WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) released the following statement on the bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 which includes over $19 million championed for Southern Nevada by Rep. Titus.

“The House just passed six government funding bills to boost the economy, protect the environment, support veterans, and improve existing transportation infrastructure,” said Rep. Dina Titus. “I’m proud to announce this funding package includes fourteen community project requests I championed totaling over $19 million. These appropriations will provide funding for the Las Vegas and Henderson Police Departments, transportation projects, water quality improvement, airport infrastructure, and services for seniors. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 also includes several key provisions which I secured to boost travel and tourism, protect our environment, improve nuclear waste storage, increase recreational access to Lake Mead, and protect wild horses and burros. All these programs will improve the lives of those in Southern Nevada.”

Background

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 includes six of twelve government funding bills, all of which meet the bipartisan budget topline agreement struck by Leader Schumer and Speaker Johnson in January of this year.

The bill includes Community Project Funding Rep. Titus requested totaling $19,138,279. These projects include:

• $500,000 - Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada’s Advanced Public Transit Driver Assistance Plans. This project will help the RTC reduce fatalities by installing advanced technology on its fleet that will increase safety, reduce accidents, and protect the traveling public.

• $982,000 - UNLV Tectonic Research. This funding supports current labs at UNLV with the necessary equipment for tectonic and thermochronology research which can be applied to economic geology, mineral resources, and earthquake hazard analyses.

• $1,000,000 - Bruce Street Complete Streets. This project covers the design and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review of Complete Streets improvements along Bruce Street between Bonanza Road and Owens Avenue to better serve nearby residents and school children, improve bike/pedestrian comfort and safety, and integrate other sustainable improvements for the community.

• $500,000 - City of Henderson’s Prototype Park. This project assists the City of Henderson develop a Prototype Park centered around water conservation, lessening the heat island impact, sequestering carbon, and providing a recreational outdoor space for the community.

• $782,000 - City of Henderson’s Public Safety Officer Mental Health & Wellness Program. This project assists the City of Henderson with the implementation of a comprehensive Mental Health and Wellness program for law enforcement officers and police employees experiencing PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.

• $4,098,000 - Lower Las Vegas Wash. This funding, which also includes $598,000 that President Biden requested, will be used to construct erosion control structures in the Lower Wash in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area which will protect existing infrastructure, restore surrounding wetlands, and improve drinking water quality for the region.

• $960,000 - Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Septic Conversion program. This funding will assist more Southern Nevadan homeowners with voluntarily transitioning from a septic system to a municipal sewer system. With continued declines in Lake Mead expected, the region is maximizing every available water resource, including through the capture of wastewater from homes and businesses connected to the municipal sewer system which is then sent to a treatment facility and returned to Lake Mead.

• $2,500,000 - Upgrading Streetlights in the City of Las Vegas’s High injury Network Corridors. This funding will go towards installing over 3,500 upgraded streetlights along seven corridors/areas to improve safety for all modes of transportation. The upgraded LED streetlights will provide more natural, uniform lighting along each corridor and at intersections, significantly increasing visibility.

• $1,000,000 - Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for an Emergency Command Vehicle. This funding helps the LVMPD replace an Emergency Command Vehicle that was put into service in 2007. The vehicle serves as a critical component in effective response capabilities and is a crucial central command and control platform for all incidents, including the department’s SWAT unit’s response to subject barricades, hostage rescues, and large-scale emergencies.

• $1,616,279 - Lutheran Social Services of Nevada’s Senior Services Center. This funding expands the Lutheran Social Services of Nevada's Senior Services Center to include the JOURNEY Senior Services Center which will help address food insecurity among seniors in the area. The 2021 Elders Count Nevada report shows that 9.6% of Nevadans over 65 fall beneath the poverty threshold, a figure that is likely to increase.

• $1,000,000 - Pavement Preservation and Safety Improvements on US-95. This funding will assist the Nevada Department of Transportation with improvements near Boulder City, including pavement preservation to ensure reliability for travelers, environmental improvements for the endangered tortoises, hydraulic improvements for a more resilient stormwater system, and structural improvements to bridges.

• $1,000,000 - Pavement Rehabilitation and Environmental Improvements on US-93 and SR-173. This funding will assist the Nevada Department of Transportation rehabilitate the existing aging pavement, analyze and upgrade existing hydraulic drainage facilities, repairing and overlaying existing bridge decks to preserve and protect structural integrity of these features, and repairing and installing new tortoise fences to protect the endangered species habitat located within the project limits.

• $1,000,000 - Airfield Rescue and Fire Fighting Station at Harry Reid International Airport. This funding brings needed upgrades to the existing station at Harry Reid International Airport in order to meet the safety, operational, and environmental standards of today.

• $2,200,000 - Remodeling the Terminal Building at Henderson Executive Airport (HND). This funding supports the remodeling and expansion of the existing terminal building at Henderson Executive Airport (HND) which will improve the capacity and energy efficiency of the airport. With air passenger volumes at an all-time high for Las Vegas, HND’s role as a reliever airport is now more critical than ever to preserve the limited capacity at Harry Reid International Airport for commercial air traffic.

In addition to Community Project Funding, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 also includes several key priorities which Rep. Titus secured including:

• Funding for Rep. Titus’s Visit America Act: $3.5 million to implement the Visit America Act which created an assistant secretary position within the Department of Commerce focused on bolstering the United States travel and tourism industry.

• Improving Recreational Access at Lake Mead: The House-passed FY24 Interior appropriations bill included language from Rep. Titus expressing concerns over the potential for future boat ramp and marina closures at Lake Mead because of decreased water levels. As a result of her advocacy in the appropriations process and ability to secure disaster supplemental aid and $17 million through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA), the National Park Service announced in November a finding of no significant impact that would allow for the continuation of recreational services and concessioner-operated marinas at Lake Mead’s five open launch ramps should water levels decrease in the future.

• Protecting the Lake Tahoe Basin: Funding for a variety of programs to protect Lake Tahoe’s biodiversity, including through watershed restoration and vegetation management, forest health and hazardous fuel reduction, wildfire response infrastructure, and invasive species management. 

• Safeguarding Wild Horses: Up to $11,000,000 in funding for implementing reversible immunocontraceptive fertility control. This will ensure that the Wild Horse and Burro Program’s herd management is administered in a safe and humane manner that does not jeopardize the welfare of these animals. The agreement also includes language from Rep. Titus urging the Bureau of Land Management to look at alternatives to the use of helicopters during roundups.

The text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 can be found HERE. A full summary of the appropriations in the bill can be found HERE.