Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today wrapped up the seventh day of her Virtual Nevada Tour 2020 with stops in Lincoln and Clark counties. The Senator began her day conducting a conference call with Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara to get an update on virtual instruction. In addition, the Senator held phone meetings with local leaders in Lincoln county and conducted virtual roundtables on outdoor recreation, behavioral health and child welfare in Nevada.
“Throughout my virtual tour of Nevada, I’ve been proud to see the committed resilience of our communities. As COVID-19 has challenged our state, so many are coming forward to support one another and provide a helping hand. Today, I was pleased to speak with local leaders who are on the forefront of working to provide a safe, healthy education to Nevada’s future leaders. It was also encouraging to hear from caregivers and those supporting some of our most vulnerable kids as well as Nevadans confronting mental health challenges. I was also pleased to discuss the potential opportunities to help restart our economy by promoting visits to Nevada’s beautiful outdoors in a safe and responsible way. In each of those conversations, I made it clear that I’m fighting at the federal level for more funding for the reliable broadband and technological tools we need to educate kids, the tax incentives and funding to strengthen small businesses and local governments, as well as the resources and trained support staff necessary to ensure we’re caring for everyone.”
BACKGROUND:
This week, Senator Cortez Masto is participating in a virtual tour of all of Nevada’s 17 counties as part of her Virtual Nevada Tour 2020. Yesterday’s visit included stops at Esmeralda and Nye counties.
During today’s visits, Senator Cortez Masto conducted a roundtable with child welfare agencies to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on the communities they serve. Young Nevadans in the child welfare system are supported through a variety of settings from foster placements, to kinship and relative care, to congregate care. And in families where children are being raised by grandparents or other older relatives, additional challenges are being presented due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
Senator Cortez Masto has co-sponsored the Child Welfare Emergency Assistance Act to help address this issue. This legislation provides child welfare agencies with the funding and supplies they need to protect investments in vital services for children and their caregivers during this unprecedented time.