Just in the nick of time. The Northern Nevada Land Conservation and Economic Development Act (H.R. 5205) passed unanimously in the House of Representatives on Monday September 15, 2014.
Three days later, on Friday September 19, 2014, both the Senate and House recessed. Ostensibly they will return on November 12, after the election. From then until late December, there will be a mad scramble to pass bills, especially very critical bills, to continue funding the government and authorize expenditures for critical government functions. Therefore “normal” bills (like ours) must fight to be included during that time.
How Much Time Will We Have?
The U.S Senate will have 12 – 14 days left of their session after taking into account the Thanksgiving holiday, the Christmas holiday and their disdain for working on Fridays.
We have until December 18th to get the bill passed.
Besides Lack of Time, What Are the Challenges?
The dynamics of Congress also change when they return. The Congress is in what is called a “lame duck” session, because a number of members will either be retiring or have lost their re-election bids.
For example, two years ago, in the lame duck of the 112th Congress, the Yerington Economic Development and Conservation Act was amended in the Senate bill to include a wilderness provision and the bill was renamed the Lyon County Economic Development and Conservation Act.
The combination of the late changes to the bill meant that it had to go back to the House for approval. The budget stalemate and Hurricane Sandy overshadowed the bill thus delaying the proposal to convey federal lands to the City of Yerington.
What Makes Our Bill Favorable and What Makes Us Think It Will Pass?
- The Lyon County bill has now been combined with six (6) other bills (the Northern Nevada Land Conservation and Economic Development Act) as Title II of that bill.
- The Northern Nevada bill, including the wilderness, has now been reported favorably (recommended for passage) by both Senate and House committees. The language in both House and Senate are the same. There is no need to reconcile the differences.
- The Northern Nevada bill was passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives, after being picked, poked, prodded and amended to make everyone happy. It has been changed enough!
- This bill provides much needed benefits to the respective Northern Nevada communities – Humboldt County, Elko, Carlin, Winnemucca, Fallon, Fernley, Storey County, Lyon County and Yerington. It provides lands for community and economic development; accomplishes common sense solutions to longstanding debates and controversy related to designation of certain public lands for wilderness protection. As so eloquently stated by Congressman Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming on January 28, 2014, in the committee mark-up: “I wish to express my enthusiastic support for this this concept . . . this bill has been drafted by Nevadans about Nevada, with an understanding of what is needed in Nevada right now . . . It is unconscionable that those of us who do not live in Nevada would sit here in judgment over the people of Nevada about how to use their own land.”
- The inclusion of seven actions in one bill makes us a bigger group of Nevadans that want something done. That should give us strength.
- The bill is co-sponsored by both Republican Congressman Mark Amodei and Democratic Congressman Stephen Horsford, both who represent portions of Lyon County and all of rural Nevada.
- The bill is co-sponsored and supported by both Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Senator Dean Heller.
- All of the bills are broadly supported by the local communities in which they are located. The Lyon County bill is supported by the following government entities and organizations:
- Wholeheartedly by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval;
- Unanimously by the Nevada Congressional delegation;
- Unanimously by the Lyon County Board of Commissioners
- Unanimously by the Yerington City Council;
- Unanimously by the Mineral County Board of Commissioners;
- Unanimously by the Humboldt County Commission
- Unanimously by the Nevada State Legislature;
- Unanimously by the State Land Use Planning Advisory Committee;
- Unanimously by the Nevada Association of Counties (NACO);
- Unanimously by the Nevada League of Cities;
- Wholeheartedly by the Northern Nevada Development Authority;
- Wholeheartedly by the Reno-Sparks Northern Nevada Chamber of Commerce;
- Wholeheartedly by NVEnergy;
- Wholeheartedly by the Friends of the Nevada Wilderness;
- Endorsed by the Mason Valley News;
- Endorsed by the Reno Gazette Journal.
So by our take, this is an impressive, broad based group of supporters! The Northern Nevada Land Conservation and Economic Development Act is a bill that requires no debate. It just needs to get to the floor and passed.
But as Yogi Berra once said, it ain’t over until it’s over. So the thousands of stakeholders in Nevada and indeed the country that will benefit from the passage of this bill must continue to urge, prod, and tell Congress – the Senate – TO PASS THE BILL!