GUEST COLUMN:

American Rescue Plan is the lifeline that Nevada needs

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Yasmina Chavez

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a cross-country stimulus package tour stop at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, Monday, March 15, 2021.

Sun, May 2, 2021 (2 a.m.)

What do you see when you think of Las Vegas? For many, it’s bright lights, slot machines and world-class restaurants and entertainment.

Las Vegas is a magical place — that’s why it’s consistently the No. 1 destination in the world. But what visitors see is only a fraction of the magic. All the glitz and glamour cannot exist without the hundreds of thousands of workers operating behind the scenes. I’m talking about the performers who put in countless hours of practice, the ticket takers at the booths, the stage managers, card dealers, cocktail servers, light technicians, convention workers, restaurant servers, and bartenders — just to name a few.

Nevada’s tourism and hospitality industries contribute $68 billion to our economy. It’s no exaggeration to say that these employees are the backbone of our economy. To these workers, Vegas isn’t just a weekend getaway — it’s their livelihood, and for many, that livelihood has been ripped away from them due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many Nevadans have been barely hanging on by a thread since March of last year. COVID has brought unprecedented pains to the Silver State. For some, the emotional toll is no less painful than the economic one as thousands of venues and restaurants have closed permanently.

Our dazzling lights have gone dark because of COVID, but now, I’m glad to say that help is here with the American Rescue Plan. The $1.9 trillion relief package that Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law is already providing much-needed aid to our struggling restaurants and live entertainment venues, with more help on the way.

You’ve probably heard a lot about the direct payments for individuals, and maybe you’ve heard that our state and local governments are getting direct aid. These provisions are important, but there’s so much more to the American Rescue Plan to help Nevada recover and rebuild stronger than ever.

For starters, the plan allocates an additional $1.25 billion to the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program, bringing its funding to over $16 billion. Perhaps more importantly, the plan also ensures that venues that applied for a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) after Dec. 27, 2020, can also apply for an SVOG to cover their additional needs.

The SVOG will be administered through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The application portal just opened April 26 and is available to live venue operators, live performing arts organization operators, theatrical producers, museum operators, movie theater operators and talent representatives.

Furthermore, the American Rescue Plan establishes the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which will provide $28.6 billion in relief to hard-hit restaurants and bars.

These funds will provide relief for many restaurant owners in Nevada, like Vinny and Tina Cimino, whose restaurant, Vinny’s Italian Pizzeria, I was lucky enough to visit during a recent trip to Boulder City. Their restaurant was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the help of various grants and PPP loans, they were able to keep their doors open and their restaurant afloat.

I have also fought tirelessly to bring additional relief to Nevadans who have been physically, emotionally and economically overwhelmed by their circumstances. I joined my colleagues in asking the Internal Revenue Service to extend the income tax filing deadline from April 15 to May 17. I also fought to stop surprise tax bills on unemployment by including legislation that waived federal taxes on the first $10,200 of unemployment insurance received in 2020.

And, of course, we can’t forget the funding for getting vaccines into arms. Vaccines are the key to putting this pandemic behind us and getting our conventions, shows and restaurants back open at full capacity. Because of the robust funding for vaccines included in the American Rescue Plan, every Nevadan over the age of 16 is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and millions of shots are being administered every single day nationwide. The benefits of quickly getting shots in arms cannot be overstated when it comes to getting our economy back on track.

It’s been a long and tiring year, but that light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter and brighter each day. The American Rescue Plan is the kind of big, bold action we need to revitalize our economy, and I’m confident that it will make our town the No. 1 destination in the world again.

Rep. Susie Lee was elected to Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District seat in 2018 and re-elected last year.

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