In the News

The STEAM Act is led by Cortez Masto and Senator Lisa Murkowski in the Senate and by Representatives Susie Lee and Celeste Maloy in the House. The Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act, led by Cortez Masto and Senator James Risch in the Senate and Representatives Jeff Hurd and Susie Lee in the House, would streamline geothermal permitting on federal land by directing the Secretary of the Interior to appoint a geothermal ombudsman to lead a new Geothermal Permitting Task Force.

Congresswoman Susie Lee announced a $784,000 community project grant Monday at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The money will help the center buy a portable MRI scanner and outfit a mobile unit so medical teams can travel to small towns in rural southern Nevada.

“It’s embarrassing that our country is taking this long to allow veterans who were exposed to toxins at the Nevada Test and Training Range to service-connect their illnesses and access the care they deserve,” Lee said in a statement. “I’m grateful for the tireless partnership of Sen. Rosen and Sgt. Dave Crete as we continue to fight for these veterans and introduce new legislation to finally right this wrong.”

Sponsors U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen and U.S. Rep. Susie Lee said on May 28 the bill would assist those who are ill but cannot get help through existing programs.

For years, veterans who worked in the desert hush of the Nevada Test and Training Range have said the government knew where they served, knew what they were exposed to, and still kept them locked out of care. Now, Sen. Jacky Rosen and Rep. Susie Lee are rolling out a new legislative push that could finally crack open that door to long-denied medical treatment and compensation.

“It’s embarrassing that our country is taking this long to allow veterans who were exposed to toxins at the Nevada Test and Training Range to service-connect their illnesses and access the care they deserve,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “I’m grateful for the tireless partnership of Senator Rosen and Sergeant Dave Crete as we continue to fight for these veterans and introduce new legislation to finally right this wrong.”

Meanwhile, Lee’s companion “Protect Act” in the House would expand benefits and financial compensation for the veterans and establish that those who served between 1972 and 2005 were exposed to the toxic elements, Lee said. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., is a sponsor to the bill.

Cortez Masto in 2024 introduced the Help Hoover Dam Act calling for the release of the funds. Companion legislation was introduced by U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., in the House. It was signed into law earlier this year.