.
KTVN: Cortez Masto Pushes for Permanent Firefighter Pay Increases at Senate Hearing
Today in the nation’s capital, senators expressed their concerns, including Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, about not having enough firefighters on the front lines.
Cortez Masto: “If Congress doesn’t pass a bill to extend the pay increase by the times these funds run out…what happens?”
“Well I think it would be absolutely catastrophic senator. I stated earlier and I’ll re-state it – our union is telling us that they would expect 30 to 50 percent of our firefighting workforce to leave our service and go elsewhere, as they should, to make a living wage and the right compensation that they deserve.”
KSNV: Senator Cortez Masto introduces bills for wildfire season
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is introducing two bills to help prevent wildfires and help Nevadans recover.
One bill would fund state-of-the-art firefighting equipment and create new training programs, while the other would help small businesses harmed by wildfire smoke qualify for disaster relief funding.
Nevada did experience a wet winter this year, meaning the upcoming fire season could be more severe than normal.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is introducing two bills to help prevent wildfires and help Nevadans recover.
While the silver state experienced a wet winter, Nevada officials say the 2023 fire season could be more severe than normal.
The first bill is the Western Wildfire Support Act. It would fund state-of-the-art firefighting equipment, create new training programs and support recovery efforts for at-risk communities impacted by fires.
The second is the Small Business Wildfire Smoke Recovery Act, which would help small businesses harmed by wildfire smoke with disaster relief funding.
A new federal bill aims to help prevent wildfires across the west and provide assistance to those impacted by them. The measure was introduced by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, and it would create new training programs for firefighters as well as funding equipment.
And Cortez Masto says that we often see those who lose homes or businesses to fires, but another group of victims is often overlooked.
Cortez Masto: “So many of our businesses suffered damage because of just the smoke. Some of them had to close down, and some of them suffered other damage. But, they couldn’t access federal funds or any funds to support the damage that occurred to their small business.”
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