Studying up, and it feels like ‘first day of school’

By Lisa Mascaro

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Dina Titus begins a new political era today, for herself and Nevada, when she stands on the floor of the House of Representatives and is sworn in as a member of the 111th Congress.

“It is such a historic time,” Titus said Monday evening. “I just feel the optimism. I just think it’s going to carry over. I feel we’re going to hit the ground running.”

Titus will become the first woman and first Democrat to represent the Henderson-area district, accomplishing what no other candidate had been able to do — beat the Republican Rep. Jon Porter, the only lawmaker who has held the seat.

She will be feted this morning at a breakfast hosted by longtime Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Las Vegas, and the man who helped pick her to run for the job, Sen. Harry Reid.

Titus arrives in Washington on the Obama wave, as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office Jan. 20 as the nation’s first black president.

Titus has been preparing for today, reading up on the rules of the House. She knows from her tenure as state Senate minority leader that understanding the way things work makes the difference between an official who can maneuver and one who can’t.

She’s spent the past few days “studying, doing homework, highlighting,” she said, and considered a new pair of shoes. (“I’m not known to be a fashion plate — that’s Shelley.”)

Yes, the longtime UNLV political science professor, admitted, “I feel a little bit like you feel on the first day of school.”

Congress opens with an aggressive schedule to consider the economic recovery package of tax breaks and public works spending Obama is developing to create jobs and pull the country out of the recession.

Nevada has been hard hit economically with the highest foreclosure rate in the nation and joblessness quickly approaching double digits.

Many economists believe a robust and timely stimulus plan is needed to reverse the economic slide. Democrats tend to support the stimulus plan, and Titus is generally on board but awaiting details. As a candidate, she opposed the Wall Street bailout that Congress passed in October, which had been a popular position for her to take on the campaign trail as voters challenged the $700 billion rescue of the financial markets.

Her concern about the stimulus package is that it must come with safeguards to ensure the money is spent wisely. Reports have shown the Treasury Department cannot fully account for money spent saving Wall Street.

“You want to be sure you spend the money in a careful way ... and there are checks in place to ensure you use the money the way it was intended,” she said.

Despite high hopes for an A-list assignment on the Energy and Commerce Committee, a rarity for a freshman, she will pursue her legislative agenda for Nevada from the less powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Tops on her agenda will be to push for renewable energy projects that can create jobs and reduce reliance on coal and foreign fuel, something Reid has made a priority and Berkley has sought for years.

Family and friends have joined Titus in Washington to celebrate the big day — including her mom, who appeared in a TV ad during the campaign poking fun at the Georgia accent they share, which had become a political liability for Titus.

Titus gathered them all Monday night to celebrate before the job becomes official, but they were too late. Her work had already begun. She was being called to a Democratic Party caucus meeting at 7 p.m. and dinner would have to wait.

A new era in Congress was about to start.