Green jobs initiative advances

CARSON CITY — A "green jobs" initiative sought by Nevada Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford now moves to the full Senate following approval of amendments Monday by a key legislative committee.

The Senate Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation Committee voted unanimously for SB152, which would use federal stimulus funds to train about 3,200 people, fund weatherization of about 6,500 homes and upgrade government buildings and schools to make them more efficient.

Amendments to the bill state that the state labor commissioner will determine the prevailing wage for workers employed under the initiative, and that the program ends once federal stimulus money is gone.

Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, has said legislators must still determine how much of the nearly $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money allocated to Nevada will go toward the initiative.