U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) voted in favor of the FY2018 government funding bill that contains several Nevada priorities he helped secure, including provisions that would: provide additional emergency funding that can help assist Nevada law enforcement with overtime costs related to the October 1^st shooting, increase access to mental health care services for veterans struggling with mental illness, fix our background check system, and keep our schools safe. Furthermore, Heller was once again able to stop the bill from including the $150 million requested by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to support and fund licensing activities at the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository.

In addition to working with the Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Department Appropriations Subcommittee Richard Shelby (R-AL) to increase funding that Nevada can apply for to help law enforcement cover its nearly $2.8 million shortfall, Heller successfully secured funding to: preserve and protect Lake Tahoe, expand rural broadband, help detect and prevent wildfires, combat veteran homelessness, ensure Nevadans continue to have access to community health centers, and reauthorize his Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, a bipartisan program that provides a fiscally responsible way to protect and manage important public lands in Nevada and throughout the West.

The legislation includes significantly more funding for the construction of State Veterans Homes, which is critical to the completion of the Northern Nevada Veterans Home. Heller is a strong supporter of the new State Veterans Home in Sparks and has repeatedly urged the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to fulfill its commitment to provide resources because the current facility in Boulder City is not only at capacity, it is hundreds of miles away from communities across Northern Nevada. The spending measure also contains a $25 million increase for the Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), a program established to ensure the safety of high-risk urban areas, such as Las Vegas. Heller has worked extensively to see that Las Vegas has adequate resources to protect against terror attacks, and he recently secured a commitment from DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen that she will work with him on this issue.

“Not only does this government funding bill provide certainty to our military and support our troops, it also boosts funding to help keep Las Vegas safe from terrorist attacks, ensures patients in Nevada can continue to access community health centers, and doubles down on efforts to combat the opioid crisis. It’s important for Nevada because it will help expand access to rural broadband, protect Lake Tahoe, and support the Northern Nevada State Veterans Home,” said Heller. “Whether it’s securing additional emergency law enforcement funding that Nevada can apply for, or stopping Congress from funding efforts to revive Yucca Mountain, I’m proud that I was able to use my position in the U.S. Senate to make sure that Nevada wins in this piece of legislation.”

Heller has repeatedly expressed Nevada’s strong opposition to the failed Yucca Mountain project to Administration officials as well as chairmen of the U.S. Senate committees of jurisdiction. Even though the House of Representatives advanced funding aimed at jumpstarting Yucca Mountain, Heller was able to successfully ensure - through his hard work with Senate Leadership and the Chairman - that the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water Appropriations bill did not include any funding for the project.

“Despite the Administration’s request to help revive the Yucca Mountain project and the House of Representatives’ advance of funding to do just that, I was able to ensure that Yucca Mountain was excluded from the spending bill,” said Heller. “Just as the House of Representatives has relentlessly pursued legislation that would breathe life into the failed Yucca Mountain project, I’ve relentlessly pursued every avenue to stop them. I’ve doubled down on my efforts to kill Yucca Mountain in the Senate through multiple discussions over the past year with leadership and chairmen of the relevant committees, including Chairman Lamar Alexander, Chairman Lisa Murkowski, Majority Whip John Cornyn, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.Whether it’s the threat that Yucca Mountain poses to the people of southern Nevada or its potentially catastrophic effect on our tourism economy, I’ve made it clear why Nevada does not want to turn into the nation’s nuclear waste dump. Under my leadership, Congress has not appropriated funding for licensing activities at Yucca Mountain, and I’m going to continue to fight to make sure of it.”   

Background: A snapshot of Heller’s work on the FY2018 Omnibus

• ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT: Heller worked with Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Department Appropriations Subcommittee Richard Shelby (R-AL) to provide additional funding in the appropriations package to help defray the costs incurred by law enforcement in Nevada following the October 1^st shooting. The state of Nevada will have to apply for the grant, and the Attorney General has 10 days to respond to the state’s request.
• NO FUNDING FOR YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Heller was able to successfully work against the Administration and House of Representatives’ efforts to restart licensing activities through multiple discussions over the past year with leadership and chairmen of the relevant committees, including Chairman Lamar Alexander, Chairman Lisa Murkowski, Senator John Cornyn, and Majority Leader McConnell.
• THE FIX NICS ACT: The omnibus includes the Fix NICS Act. Heller helped introduce this legislation, which would ensure federal and state authorities comply with existing law and accurately report relevant criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The bill penalizes federal agencies that fail to properly report relevant records and incentivizes states to improve their overall reporting. The bill also directs more federal funding to the accurate reporting of domestic violence records.
• THE STOP SCHOOL VIOLENCE ACT: The omnibus includes the STOP School Violence Act. Heller co-authored this legislation, which funds school security improvements and invests in early intervention and prevention programs to stop school violence before it happens. 
• THE VETERAN URGENT ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTHCARE ACT: The omnibus includes the Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Health Care Act. Heller introduced this legislation, which would provide mental health treatment to veterans who may not have access to benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE EXPANSION: The omnibus includes a provision similar to one that Heller authored to streamline the application process required to construct broadband infrastructure on federal lands.
• THE FEDERAL LAND TRANSACTION FACILITATION ACT: The omnibus includes the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act. Heller introduced this legislation, which allows BLM to sell lands and use funds to acquire environmentally sensitive lands across the nation.

• URBAN AREA SECURITY INTIATIVE: The omnibus provides an uptick of $25 million in federal funding for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), a DHS program that helps Las Vegas and other cities prevent and mitigate terrorism. Heller has worked extensively to see that Las Vegas has adequate resources from this program to protect itself from attacks.
• NORTHERN NEVADA STATE VETERANS HOME: The omnibus provides $685 million for state home construction grants, which is critical to fully fund the VA’s portion of the Northern Nevada State Veterans Home.
• SNPLMA: This bill does not gut the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, or SNPLMA, a program important to Southern Nevada that was threatened by the Administration’s budget request. Heller has consistently defended the program, which has helped increase economic development and promote conservation in Southern Nevada.
• PILT: The PILT program is fully funded. Heller urged the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to permanently authorize and fully fund the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program due to the much-needed benefits it provides to each of Nevada’s 17 counties.
• LAKE TAHOE REAUTHORIZATION ACT: Heller introduced this legislation, and report language is included to direct the Forest Service to fund the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act, in consultation with states, local governments, and other stakeholders. The bill also includes funding for invasive species work to implement the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act. 
• ENDING VETERAN HOMELESSNESS: The omnibus includes federal resources to help end veteran homelessness and assist at-risk veterans, a request Heller made to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. Since coming to Congress, Heller has championed several bills to combat veteran homelessness in Nevada.  
• WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT: The omnibus provides funding for wildfire management and improvements to firefighting by modernizing aviation, radio, and evacuation system infrastructure and other platforms that detect and monitor fire, which includes projects like ALERT Tahoe. It also directs the Forest Service to partner with the University of Nevada on wildfire risk mapping.
• VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT: Heller urged the Appropriations Committee to fund the Violence Against Women Act, a law that helps address domestic violence issues.
• DETECTING POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION: The omnibus includes funding for screening for maternal depression, an initiative that Heller worked on by authoring the bipartisan Bringing Postpartum Out of the Shadows Act.
• SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS: Last fall, Heller pushed congressional leaders to fund community health centers, which play a critical role in Nevada.
• THE TAYLOR FORCE ACT: The omnibus includes the Taylor Force Act. Heller cosponsored this legislation, which would cut off U.S. economic aid to the Palestinian Authority until they cease ‘pay for slay’ policies. The bill is named after a U.S. Army veteran who was murdered by a PA terrorist.
• THE SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT AVAILABILITY ACT: The omnibus includes the Small Business Credit Availability Act. Heller introduced this bipartisan legislation to modernize rules for business development companies, lenders that are critical to helping America’s small businesses grow.
• FCC CONSOLIDATED REPORTING ACT: The omnibus includes the FCC Consolidated Reporting Act, legislation Heller introduced tocreate government efficiency and ensure Congress is better informed and equipped to enact policies increasing competition and empowering consumers. It requires one consolidated report from the FCC so that Members have key information on competition in voice, video, and data delivery, while also eliminating outdated reports.

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