15 bills Nevada's federal delegation got passed last Congress

LAS VEGAS — It’s easy to complain about gridlock and bureaucracy in Washington D.C., but Nevada’s federal delegation managed to push forward a slate of new laws in the last session of Congress, which concluded Friday, from expediting federal land purchases to securing funds for a new VA hospital in Reno.

Nevada’s two Democratic senators, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Sen. Jacky Rosen, and its four representatives, Republican Mark Amodei, and Democrats Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford, had a busy year.

Here are the highlights of a few bills Nevada’s congressional delegation passed that have either been signed into law or are expected to receive the president’s signature soon.

1. Accelerating Appraisals and Conservation Efforts (AACE) Act

Lee’s bill aiming to expedite projects on federal land passed both chambers and was signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday.

The bill, endorsed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and bolstered by companion legislation Cortez Masto introduced in the Senate, expands access to the appraisers necessary for land transactions by allowing the Department of Interior to contract with private appraisers to tackle federal estimation bottlenecks and expedite the process.

In Nevada, where more than 80 percent of its land is federal, the legislation will give the Department of Interior the flexibility to get land deals done more quickly, and at no additional cost to taxpayers, according to Lee.

2. IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act

The bipartisan bill — of which Titus was an original co-sponsor — establishes a program in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide outreach and training to Homeland Security Investigations employees who have been exposed to trauma while working with human trafficking victims.

Lee also signed on as a sponsor to the bill.

3. END FENTANYL ACT

Co-sponsored by Rosen in the Senate, the law requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to review and update manuals and policies related to inspections at ports of entry at least once every three years, according to the law’s text.

The updates must make sure that inspections effectively respond to changes with technology and methods attempting to disguise the smuggling of drugs and people across the border.

Titus and Lee signed onto co-sponsors in the companion House legislation.

4. Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts Authorization Act of 2024

Rolled into the National Defense Authorization Act, Titus’ provision requires the State Department to appoint a coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts to help evacuate Afghans who are facing threats from the Taliban and who served alongside U.S. service members and diplomats.

The coordinator will be responsible for relocating eligible Afghan allies and facilitating the departure of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who request assistance from Afghanistan, according to the bill’s text.

5. Never Again Education Reauthorization Act of 2023

The legislation — which Rosen sponsored alongside three other senators — first passed in 2020 and established a federal fund through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to provide teachers with resources to educate students on the Holocaust. It was set to expire in 2025.

The new legislation reauthorized the original law through 2030, and Biden signed it into law in December.

“As we work to combat misinformation and hate, it’s crucial that we educate the next generation about the atrocities of the Holocaust and the evil of antisemitism,” Rosen said in a statement. “I’m proud to see my bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Never Again Education Act become law and will continue providing educators with the resources they need to teach about one of the darkest chapters in human history.”

6. Biking, rock climbing legislation

Two of Lee’s outdoor-related bills passed both chambers as part of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, which were recently signed by Biden.

The Biking on Long-Distance Trails (BOLT) Act will provide resources to construct 10 long-distance mountain biking trails in the U.S., and the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act will protect fixed anchor points on wilderness designations.

The PARC Act, supported by ‘Free Solo’ climber Alex Honnold, makes sure rock climbing is considered a legitimate use of wilderness areas, allowing for the existence and maintenance of fixed hardware on rock climbing routes.

7. Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024

Multiple Nevada congressional members had a hand in pushing Nevada-specific provisions in the Water Resources Development Act, a sweeping bill supporting nationwide water protection and distribution efforts. The bill has been presented to the president and awaits his signature.

Nevada-specific provisions include the authorization of $29 million for improvements to the Big Bend Water District Treatment and Delivery System in Laughlin; $20 million for Lake Tahoe water and wastewater infrastructure projects; $4 million in flood control plans in Pahrump; and $10 million for water and wastewater infrastructure in Storey County.

Cortez Masto and Amodei also pushed to include allowing local authorities to proceed on their plan to build the Truckee River Flood Management Project.

The bill also includes extending the authorization of the Invasive Species in Alpine Lakes Pilot Project through 2030, which aims to combat invasive species in the Tahoe Basin.

8. Lake Tahoe Restoration Act

Introduced by Cortez Masto in the Senate and Amodei in the House with the support of Nevada’s other congressional members, the law extends the authorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act through 2034 for environmental projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The bill was signed into law in October. It extends $415 million in funding to help with a variety of projects in the Tahoe Basin, from improving water infrastructure to combating invasive species.

9. Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act

Co-Sponsored by Amodei in the House side and both Nevada senators in the Senate, the law authorized the construction of a new veterans hospital in Reno. It shifted the $224 million dollars from renovating the existing VA hospital to instead build a completely new medical center for veterans. It was signed into law November 2024.

10. Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Reauthorization Act of 2024

Cortez Masto and other senators pushed forward the bill that will reauthorize funding to combat Alzheimer’s disease and preserve brain health. The original BOLD Act was signed into law in 2018. Biden signed the law in early December.

11. Reduce Human Trafficking through Transportation Act

Cortez Masto’s legislation provides $20 million in grant funding to help airports, bus stations and other transit hubs identify signs of human trafficking. It also helps transit hubs engage in public awareness campaigns, and it provides support to victims and survivors. Her bill was included in the FAA reauthorization bill.

“Human trafficking survivors are often trafficked through airports and bus stations, and my bipartisan bill would make it easier for them to seek safety,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “By training staff and funding public education campaigns, we can make it easier for survivors to escape their traffickers and get help.”

12. Regional Partnership Grants Reauthorization Act

Passed as part of the Supporting America’s Children and Families Act, Horsford’s bill reauthorizes the Regional Partnership Grant Program through fiscal year 2029. The program addresses parental substance use disorders as a cause of child removal. It aims to keep families together while providing necessary resources, according to Horsford’s office. It awaits Biden’s signature.

13. Good Samaritan (Good Sam) Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act

Co-sponsored by Cortez Masto and Rosen in the Senate and Lee in the House — with all of Nevada’s delegation in support — the law promotes the remediation of abandoned hardrock mine sites by good Samaritans, and it requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a seven-year good Samaritan pilot program that allows people to clean up abandoned hardrock mine sites, according to the law’s text.

Biden signed it into law in December.

14. No CORRUPTION Act

Rosen’s No “Congressional Obligated Recurring Revenue Used As Pensions to Incarcerated Officials Now” (CORRUPTION) Act, will prevent members of Congress from collecting taxpayer-funded pensions if they are convicted of a felony related to corruption, even if they drag out the appeals process. Biden signed it into law in December.

“If you’re a lawmaker that’s been convicted of a felony, there’s literally no way you should be getting your government-funded pension, which is getting paid by the American taxpayer,” Rosen previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

15. Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2024

Amodei sponsored the bill that provides FY2024 appropriations for the legislative branch. The bill provides funding for entities including the Capitol Police, the Library of Congress and the Government Accountability Office, according to his office.

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