Las Vegas, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) met with Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, President Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Commerce, to discuss how the U.S. Department of Commerce can be a helpful ally to Nevada in promoting the state’s job growth and economic recovery from COVID-19.
“It’s no secret that Nevada’s small businesses, hospitality and tourism industries have suffered at disproportionate rates and continue to hurt right now. That is why I have been focused on bringing much-needed federal dollars to the Silver State, so that we have the critical resources our state needs to work toward a full economic recovery from the short- and long-term effects of COVID-19. I was glad for the opportunity to discuss these and other important issues like the Census, workforce investments, and access to reliable broadband, with Governor Raimondo, and I look forward to ways in which the Department of Commerce can be a helpful partner in Nevada’s long-term economic recovery.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto recently introduced bipartisan legislation, the Hospitality and Commerce Job Recovery Act of 2020, to stimulate the economy by creating new recovery incentives for hospitality and trade shows, enhance the employee retention tax credit to help maintain worker connections to their employer, and provide recovery incentives for middle class families to jumpstart travel when safe. She has also introduced the bipartisan STEP Act to provide Commerce Department grant dollars to support travel and tourism promotion entities in Nevada—and throughout the country—hire back workers and promote safe travel in the future.
Last year, as part of the Senator’s Innovation State Initiative, she passed the bipartisan ACCESS BROADBAND Act, bicameral legislation that fosters the development and growth of broadband resources for businesses as well as underserved urban and rural communities in Nevada, and the rest of America. Last July, Senator Cortez Masto cosponsored the Fair and Accurate Census Act, legislation to address the significant challenges facing the Census Bureau as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would provide requested extensions of statutory deadlines and appropriate $400 million for the Census Bureau to address the impacts of the coronavirus on the 2020 Census.
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