Nev. officials laud budget work

Friday, Aug. 1, 1997 | 10:48 a.m.

Members of Nevada's congressional delegation hailed the balanced budget agreement for providing tax relief, improving educational opportunity and expanding health care for children.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said: "This agreement will provide substantial tax relief to tens of thousands of Nevada's middle-income families. I particularly am pleased with the provisions that make it easier for students to continue with their education beyond high school through tax credits as well as the ability to partially deduct interest on student loans."

Bryan endorsed the provisions to expand health care for children through a 15-cent increase in the cigarette tax.

"Currently 10 million children in America are without health care coverage," he said. "Although I would have preferred the 20-cent increase in the cigarette tax which the Senate included in its version of the tax bill, this increase will still provide for a substantial increase in the number of children receiving health care coverage."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., lauded the agreement's benefits for homeowners and small businesses.

"As the fastest-growing state in the union, I am confident that homeowners in Nevada will reap the benefits of being exempted from capital gains taxes," Reid said. "Farmers, ranchers and family-owned small businesses will be relieved from the burdens of estate taxes."

Reid also noted that the agreement does not tax casinos.

"We dodged several attempts to tax gaming, our No. 1 industry," he said. "There is a so-called moral crusade by some in this country to shut down gaming for good and we must constantly be on alert to avoid elimination through taxation."

Reid said he voted against the spending portion of the budget package in the Senate because of provisions to increase the Medicare age of eligibility, institute means testing of Medicare benefits and impose a $5 co-payment on home health care visits.

Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev., touted the fact that the agreement includes his bill to require Medicare to cover annual mammograms and increase funding for breast cancer research by $125 million.

"This bill could save thousands of women's lives," Ensign said.

"In women, the second major cause of death is breast cancer. To defeat this horrible killer that takes the lives of our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, we must wage an aggressive war and that takes money."

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said the budget agreement benefits those wanting to keep their family businesses going.

"Starting next year, the death-tax exemption will jump to $1.3 million for small businesses and family farms, making it easier for parents to pass the family business on to their children," he said.