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StumbleGaming companies say thank you to Harry Reid in bright lights
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 | 7:14 p.m.
A "thank you" to Sen. Harry Reid flashes on the marquee of Bally's Wednesday, March 10, 2010.
Las Vegas gaming companies were showing in a very public way their appreciation to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for his role in ushering tourism legislation through Congress.
A number of Strip casinos, including MGM Mirage and Harrah's properties, have this week placed messages on their marquees thanking Reid for the bill, signed last week by President Barack Obama. "Thank you Senator Reid for your help in passing the Travel Promotions Act," read Bally's video marquee Wednesday.
The bill establishes a national tourism promotion agency within the Commerce Department to market U.S. destinations to visitors from abroad. The agency would be funded by a $10-per-person visa fee.
The legislation had been in the works since the country experienced a decline in overseas visitors following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The travel industry estimates the country lost more than 600,000 overseas visitors a year, contributing to economic troubles in Las Vegas and other tourism-centric regions.
Estimates are the bill will create 40,000 jobs nationwide in the first year.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter gave a presentation Tuesday to its members on the impact of the bill. During the meeting, MGM Mirage and Harrah's representatives said they were going to show their appreciation to the Nevada delegation at all of their properties.
"This is a very, very important piece of legislation," MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said Wednesday. "It just simply never would have got across the finish line without Reid championing it. In the end, he got it done."
Reid, who faces a tough re-election race, didn't ask for the acknowledgment, according to his spokesman, Jon Summers.
It does, however, echo the case Reid is trying to make — that his clout in Washington benefits the state in many ways.
"Senator Reid is very grateful for their efforts in spreading the word," Reid's spokesman Jon Summers said today. "This bill is going to create thousands of jobs and that's why he pushed it through the Senate."
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You see, Harry Reid creating jobs, and Sue Lowden making her bank account bigger by eliminating jobs...
Advertising will definitely work, foreigners stopped visiting the US because they completely forgot we were here. Now if we could just tack on another 10 bucks to the cost of visiting, it'll definitely bring them all back.
But he killed the maglev project for Nevada.
This is another attempt to prop Reid up. It's a political trick, don't fall for it.
Nothing wrong with a company showing it knows who butters their bread.
Nevadans would be crazy to vote out Reid! He killed Yucca and now this!
Funnnyyyy! The gambling houses are in the Great Recession and actually THANKING Reid for being there. This could only happen in laa-laa land. $10 million/yr in ads for the whole U.S. tourism industry won't help out near as much as their reducing the room rates to affordable levels.
Who owns ya!!! Nevada casinos pay less in taxes than any other business, besides mining. They pay less taxes than any other casino in the country. They cry because they can't help Nevada in a crisis, but they have money for a marque to thank Harry for passing a tourism bill? Smells like a campaign pitch to me. I can't believe the people that buy into this, but I guess harry is banking on it, has anyone seen the t-shirt with foot prints up the back?
It's funny how the Harry Haters just can't deal with anything positive about the man. Sorry guys, but, the economy is turning around and when people have jobs and feel stable again, the Party of Hate aint gonna have nothing to gripe about!
I think this is a conspiracy by Harry Reid to do good things for the state of Nevada so that people will vote for him instead of the stupid Republican or Tea Bag candidate.
Senator Reid has been conspiring for the last four years to do good things for Nevada. If you want more conspiracies you'll vote for him.
lol
Sarah Palin 2012!!!
You better pray for Euros and Asians flying in to save your sorry sand pit. Looks likes 2 months of "springtime" and then the oven flames up for summer.
yep, us Harry haters that also believed the first stimulus was going to keep unemployment at 8%, and republicans said there is no way. What good things for Nevada is he doing? This proposed bill is a national tourism bill, which he hopes will help tourism for Nevada. It has nothing to do with specifically helping Nevada. "estimates" bill will create jobs, and once again, people believe this garble.
Nice to know that someone can take credit for getting an idea passed that has been submitted to him for close to 10 years now? I dont see how progressive his actions are, when others have been telling people in Congress that this should have been done years ago? Then it is convenient how the LVCVA gets a head at this table at the same time.
An overdue idea that has sat there for too long, leading to these low international numbers coming into the country. Next will be working on visa approval process. I am sure he will claim that it was all his idea as well. For as much respect as I have for Obama, to let Reid speak about an issue that has sat in his lap for 10 years does not seem to get people real excited for this late to the party piece of legislation.