Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei announced Wednesday the re-introduction of his "Small Lands Tracts Conveyance Act" (H.R. 1633) to accelerate the process for transferring small parcels of federal land to local communities.

In western states, straightforward, non-controversial public land sales to decrease the vast federal inventory and promote local control can take more than a decade to complete. While Amodei believes there should be scrutiny for any sale, he cites the bureaucratic regulatory maze and slow legislative process as the main culprits in dragging out the transfers.

Gov. Brian Sandoval has said his administration has two top priorities: education and economic development.

When it comes to education, Sandoval has used both the bully pulpit of his office and his budget to call for school choice, ending social promotion, expanding full-day kindergarten and improving funding for programs targeting English-language learners.

NV Energy is sponsoring a workshop in Reno for small and diverse businesses interested in providing goods and services to Nevada’s largest electric utility. The workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the company’s Sierra Plaza Auditorium at 6100 Neil Road.

Partnering with NV Energy to present the Strategies for Winning Contracts workshop are the Nevada Small Business Development Center (NSBDC), the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Nevada Office of Economic Development.

CARSON CITY – Workers compensation insurance premiums will go up slightly for many Nevada employers this year, the state's Division of Insurance reports.

The average premium increase in the voluntary market will be about 1.1 percent. Nevada employers who purchase their workers’ compensation insurance in the assigned risk market will see an average increase of 2.5 percent. Both increases will take effect on March 1, 2013.

As Prepared for Delivery Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013:

Madam Speaker, Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Legislature, Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court, Constitutional Officers, Senator Heller, honored guests…...

The state of Nevada will introduce a new “brand” in the spring that will include a marketing campaign to help boost tourism and economic development, Gov. Brian Sandoval told an audience at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism on Tuesday at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks.

Other tourism officials said the brand will include a new statewide slogan and logo. Tourism officials said the campaign to roll out Nevada’s new brand has been in the works for more than a year.

CARSON CITY – A federal emergency unemployment benefit program will expire on Jan. 2, cutting off about 25,000 Nevadans from the program, a state agency reported today.

CARSON CITY – From double-dipping employees to the questionable use of credit cards, the newest edition of the Nevada Policy Research Institute’s “piglet book” released today offers highlights of recent questionable government agency actions.

Northern Nevada has earned its developing economic comeback the old-fashioned way: building on its strengths, looking to the future and taking common sense steps to coax and reward entrepreneurialism and innovation. It’s paying off.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency announced the winners of the Lake Spirit Awards honoring “real people making real progress protecting Lake Tahoe” at their second annual Community Appreciation Day event held on Sept. 27 at TRPA’s office.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a percentage point to 12.1 percent in August from July, the second month of increases in the jobless rate after hitting a three-year low in May, a state agency reported today.

Sustainable industries and the future of energy-savings for businesses and companies will be the focus of a luncheon for regional industry and corporate leaders on Wednesday in Reno.

CARSON CITY – A state lawmaker has requested a bill be drafted to implement a “Buy American Act” in Nevada for public works projects.

Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, said today that details will have to be worked out in the 2013 legislative session, but the idea is to create some level of preference for bidders on state government construction projects who use American made products and materials.

Lake Tahoe will be thrust in the spotlight again when scientists, public agencies and elected officials meet Aug. 13 for the 16th annual Lake Tahoe Summit. To be discussed with great interest is the protection and health of Lake Tahoe's fragile environment and economy.
“The health of the environment and the health of the economy at Tahoe are linked,” Derek Kauneckis, political science professor and researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno said. “And the collaborations that have been established at the Lake have set the stage for future efforts.”

CARSON CITY – The state Board of Economic Development today unanimously signed off on a package of tax breaks to bring Apple to Reno, but the panel found it had little authority over the deal reached after several months of closed-door negotiations.

CARSON CITY – There were no takers today for the chance to weigh in on $89 million in tax breaks being offered to Apple in exchange for the company building a data center and related facilities in the Reno area that are expected to bring $1 billion in investment over the next decade.

The hearing on the proposed sales and personal property tax abatements, made as part of a deal to bring Apple to Northern Nevada, did not generate a single comment.

New local resources for California companies exploring expansion or relocation to Nevada are now available in the San Francisco Bay Area and Orange County, the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) announced today.

GOED has retained James Renzas and John Schuetz, principals in The RSH Group business consulting firm, to provide information and initial assistance to California companies interested in Nevada opportunities. Renzas is based in Mountain View, Calif., and Schuetz in Irvine, Calif.

CARSON CITY – Nevada today affirmed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s automatic drought disaster declaration, which applies to all 17 Nevada counties.

CARSON CITY – Local elected officials representing the Northern Nevada workforce development agency have endorsed a plan to restructure the delivery of job training funds to Nevadans, including eliminating the two local boards now involved in the process.

CARSON CITY – The Governor’s Workforce Investment Board today unanimously approved a plan to consolidate two local boards in an effort to free up $5 million in federal funds to train the unemployed.

The move, which requires approval from the U.S. Department of Labor, is opposed by Workforce Connections, the Southern Nevada workforce investment board.

CARSON CITY – Representatives and supporters of the Clark County workforce investment board today strongly opposed a plan being pushed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to consolidate the two local boards in an effort to make more money available to train the unemployed.

More than 350 scientists, environmental policy makers and economic stakeholders will discuss Lake Tahoe and its environmental and economic future at the annual Tahoe Science Conference “Environmental Restoration in a Changing Climate” May 22 to 24 at Incline Village.
The conference, this year being held at Sierra Nevada College, features a scientific poster session and the opening of “Visualizing Change, a photographic exhibition,” on Tuesday evening followed by two full days of seminars and workshops covering more than 20 topics in three main areas:

CARSON CITY – A state agency announced today it plans to consolidate three separate boards that oversee workforce development into one, resulting in $5 million more in federal funds directed annually to helping train job seekers to find employment.

The plan, “Moving Nevada Forward: A Plan For Excellence in Workforce Development,” was released by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR).

CARSON CITY – A broader measure of Nevada’s unemployment picture, including those who have given up looking for work, showed slight but continued improvement through the first quarter of 2012, a federal report released today shows.

The rate in Nevada dropped from 22.7 percent in the four quarters through Dec. 31, 2011, to 22.3 percent through March 31, according to the quarterly report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.