Washington Report, August 1984

United States Senator Chic Hecht's Washington Report VOLUME 1 NUMBER 3 WASHINGTON, D.C. AUGUST, 1984 How To Do Business With The Federal Government I am co-sponsoring, with Senator Paul Laxalt, a second conference to inform more Nevada businesses about Government Procurement Contracts and Foreign Trade Opportunities. It will be held on August 14, 1984, at the Cashman Field Complex in Las Vegas. A previous seminar, held on April 18th and 19th, attracted approximately 500 Southern Nevada businessmen and women and was so successful that I wanted to hold another conference for all Nevadans. The August conference, entitled, "How to Do Business With the Government," will help businesses from all over the State learn how to sell products and services to government agencies. It is designed to enhance the prospect of Nevadans obtaining government contracts and taking advantage of foreign trade opportunities. In 1985, more than $500 million will be spent in Nevada through government contracts. These seminars are especially helpful to small and minority businesses who want a piece of the pie. It has been estimated that it would take a small business owner months and cost thousands of dollars to obtain the vast amount of procurement information which will be available at this conference. Experts from government agencies and prime contractors currently involved in federal programs will be available for personal business counseling. In addition, representatives of major prime contractors will be present to provide information involving available sub-contracting opportunities. The morning hours will consist of these individual counseling sessions and two seminars entitled, "Bidding Procedures for Obtaining Government Contracts," and "How to Enlarge Your Role in the Export Market." After the luncheon, there will be five concurrent workshops from which each business person can choose the three workshops that would be of most assistance to his/her business. Workshops to choose from are: 1) Financing Your Small Business Needs; 2) Bonding - A MUST To Do Business With Government; 3) How To Do Business With Federal Agencies; 4) How To Do Business With State Agencies; 5) How To Do Business Overseas. The conference on gov-ernment procurement will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 14th. A $20 registration fee includes all materials, registration and the luncheon. Pre-registration is recommended, due to limited space. For further information, call my Las Vegas Office at 388-6605 or drop by the Federal Building, at 300 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Suite 426. U.S. Senator Chic Hecht addresses Nevada businessmen and women April 18 during a seminar to teach Nevadans how to successfully bid on government contracts. A 2nd seminar is scheduled August 14 at Cashman Field in Las Vegas. Overcrowded Las Vegas Courtrooms Get Senate Attention On May 3, 1984, I testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on behalf of funding for a third courtroom facility in the Federal Building in downtown Las Vegas. As a result, $1.2 million has been added to the Public Buildings Service Authorization Bill which should pass the Senate this summer. The additional courtroom, which has the support of District Court Judge Edward C. Reed, Jr. of Reno, is urgently needed to alleviate the over-crowding in the present courtrooms. Nevada Senators Seek Flooding Disaster Relief in Washington I have joined with Senator Paul Laxalt in urging the Department of Agriculture to declare four rural Nevada counties disaster areas because of flooding. In separate letters to Agriculture Secretary John Block, we asked for the designations of Eureka, Humboldt, Lander and Pershing Counties, areas hit by severe flooding for the second consecutive year. I also asked Federal Highway Administrator Ray Barnhart to approve promptly a request from the Nevada Department of Transportation for $4,124,000 in Emergency Relief Highway Funding. These funds were needed to cover the cost of emergency and permanent repair work necessary to restore five sections of the highway system in Elko, Humboldt and Churchill Counties which were either severely damaged or actually destroyed by the high water. I am happy to announce most of the money was approved and work is underway to repair these roads. Nevada Wilderness Bill Seeks Environmental Balance The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the U.S. Forest Service's second "Roadless Area Review and Evaluation" (RARE II) was inadequate to determine the environmental impact of declaring forest areas in the Western United States as wilderness areas. The Forest Service was left with two options: have Congress declare RARE II insufficient, or do another study costing approximately $500,000. Although none of the Western states believe that a new study is necessary, Nevada is the only one that has not yet introduced a wilderness bill. Senator Paul Laxalt and I have encouraged interested groups -- including miners, ranchers, geologists, and environmentalists ? to agree on a compromise set of recommended wilderness areas. The choices must be made carefully because once Congress designates a roadless area as wilderness, it remains so forever. This provision gives the Nevada Congressional Delegation the dual responsibility to guard against designations that would lock up vast portions of our State for all time and, at the same time, protect our natural resources. Hecht Fed Reform Bill Fulfills His Legislative Pledge I have joined with Senator Mack Mattingly of Georgia, a colleague on the Senate Banking Committee, in sponsoring The Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1984 (S. 2620). This legislation would make substantial changes in the operation of the Federal Reserve System (known as the "Fed"). Currently the Fed, one of the most powerful economic institutions in the world, makes its decisions in near secrecy. Our bill would bring this important agency's decisions and their impact into the sunshine of public disclosure. The bill would also revamp some of the inner workings of the agency and require that decisions affecting the economy be released to the public as soon as they are made. Currently the Fed Chairman's term of office begins two years after the President of the United States takes office. This has at times resulted in strained relations between the two office-holders, particularly when they hold different views on economic policy. The proposed legislation would provide that the four-year term of the Fed Chairman begin in February of the calendar year immediately following that in which the President's term begins. The bill would also restore official membership on the Fed's policy-making Open Market Committee to the Secretary of the Treasury and would reduce the terms of the Board of Governors from 14 to 7 years. Reforming the Federal Reserve System fulfills my pre-election pledge to do something constructive about the institution whose tight monetary policies in recent years have thrown the American economy alternately into recession and inflation. REGISTER TO VOTE Summer Interns from Nevada are learning Capitol Hill from the inside. Shelly Allison, Lisa Bodensteiner, Sarah Efroymson and Gigi Ballard are briefed by Sen. Hecht. Sarah, from Las Vegas, is attending Georgetown University, Shelly, Lisa and Gigi attend the University of Nevada at Reno. August Recess Itinerary MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 1984 8:00 a.m. Breakfast with Boulder City officials 10:00 a.m. Staff tour of Hoover Dam Noon Luncheon with Henderson city officials 2:00 p.m. Meeting with Las Vegas city officials 3:00 p.m. Meeting with Clark County officials 4:30 p.m. Meeting with Clark County Advisory Committee TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1984 9:30 a.m. Meeting in Logandale Noon Luncheon in Mesquite with local officials 3:00 p.m. Briefing at Nellis Air Force Base 5:00 p.m. Meeting with North Las Vegas officials 6:30 p.m. Urban League meeting WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1984 10:00 a.m. "Chat with Chic" in Alamo 1:00 p.m. Luncheon in Caliente with Lincoln County Advisory Board 3:00 p.m. Stop in Pioche 8:00 p.m. Public meeting, District Courtroom, White Pine County Courthouse, Ely THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1984 7:30 a.m. Breakfast meeting, White Pine County Advisory Committee, Evah's in Ely Noon Luncheon meeting in Wendover, Stateline Hotel and Casino 4:00 p.m. Public meeting, barbecue, Wells ball park, Wells FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1984 8:00 a.m. Breakfast meeting, Wells Noon Parade, Elko County Fair, Elko Afternoon Meeting with Elko city, county officials SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1984 8:00 a.m. Noon 3:00 p.m. Evening SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1984 Breakfast meeting with Elko County Advisory Board, Red Lion, Elko Luncheon meeting with Lander County Advisory Board, Nevada Hotel, Battle Mountain Public meeting with Humboldt County, City of Winnemucca officials at Nixon Hall, Winnemucca Winnemucca Rodeo 8:30 a.m. Noon 3:30 p.m. Breakfast meeting with members of Humboldt County Advisory Board, at the Star, Winnemucca Public meeting with members of Pershing County Advisory Committee and others. (Tentatively City Park in Lovelock) Meeting with Lyon County officials, Fernley Town Board, Lyon County Advisory Committee, others at home of Mr. and Mrs. Jess Arndell, 249 Parkview, Fernley. 7:30 p.m. Meeting with Public Officials, Fallon City Hall, Fallon MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1984 7:30 a.m. Fallon Labor Day breakfast, Fallon 10:00 a.m. Fallon Labor Day parade, Fallon Afternoon Carson City Labor Day activities TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1984 8:00 a.m. Noon 3:15 p.m. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1984 Breakfast meeting with members of Carson City, Douglas and Storey County Advisory Committees, second floor, Ormsby House, Carson City Luncheon meeting with Washoe County Advisory Board, Nugget, Sparks Public Meeting, Incline Village/Lake Tahoe 9:00 a.m. Meeting with Reno City Council, Council Chambers, Reno 10:45 a.m. Meeting with Sparks City Council, Council Chambers, Sparks 2:00 p.m. Meeting with Washoe County Commissioners, Commission Chambers, Reno 3:30 p.m. Tour of hotel/casino operation, John Ascuaga's Nugget, Sparks Evening Opening of Nevada State Fair 2nd Annual "Chat With Chic" Tour of State Begins Aug. 27 The 2nd annual tour of Nevada with members of my Washington legislative staff is scheduled August 27 through September 5, at a time when the Congress is in its regular August recess. Once again, we'll be traveling the state in two vans visiting with Nevadans from the southern tip of Clark County to the Reno area and eastward to White Pine and Elko Counties. Last year's tour was a huge success. This year the staff will accompany me for the first time to Wells, Wendover, Logandale, Mesquite, North Las Vegas, Alamo, Caliente and Pioche. In addition to "Chat with Chic" town hall meetings, the staff will have an opportunity to inspect Hoover Dam, attend a military briefing at Nellis Air Force Base, view a casino operation behind-the-scenes and attend numerous Labor Day activities around the state. Joining us again this year will be my northern and rural Nevada representatives. We all welcome the opportunity to visit with you, help with any problem you may be having with the federal government and listen to your views on issues and pending legislation. Office Addresses and Phone Numbers WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE 302 Hart Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone (202) 224-6244 LAS VEGAS OFFICE 300 Las Vegas Blvd., Suite 426 Las Vegas, NV 89101 Phone (702) 388-6605 RENO OFFICE 300 Booth Street, Suite 2014 Reno, NV 89509 Phone (702) 784-5007 CARSON CITY OFFICE 308 N. Curry Street, Room 201 Carson City, NV 89701 Phone (702) 885-9111 Grace Commission To Sharply Reduce A revitalized American economy stands at the threshold of steady, non-inflationary growth. The recovery has created 5.4 million new jobs as business and industry have expanded. In fact, employment has risen by 4.4 million since President Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981. The huge budget deficit is the one remaining cloud on the fiscal horizon. In addition to the "Balance the Budget" Constitutional Amendment which I have co-sponsored, I support many aspects of the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, also known as the "Grace Commission Report." J. Peter Grace, the Commission Chairman, has recommended 2,478 remedies for waste and abuse in the federal government which could save an estimated $424 billion in three years. Many of these recommendations are working their way through Congress. One proposal, sponsored by Wisconsin Senator Robert Kasten, would require Congress to review the Grace Commission Report and take legislative action to implement many cost-cutting proposals. The Kasten amendment requires congressional committees and the administration to implement measures that will save the federal Treasury $40 billion over the next three years. Included in the Budget Deficit Redution Act, Senator Kasten's amendment was Recommendations Deficit passed in the Senate by a vote of 93-1. I supported this legislation as did President Reagan who signed the Deficit Reduction Act into law July 18. The Kasten amendment is now a key tool in the overall process of reducing government spending, eliminating such wasteful practices as the Pentagon spending $91 for a 3C hardware store bolt, and commencing the process of running the federal government more efficiently. Hawthorne Ammunition Depot Facility Under Scrutiny In late April, the Army officially took command of a new $70 million Ammunition Salvage and Recycling Facility in Hawthorne. The future use of the 18-building complex, formerly operated by the Navy, has yet to be determined. It is most important that the Army find some use for the Demilitarization Plant. Abandoning this unusual facility, said to be one of the finest in the world, would be a terrible waste of the taxpayers' money and must be prevented if possible. J. Peter Grace, Chairman of the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control Commission visits with Nevada Senator Chic Hecht following a news conference on Capitol Hill. Hecht was among senators lending support to the Commission's cost-cutting proposals. UNITED STATES SENATE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510 PUBLIC DOCUMENT OFFICIAL BUSINESS Return Postage Guaranteed ATTENTION POSTMASTER ? OCR ? PLEASE DO NOT MARK ON OR ABOVE THE LABEL.