Delegation pleased with funds marked for Nevada

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2000 | 11:16 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada's four members of Congress on Monday scanned the fine print of President Clinton's $1.84 trillion budget for fiscal year 2001, pleased with money earmarked for the state's projects and disappointed with plans they believe target the gaming industry.

Federal money tagged for Nevada includes $20 million for ongoing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work on massive flood detention basin and runoff projects in the Flamingo and Tropicana washes in Las Vegas, aides in the Nevada senators' offices said.

"An additional $800,000 has been designated for work by the Bureau of Reclamation on the Las Vegas Wash and Lake Mead," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a written statement.

The budget also appears to slate $500,000 for Truckee River flood control projects and $150,000 for Lake Tahoe environmental surveys.

Clinton's $277.5 billion defense budget includes $2.5 billion for 10 F-22 Raptors, the next generation fighter jet that would undergo some testing at Nellis Air Force Base.

The amount of federal money earmarked for Nevada highway projects was not immediately available.

"By and large I think this is a good budget for Nevada and a good budget for the country," Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said.

But Nevada's Congress members agreed that several of Clinton's proposals would hurt the state. They have criticized a new plan that would require casinos to track gamblers who owe child support and then seize their winnings.

"The way in which this proposal would have to be implemented would be very burdensome for the industry," Bryan said in an interview Monday.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., who represents most of the state outside Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson, wrote a letter to Clinton last week, saying, "Private businesses should not become a new branch of law enforcement."

The Nevada delegation criticized two other Clinton budget proposals -- plans the president has tried to push through Congress before. One would require casinos to immediately seize for tax purposes portions of bingo and keno winnings over $5,000.

The other would curb tax incentives for mining companies that are exploring new areas for ore.

"Without this allowance, the cost of mining in Nevada would increase and that would mean a loss of jobs in income," Reid said.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who represents Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson, today said she is concerned that Nevada may not be getting its fair share of federally funded new teachers.

In the past Nevada has been grouped with states that have far lower student population growth rates, such as Maine, Hawaii and Vermont, Berkley's Chief of Staff Richard Urey said. Last year those states got the same number of new teachers as Nevada: 145.

"Our needs are far more dramatic than those of other states in our tier," Berkley said.

Urey said that Clinton's budget showed that Nevada would be eligible for roughly $90 million in interest-free federal loans for school construction, about the same amount as last year. School construction in Clark County is primarily paid for with local tax revenues.

Berkley said she would add more estate tax cuts to Clinton's proposed $350 billion tax cut plan, which includes tax breaks for married couples, child care and college students.

Bryan generally praised Clinton's plan to use some of the nation's surplus to pay down the national debt, but said he generally favored a more limited tax cut proposal than Clinton.

"I would err in putting more money into debt reduction," Bryan said.