Nevada lawmakers, on recess, heading overseas

Two Nevada lawmakers are planning to travel overseas this month when Congress is on its summer recess.

Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy is going to Israel. Democratic Rep. Dina Titus will visit countries in southeastern Europe and parts of Asia, according to her office.

Hardy departs Saturday for a nine-day trip paid by the foundation arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby. The foundation customarily runs groups of lawmakers overseas every other year for meetings with Israeli government and security officials and tours of the nation.

About 40 lawmakers split into Republican and Democratic entourages are scheduled for trips in the next few weeks. Some spouses have traveled with the groups; Hardy's wife, Peri, will not be on the trip, according to spokesman Scott Knuteson.

The upcoming trips carry extra resonance because Congress is in the midst of a 60-day period to review the Obama administration's deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. The lawmakers are scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who vociferously opposes the agreement.

Netanyanu is likely to find a willing listener in Hardy who has come out against the deal.

Hardy said that while in Israel, "I'll be digging deep into the details of how this Congress can protect our allies and American interests in that region."

Titus will travel with other members of the House Democracy Partnership, a congressional group that supports the development of independent legislatures in partner nations. Titus traveled to Ukraine and Georgia with the group in July.

A Titus spokeswoman said the lawmaker will be in southeast Europe, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Her office declined to provide the travel dates or details of the itinerary "due to security reasons."

—Steve Tetreault

Another step for Interstate 11

Tucked away in the six-year federal highway bill the Senate passed on Thursday was a provision to advance the proposed Interstate 11 through western Nevada.

The bill designates a general route from Las Vegas north to Interstate 80 outside Reno as a "high priority corridor" in the national highway system. The designation sets the groundwork for the route to qualify for federal funds whenever the state is ready to break ground.

"Extending I-11 to Northern Nevada will unleash markets for tourism and trade," said Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev.

An I-11 segment from Las Vegas to Phoenix received similar go-ahead by Congress in 2012. Construction began in April on a bypass around Boulder City that's seen as an early piece of that highway.

— Steve Tetreault

Demo caucus passes leadership baton

Nevada Assembly Democrats have chosen Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams to head their caucus heading into the 2016 election.

Bustamante Adams, a three-term legislator from District 42 in Las Vegas, assumed the leadership role following a caucus meeting Tuesday. She replaced Minority Leader Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, as caucus chairwoman. Kirkpatrick, who is termed out and barred from seeking re-election in 2016, retains the role of minority leader for the body until the next election.

Bustamante Adams will lead the caucus efforts to recruit and elect Democratic candidates to run for seats in the lower house with a goal toward reclaiming the majority after a Republican wave in 2014 flipped control of the Assembly to the GOP for the first time in decades.

Her new status could put Bustamante Adams in the running to become the first Latina speaker of the Assembly, should Democrats regain control of the chamber in next year's election.

Bustamante Adams was first elected in 2010. During the 2013 session she was chairwoman of the Assembly Taxation Committee. In the 2015 session, she served on that panel, as well as the Assembly Ways and Means and Commerce and Labor committees.

Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson, D-Reno, was elected vice chairwoman of the caucus.Others named to leadership posts within the Democratic caucus include Maggie Carlton of Las Vegas; Dina Neal and Olivia Diaz of North Las Vegas; and Michael Sprinkle of Sparks.

— Sandra Chereb

Medicare turns 50

For married couples, a 50th anniversary is filled with nostalgia. In politics, it's another opportunity for activism and political statements.

Medicare turned 50 years old last week. After that half a century, concerns remain about the future of the program that provides health care to senior citizens.

The Nevada Alliance for Retired Americans visited the North Las Vegas office of U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy, R-Nev. They described their visit as a call for him to "help Medicare survive another 50 years."

But they opted for a low-key friendly approach rather than a demonstration. They even brought a cake that Hardy's office staff accepted.

The cake, with its frosting, celebrated the 50th anniversary and showed a "rejected" stamp.

— Ben Botkin

Contact Review-Journal Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@reviewjournal.com or 202-783-1760. Find him on Twitter: @STetreaultDC. Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Find her on Twitter: @SandraChereb. Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.