Greetings from Washington, D.C.
Today, the Metro Chamber kicks off its annual trip to our nation’s capital. The Chamber has been bringing a delegation of business and community leaders to Washington for more than a decade. And this year, more than 100 business, civic and non-profit leaders from around Nevada are joining us.
Tonight, we kick off the week with the first Nevada State Dinner Gala, co-hosted by our entire Nevada Congressional delegation, as well as other key state and local elected officials. We have a special treat tonight – Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director – will be sharing his insights, experiences and observations about the new administration and the new dynamics in Washington, D.C.
So what’s on our agenda? The Chamber’s top priority is funding for building Phase 1 of Interstate 11 that will connect Las Vegas to Phoenix. This piece of infrastructure would create tremendous opportunities for economic development and job creation. Phase 1 to Phoenix not only connects the economies of Phoenix and Las Vegas – two of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. – it also would connect Las Vegas to the new deep water seaport in Mexico a well as I-40 and other interstate roads that run across the southern portion of the United States.
Other top priorities this trip: funding for graduate medical education to increase the number of medical residencies in our state – a key to growing the number of doctors in Nevada; and accessing federal grants to bring more federal money back to Nevada to help us address problems such as education and infrastructure. And we will reinforce our long-held position that the Las Vegas Metro Chamber strongly opposes the storage of any nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.
We will also take the opportunity to learn and share our perspective on other policy issues, especially on key issues that may impact businesses, jobs, and the quality of life in our state. You can catch Chamber Chairman Bill Noonan and Chamber CEO Kristin McMillan, along with Assistant City Manager Ryann Juden on KNPR State of Nevada this morning to hear more details of why this trip is so important to the well being of our region.
Stay up-to-date on the latest from our Washington, D.C. trip by following us on Twitter (#LVChamberinDC), Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And we will update you daily with this blog, giving you details on what the Chamber is doing to serve as your voice in Washington, as well as post photos, interviews, and video highlights.
