Lisa Mascaro

Story Archive

The skinny on the health care reform bills in each chamber of Congress

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009

What started as five health care bills — three in the House, two in the Senate — are now two. Here are some highlights of the House bill, which passed on Nov. 7, and the Senate bill, which was introduced for debate Saturday. The Senate bill faces many amendments during the upcoming weeks of debate.

Harry Reid’s hopes hitched to health care reform bill

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009

You would have thought they were rock stars, not graying politicians, the way Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his top lieutenants were welcomed at a Senate reception the day after Reid’s health care bill was introduced.

John Ensign absent from Senate floor during health care debate

Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009

WASHINGTON -- As senators speak on the Senate floor today to discuss health care reform in a lively, rare Saturday session, one voice that has been absent is that of Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada.

Reid clears major health care hurdle, daunting weeks ahead

Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009

WASHINGTON — With tonight's Senate vote to open debate on the Democrats’ health care reform bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid cleared a hurdle in the most profound test of his leadership skills but is about to face another.

Senator to host fundraiser for Harry Reid in New Orleans

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The Louisiana senator who secured a $100 million bonus in Medicaid payments for her state in the proposed Senate health care bill will host a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid next month in New Orleans, the Times-Picayune is reporting this morning.

10,000 Nevadans daily to get pro-Harry Reid robo-call

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The progressive group that ran TV ads critical of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's leadership as it pushed him to include the public option in the health care bill now says it has the leader's back as he potentially comes under pressure to change the bill as the health debate begins in the Senate.‬‪

Senate bill would cover Medicaid expansion for all states

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

WASHINGTON — The increased Medicaid funding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid initially scored for Nevada is now being proposed for all 50 states in his new health care bill. It also includes a $100 million bonus for Louisiana, whose senator is one of the Democratic holdouts on advancing the legislation.

Auditors note problems in Recovery Act jobs numbers

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Government auditors have found significant problems in reporting the number of jobs created or saved by the Recovery Act, the Obama administration’s signature effort to improve the economy, according to a report released Thursday.

Long-sought, Harry Reid's goal of health care reform a step closer

Senate Majority Leader drew cheers with a tightrope act

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

After weeks of crafting the Senate health care bill behind closed doors, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid finally unveiled it. The bill weighed in at $849 billion over 10 years, would cover 31 million uninsured and cut the federal budget deficit by $127 billion.

2,074-page health bill includes surgery, payroll tax hike

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Ready for a little light reading? The new Senate health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is now posted online at www.democrats.senate.gov.

Harry Reid to present $849 billion health care bill

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has convened a late-evening meeting tonight of the Democratic caucus to present to fellow senators the $849 billion health care reform bill he has been crafting behind closed doors for weeks.

Senate committee approves Obama's OSHA nominee

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

WASHINGTON - After months of scrutiny and delay, a Senate committee today approved the Obama administration's nominee for OSHA director.

Seeking common ground on abortion

Can Senate live with strict language in the House bill?

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009

As the health care debate morphs momentarily into an argument over whether federal money should be used for abortion, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s every move is being watched. He is being pressed to block abortion restrictions in the House bill.

Just getting health care bill to floor will be tough for Reid

History indicates reform will be slowed by the quirks of the Senate

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009

To understand just how difficult it is to get anything done in the Senate, a dose of history can help. Long before President Lyndon B. Johnson became champion of civil rights, he was during his early years as majority leader a key Senate architect in obstructing civil rights legislation that many of his fellow Democrats desperately wanted to pass.

Analysts address Heller’s objections

They say insurance isn’t like other purchases, as congressman asserts

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

Since returning to Nevada after the House vote on health care reform, Republican Rep. Dean Heller has laid out one of his objections to the bill — call it the iPod argument. Heller opposes the legislation’s mandate that all Americans carry health insurance. Some people may want to buy health care, Heller said, others might want to buy an iPod. It should be their choice.

Close House vote on health care highlights Harry Reid’s tough task

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

If a lesson can be learned from the House passage of the landmark $1.1 trillion health care reform legislation, it is just how difficult it will be for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to accomplish a victory in the Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lost 39 of her 258 House Democrats on the final vote. Reid does not have that margin of error.

Feds to slash Yucca funds as project maintains life

Monday, Nov. 9, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department is proposing to severely reduce Yucca Mountain's budget next year, an expected move as President Barack Obama pledged to zero out funds for the proposed nuclear waste dump in fiscal 2011.

Ensign moves out of home on C Street

Town house shared with Christian colleagues had gained notoriety because of Nevadan’s affair

Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009

Sen. John Ensign has moved out of the C Street house, the Christian home he shared with other elected officials on Capitol Hill that came under scrutiny for its residents’ beliefs and practices and their role in trying to end the Nevada Republican’s affair with a campaign staff member.

Why Dean Heller’s hard line on immigrants might sting later

Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009

The Republican Party has been told again and again that it must tone down its rhetoric against illegal immigrants if it has any hope of keeping Hispanic voters who were once gravitating to the party from moving further toward Democrats.

House poised for historic vote

After six months of angry debate, one final bill ready for roll call

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

The long, national health care debate is about to come to an end, at least in one chamber of Congress. But it is not drawing to a close quietly. The House is preparing for a weekend vote that cannot come quickly enough for Nevada’s Democratic lawmakers.

What East Coast results might hold for Titus, Reid

Should Nevada’s two vulnerable Democrats worry about the parallels between their party’s mixed results in this year’s races, and their own in 2010?

Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009

Even before the polls closed in far-flung New York, New Jersey and Virginia, the spin was under way deciphering what Tuesday’s results could mean for Nevada’s political landscape in 2010. The 2009 contests are the first significant measure of the electoral mood in the Obama era, and both Democrats and Republicans saw advantages they did not want to go unnoticed.

Dina Titus backing House health care plan after changes

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Dina Titus dropped her opposition today to the House health care bills, saying changes have been made since she voted against it in committee in July and it has now won her support.

Their stories heard on the Hill

Small-business owners go to D.C. to testify for reform

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009

Michael MacQuarrie never cared for politics. Never had much faith in politicians. But here he was Tuesday in the Capitol and, later, at the White House — part of the lobby machine on health care reform. MacQuarrie and other small-business owners had been summoned to share their stories and press for health care reform.

Noting stimulus gains — cautiously

Administration does a little PR on the number of jobs saved in Nevada, elsewhere

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009

Those green shoots that economists optimistically saw poking through the economy’s parched soil in the summer have not much sprouted in Nevada. If anything, Las Vegas’ tourist-dependent economy continued to nose-dive, taking the service-based economy down with it.

Stimulus credited with 5,600-plus jobs in Nevada

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

WASHINGTON -- More than 5,000 jobs have been saved or created in Nevada from the economic recovery act, according to data released today at recovery.gov. Nevada saved or created 6 percent more jobs per capita than the nation as a whole, according to the White House Recovery Office.

Harry Reid campaign launches third TV ad

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Another day, another TV ad in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s 2010 re-election campaign.

State OSHA lambasted by House committee

Agency faces greater federal oversight if improvements aren’t made

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Nevada OSHA must stop letting companies off easy for safety violations and eliminate political influence on its decisions or face greater federal oversight, elected officials said at a House hearing on regulators’ response to Strip construction deaths.

OSHA plans new Vegas office to monitor workplace safety

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration officials plan to return to Nevada and ultimately set up an office in the state to monitor Nevada OSHA's efforts to improve its lax oversight of workplace safety.

John Ensign mum on possible contact with feds

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The question was asked, but Republican Sen. John Ensign is declining to say whether he has been contacted by federal authorities in a possible investigation into the lobbying activities of his former aide, Doug Hampton.

House approves bill to remember nuclear defense workers

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

WASHINGTON -- It may be a simple gesture, but the House today overwhelmingly approved a resolution that establishes Friday as a day of remembrance for Nevada Test Site workers and other employees of the nation’s nuclear defense industry.

Reid, Lowden spar over car bomb story, Gibbons joins mix

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

WASHINGTON -- So was Harry Reid’s car rigged with a bomb during his days as a Nevada gaming commissioner? Republican Sue Lowden, one of the candidates trying to oust Reid in next year’s Senate election, had a good chuckle over the veracity of the bomb scare story.

Harry Reid's next health care test: Securing 60 votes

Reid’s now a hero of the left for backing the public option, but his work isn’t done

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

In the 10 minutes it took for Harry Reid to outline his proposal for including a public option in the health care bill, the Nevadan went from being the political left’s punching bag for failing to lead to its celebrated champion.

Strip billboard's 'real death panels' message headed to D.C.

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

WASHINGTON -- It's not often that Vegas goes to the capital, but a sign of the times on the Strip -- a provocative billboard promoting the public option in health care reform -- is making its way to Washington.

How Harry Reid reached the public option compromise

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did not look especially tired, although his shaggy hair, usually neatly trimmed but now in need of a cut, suggested a man who has been working for days, through the weekend even, preoccupied. As he stepped up to the podium Monday afternoon, alone, he announced a decision that would be pivotal in the history of health care reform.

Harry Reid to back health care bill with public option

Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made one of the more pivotal moves of his career this afternoon -- announcing that he would bring to the floor a health care bill that includes a public option, with a provision that allows states that decline to offer the government-run insurance plan the chance to opt out.

‘Have you read it?’ isn’t a complete test for lawmakers

Reading health care bills is one thing, understanding them is another entirely

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009

Almost everyone loves the gotcha question in this town: “Did you read the bill?” It’s a great way to corner lawmakers. If they say yes, then they should be able to account for the most minuscule detail. If they say no, well, that’s a whole other problem.

Penciling out an insurance coverage mandate

Congress proposes fines for scofflaws, aid for buyers

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Economists figured out long ago that if only people who need insurance buy it, then coverage becomes prohibitively expensive. What economists have had more difficulty figuring out is how to get everyone — especially the healthy and young — to buy insurance and thus lower the costs for all.

Rep. Shelley Berkley's health care forum planned Saturday

Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The lively health care debates of August have long passed, but the town hall meetings on health care continue this weekend.

Fraud could undermine housing tax credit

As Congress considers extending benefit for first-time buyers, troubling report emerges

Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

Nevadans have responded to the government’s offer of up to $8,000 in first-time homebuyer tax credits with gusto, filing more claims and receiving more in tax breaks per capita than anywhere else in the nation. Nevadans have claimed $146 million in tax breaks from the credit. But according to new federal reports released Thursday, the program nationwide is littered with potential fraud, threatening its future.

Harry Reid out to topple Sen. Patrick McCarran’s statute

Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

For decades the big, bronze statue of Nevada Sen. Patrick McCarran stood in the same place in the Capitol, just off the second-floor Statuary Hall, near the House speaker’s office. 

Vote on health bill a surprise to Harry Reid

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Say what you will about Sen. Harry Reid’s abilities as majority leader (and people do), he is nothing if not a vote counter.

Committee postpones vote on Obama's OSHA nominee

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

WASHINGTON -- A Senate panel today postponed voting on President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, needing more time to review paperwork.

Senior Obama aide to discuss health care in LV address

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama may be mum these days on the health care debate, but his top adviser, Valerie Jarrett, will be in Las Vegas on Thursday to discuss health care reform at AARP's annual member event the Vegas@50+ National Event & Expo.

Feds’ appraisal of Nevada OSHA practices damning

Probe of agency’s response to worker deaths turns up serious problems

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

The U.S. Labor Department issued a scathing indictment of Nevada’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday, painting the state agency charged with keeping workers safe on the job as incompetent.

With a year-plus to go, rethinking Harry Reid’s race

What has been the conventional wisdom isn’t holding up, some analysts say

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009

The authors of the conventional wisdom in politics thought they knew a few things about Harry Reid’s reelection campaign. No sooner was the conventional political wisdom established than a second-take has unearthed evidence to the contrary.

Debate in D.C. turns to shape of public option

So far: Lots of ideas, little agreement on government plan

Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009

As congressional leaders work behind closed doors to craft the final health care bills for House and Senate votes, one of the key undecided questions remains the fate of the public option.

Time for health care, not much else

Negotiations have reached the stage where Harry Reid, administration top guns are deeply involved

Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009

To understand just how all-consuming the health care debate is on Capitol Hill, consider this: Every day the House was in session last week, Democrats scheduled party-wide caucus meetings with all 256 members to discuss the issue.

Small space no problem for anti-Yucca Mountain stand

In Capitol elevator, with a nuclear waste dump supporter onboard, Berkley sums up plan’s demise

Friday, Oct. 16, 2009

About an hour before the Senate gave final approval Thursday to the latest funding cuts to the Yucca Mountain project, the project’s end was neatly summed up during an elevator ride on the other side of the Capitol.

Harry Reid to launch TV ads Friday in re-election campaign

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009

WASHINGTON -- If you needed any further evidence that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s re-election campaign has launched, Friday comes the first TV ads of the 2010 Nevada Senate race.

Tax on ‘Cadillac’ insurance plans could snare hotel maids

Highly paid executives aren’t only ones with costly coverage

Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009

Several years ago, when the powerful Culinary Union was negotiating new contracts on the Strip, its workers decided to forgo an initial pay increase to preserve their health care benefits. The union offers its workers, who clean hotel rooms and work in casino restaurants, a great benefits package by many measures — workers pay no premium from their paychecks for a policy that covers themselves and their families.