Amid Special Session of Nevada Legislature, Congressman Horsford Demands Senate Take Vote on Heroes Act to Provide Essential Funding to States and Local Governments

Washington, D.C. -- Today, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) wrote a letter to Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer urging them to immediately schedule a vote in the Senate on the Heroes Act, which will provide $8.7 billion to Nevada's state and local governments in 2020 and 2021.

"My home state of Nevada reached 28 percent unemployment, which was the highest in the nation during April 2020. What began as the COVID-19 public health crisis in early 2020 has rapidly become an economic and fiscal crisis for the State of Nevada," the letter reads. "Without federal assistance, Nevada will be forced to make impossible decisions, including whether to cut funding to education or health and human service programs so desperately needed during this pandemic or to lay off or furlough public employees who have been working hard to support the state during this challenging time, while trying to protect their health and their families."

In the letter, the Congressman also outlined Nevada's severe economic effects during the COVID-19 crisis, including the state's record-high unemployment rate at 28 percent and the loss of more than 250,000 jobs.

The Heroes Act, which passed the House of Representatives in May, features key provisions that will protect workers and uplift families experiencing financial hardships. The Heroes Act also includes two provisions championed by Congressman Horsford: The Worker Health Protection Act to cover 100 percent of COBRA costs for laid off or furloughed workers, and the Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Act of 2020 to require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to publish demographic information on COVID-19 infections and deaths in long-term care facilities.

The text of the letter can be found here.