Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of Yerington Centennial Celebration.

Yerington is truly a unique city that is rich in history. Situated along the banks of the Walker River, the green fields and tree lined highways of Mason Valley are surrounded by picturesque mountains full of history such as ghost towns and mining camps. On March 14, 1907, Governor John Sparks signed into law a bill that incorporated Yerington as a city. The origins of Yerington can be traced back to the 1850s when N.H.A. ``Hock'' Mason settled in the valley that now bears his name and in 1871, the Mason Valley Post Office was established in the town near the Walker River.

The town was referred to by many as ``Pizen Switch,'' which folklore traces to the inferior grade of whiskey sold in a local saloon that was constructed of willow branches, and in 1879, the town was rechristened ``Greenfield.'' In 1880, Henry Marvin Yerington, the General Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, founded the Carson and Colorado Railroad that soon extended through Dayton, Fort Churchill, Wabuska in Northern Mason Valley. By 1894, the residents officially changed the names of the town and its post office to Yerington, in an unsuccessful effort to flatter Henry Yerington so that he would extend his rail line south through the town named after him. In 1911, the county seat of Lyon County was moved from Dayton to the thriving and growing City of Yerington.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor the Centennial Celebrations of the City of Yerington. The City of Yerington truly has a colorful and rich history that deserves recognition and I commend the efforts of Mayor Douglas Homestead, and City Council members Bill Vicencio, Rita Evasovic, Richard Faber and George Dini in facilitating this Centennial Celebration.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard T. Jones, a veteran of World War II, for his exemplary service in defense of freedom and award him with the Jubilee of Liberty Medal.

On June 6, 1944 the United States and its allies embarked on the largest air, land, and sea invasion ever undertaken. This massive effort included 5,000 ships, 10,000 airplanes, and over 150,000 American, British, Canadian, Free French, and Polish Troops. During the 50th anniversary of this historic event, the French Government awarded the Jubilee of Liberty Medal to American servicemen for their participation in the Battle of Normandy.

Richard enlisted in the United States Navy in 1944. He was 17 years old when he served in the D-Day invasion as Seaman First Class. In the early morning of June 6, 1944, his LST 357 landed at Omaha Beach, unloading amphibious Ducks and small boats loaded with infantry soldiers. His LST was under fire from German 88 mm guns, air fire and torpedoes in a bloody battle. The LST that Richard was assigned to also served as a medical transport to return the wounded back to England. Among Richard's medals are the American Theatre Victory Medal World War II, European African Middle Eastern Medal with 1 Star and Letter of Commendation.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Richard T. Jones for his heroic service in the United States Military. His dedication to this country in the theater of war is truly exemplary. I commend the sacrifices he has made to protect our freedoms and I am pleased to have the opportunity to recognize his service. I applaud Richard T. Jones for his successes and I wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today with the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr) celebrating America, and that's great news. There are a lot of things that challenge us as a country, but there are some great things happening. Mr. Farr and I are cochairmen of the Travel and Tourism Caucus, and we are here today to talk about National Tourism Week.

I represent the great State of Nevada, where we have about 45 million visitors a year to our communities. But more importantly, the tour and travel industry in this country represents number one, two and three in every economy across the United States of America. Seven hundred billion dollars annually is spent on tour and travel, and that's about $109 billion in tax revenues. That's $22,000 a second, $1.3 million a minute, $80 million an hour, and $1.9 billion a day is spent on tour and travel in the United States. It is the largest employer in the country, with 7.5 million jobs. International spending is $108 billion.

I would like to recognize, for all those communities, and all those folks that represent the tour and travel industry how important it is to our economy, but also how important is to the world to share in this great America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Clark County Firefighter Kevin Irwin for his selfless role in saving nine of his fellow firefighter's lives.

On February 17, 2007, Clark County firefighters were dispatched to a fire in a large commercial warehouse in Las Vegas, Nevada. On this particular day, Firefighter Kevin Irwin arrived on the scene with the crew from Station 15, and served as an acting Engineer for the day. As the firefighters were battling the flames, Kevin noticed one of the exterior walls in the warehouse was giving in. In a rush to save the rest of the crew, Kevin quickly alerted the other men of their imminent danger and subsequently prevented their deaths.

Humbled about being referred to as a hero, Kevin says it is all a part of the job. He has served with the Clark County Fire Department for four years and has been under Captain Christian Grimes in Station 15 for the last two years. Kevin has been a resident of Nevada since 1991 and is married to wife Debora with two children, Jacob and Ashlyn.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Kevin Irwin for his heroism and his quick approach that saved nine fellow firefighters' lives. The service firefighters like Kevin provide, to save lives while risking their own is truly commendable. I applaud Kevin for his leadership and wish him continued success in his career.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Joyce Holland, a registered nurse, who is a distinguished and devoted professional in her field.

In 1992, Joyce earned her associates degree in Nursing. She later joined the nursing staff of Boulder City Hospital as a registered nurse/medical decision support coordinator in 2000. Joyce served as RN/ MDS Coordinator for 6 years before retiring in 2006. After a brief retirement, Joyce returned to Boulder City Hospital in 2007 as the long term care director, the position she holds today. Throughout her career at Boulder City Hospital, Joyce's high degree of professionalism and enduring compassion have earned her the respect of her colleagues and have made her invaluable to her patients.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Joyce Holland. Her passion and her love of nursing have improved the lives of countless patients in Las Vegas. I thank her for her dedication and commitment to the community and wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Suzanne Lichner, a licensed practical nurse, who is a distinguished and devoted professional in her field.

Prior to joining the nursing staff at Boulder City Hospital, Suzanne worked as an LPN in home health care and hospice care. Suzanne began her career at Boulder City Hospital in 2000 with the Skilled Nursing Facility, where she quickly demonstrated her ability, talent, dedication, and compassion towards her patients. During the past 7 years, Suzanne's strengths as a health care professional have earned her the respect of her peers and colleagues. In 2006, Suzanne transferred to the Medical/ Surgical Unit at Boulder City Hospital, where she serves as a medical surgical nurse.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Suzanne Lichner. Her passion and her love of nursing have improved the lives of countless patients in Las Vegas. I thank her for her dedication and commitment to the community and wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Richard Morgan for his service of 10 years as founding Dean of the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada Los Vegas.

Dean Richard Morgan has overseen the development of the Boyd School of Law. His vision and commitment to academic excellence, as well as his talents as an academic administrator allowed the Body School of Law to receive full American Bar Association accreditation in five years, a truly incredible accomplishment.

Prior to becoming Dean of the Boyd School of Law, Morgan contributed to the legal profession in a number of different forums. From 1972 through 1980, Morgan served as an Associate, and later Partner, at the law firm of Krueger & Marsh in Los Angeles, California. In 1980, Morgan dedicated himself to the study of law and became an Associate Professor of Law at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. In 1983, Morgan was named Associate Dean of Arizona State University, a position

he held until being offered a position as Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1987. In 1990, Morgan returned to Arizona State University as a Dean and Professor of Law and remained there until taking up the audacious task of founding the Boyd School of Law at the University of Las Vegas in 1997. The Boyd School of Law has produced over 800 graduates who have gone on to effect change in the communities in which they work as public servants, community leaders, legislators, and advocates.

Madam Speaker, I am very proud to recognize Dean Richard Morgan. His contributions to the legal profession and his leadership at the Boyd School of Law are commendable. I thank him for his service to the University of Las Vegas community and with him the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Wendy Adams who has distinguished herself as an outstanding and devoted professional in her field as a Registered Nurse.

Wendy began her nursing career in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1967 as a nurse's aide at Holy Cross Hospital while completing her education. In 1971, Wendy completed her studies and began her tenure as a staff nurse at Sunrise Hospital Medical Center. Wendy was hired by Valley Hospital Medical Center as a staff nurse in 1974 and was subsequently named a Charge Nurse. In 1980, she returned to Sunrise Hospital Medical Center and worked as a Head Nurse until 1983. Wendy was asked to return to Valley Hospital in 1983 and has worked continuously as a Head Nurse, Manager, and Director.

Wendy's entire nursing career has been defined by a commitment to excellence and dedication to serving the patients first. Wendy balances good patient care with fiscal responsibility and ensure that all her patients are satisfied.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Wendy Adams. Her professional expertise and caring nature have greatly enriched the lives of those in the Las Vegas community. I commend Wendy for her efforts and commitment to her patients and to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ellie Powell who has distinguished herself as an outstanding and devoted professional in her field as a Registered Nurse.

Ellie has a long and distinguished career as a nursing professional. Her career in nursing started in 1959 as an Operating Room Nurse at Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital in Darby, Pennsylvania. In 1960, Ellie became an Operating Room Heart Scrub Nurse at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. Following a short time at Geiringer, Ellie became a United States Air Force Nurse, serving at both Cannon Air Force Base and Royal Air Force Weathersfield until 1963. In 1964, she moved to Sumter, South Carolina and began working as a Medical/Surgical Staff Nurse at Toomey Medical Center. Ellie again relocated to Liberal, Kansas in 1966, where she became a Medical/Surgical Charge Nurse at Southwest Medical Center and subsequently became a staff nurse then a nursing supervisor. In 1977, Ellie moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she began her tenure as a staff nurse and eventually became a nursing supervisor at Penrose Community Hospital. While at Penrose, Ellie taught the first Nursing Diagnosis Class in Colorado Springs. She also served as Chairperson of the Policy and Procedures Committee. Ellie moved to Valley Hospital Medical Center in 1989 to become a Medical Surgical Staff Nurse and is presently still serving in a number of different capacities at Valley Hospital. Over the course of her tenure at Valley Hospital, Ellie has served as Clinical Director of Ancillary Services, Clinical Director of Medical/Surgical Services, and Nursing Supervisor. Ellie has also served on a number of committees during her time with Valley Hospital Medical Center including the Performance Improvement Clinical Committee, the Performance Improvement Operational Committee, the Ethics Committee and the Patient Safety Council.

Over the course of her distinguished nursing career Ellie has received a number of accolades. In 1995, she was a Nurse of the Year Runner-up, in October 2004 she received the Service Excellence Silver Star from Valley Hospital Medical Center and the Service Employee of the Quarter Award. Ellie was also named the March of Dimes ``Distinguished Nurse of Southern Nevada'' in 2006. In addition to her numerous professional awards and honors, Ellie has been published twice and is very active in a number of professional associations.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Ellie Powell. Her professional expertise and caring nature have greatly enriched the lives of those in the Las Vegas community. I commend Ellie for her efforts and commitment to her patients and to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ryan Peckham, who has distinguished himself as an outstanding and devoted professional in his field as a Registered Nurse.

Ryan Peckham has been a Registered Nurse at Summerlin Hospital for three years. Since arriving at Summerlin Hospital as a New Grad RN, Ryan has excelled both as an outstanding nurse and patient advocate. In his three years, he has worked on several committees to help improve patient care and employee life in Southern Nevada including acting as the lead for a committee that overhauled the Triage process in the Emergency Department. Ryan's actions as a key member of this committee were instrumental to implementing new procedures that have helped save countless lives in the Southern Nevada community. He has also worked diligently to make Summerlin Hospital an employer of choice, not only by increasing the desire for Registered Nurses to work at Summerlin Hospital, but by also helping patients receive the highest quality care. Due to his demonstrated proficiency as a Registered Nurse, Ryan has recently been named a Charge Nurse.

Ryan is the epitome of professionalism and dedication. He has contributed to nursing as a whole in many different aspects. He maintains the belief that nursing is an attitude rather than a job.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize Ryan Peckham. His professional expertise and caring nature have greatly enriched the lives of those in the Las Vegas community. I commend Ryan for his efforts and commitment to his patients and to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Lisa Philips, R.N., who has distinguished herself as an outstanding and devoted professional in her field as a Registered Nurse.

Lisa Philips has been a Registered Nurse for over 28 years. In 2003, Lisa joined the staff at Summerlin Hospital as a Charge Nurse where she was responsible for incoming patients' ability to see a physician in a timely manner. In 2006, Lisa was promoted to House Supervisor where her responsibilities include maintaining the patient flow of the entire hospital and ensuring that patients receive their needed care. Lisa is a committed and caring nurse who has a unique ability to communicate with physicians, patients, and their families. Lisa also personifies team values and is the embodiment of the Very Important Patient Program recently established at Summerlin Hospital. As a result of her commitment to excellence and outstanding service to her patients and colleagues, Lisa was recognized as Employee of the Year for 2006.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize Lisa Philips, R.N. and her continued excellence at Summerlin Hospital. Her professional expertise and caring nature have greatly enriched the lives of those in the Las Vegas community. I commend Lisa for her efforts and commitment to her patients and to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Carroll Johnston, who is being honored with the naming of a middle school in his honor by the Clark County School District.

Mr. Johnston has dedicated 37 years to the Clark County School District. After his first year of teaching, Mr. Johnston served in the U.S. Army for 2 years. Following his service to our country, he continued teaching at Western High School where he also coached and advised numerous student sports and activities. Mr. Johnston also served as a school counselor and dean of students. He then worked at various middle schools as Vice-Principle and two district high schools as Principle. Mr. Johnston then had the privilege of opening Green Valley High School, where he worked as principal until retirement.

Mr. Johnston currently serves on the Gaming Policy Committee for the State of Nevada and has been very active in several Boys and Girls Club functions over the years.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Mr. Carroll Johnston and his distinguished career in service to Clark County School district and the State of Nevada. I wish him the best in his retirement and thank him for his dedicated service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Beverly Cournoyer, a Registered Nurse, who is a distinguished and devoted professional in her field.

Beverly earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Kansas and her Master's in Business Administration from University of Nevada Las Vegas. She has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years. Beverly's career in public health care began with work on a Native American Indian Reservation, where she used her expertise to address the specific health care requirements of the population she served. When Beverly moved to Las Vegas, she committed herself to changing the way in which the Las Vegas community is served in regards to understanding the importance of public health care and home health care. Beverly developed and established a program to evaluate the long- term health care needs of extremely ill elderly patients in order to minimize their need for admissions to hospitals or to nursing homes. Her home health care program proved to be not only cost effective, but also dramatically improved the patients' quality of life.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Beverly Cournoyer. Her passion and her love of nursing have improved the lives of countless of patients in Las Vegas. I thank her for her dedication and commitment to the community and wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Aner Iglesias for both his success as a business leader and for his generosity as philanthropist to our community.

Mr. Iglesias came to the United States from Cuba in order to join his family, who had previously left Cuba years before to escape political prosecution.

After his arrival to the United States, Mr. Iglesias graduated from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California, where he earned a dual degree in electrical engineering and business administration in 1989. At age of 24, Mr. Iglesias established his first business. Today, Mr. Iglesias operates and owns a chain of supermarkets with yearly revenues exceeding $150 million. He is also a real estate investor with properties in Nevada, Florida, and California.

In addition to his business endeavors, Mr. Iglesias has also been known for his support and leadership role in the opening of the Salvadorian Consulate in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House of Los Angeles since 1999. He is currently a member of the America United Bank Board, and he has also contributed and supported the Buena Nueva Foundation and other non-profit organizations, including the Las Vegas Rescue Mission and Safe Nest. Iglesias is an active member of the Latin Chamber of Commerce, the United Grocers Committee, the Mexican-American Grocers Association and the American Grocers Association.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Aner Iglesias. His years of service to the State of Nevada are admirable and I wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Hernando Amaya Moreno who has been named the Small Business Journalist of the Year for the State of Nevada by the Small Business Administration.

His commitment to proving news and information to his fellow Nevadans has resulted in the SBA presenting him with this distinguished honor. Hernando is the Associate Editor for El Tiempo Libre, a Spanish language newspaper which is owned by the Las Vegas Review Journal. His role at El Tiempo allows Hernando to provide Hispanics in the Las Vegas area with both the local and national news. El Tiempo provides residents with another reliable news option in Southern Nevada.

Hernando came to the United States in the 1990s from Columbia. During his time in Columbia, Hernando worked as a broadcast journalist for the Colombian National Army. In this capacity, Hernando worked to dismiss propaganda disseminated by Colombian guerilla groups, however, he was forced to leave the country when his family's life was threatened by these groups. After his arrival in the United States, Hernando's dedication and perseverance ensured his success with both the journalism and business communities in Nevada.

As a result of his own experiences and achievements with the business community, Hernando has been able to share his knowledge and expertise with individuals in the Hispanic community that are aspiring to becoming small business owners. He believes in supporting these individuals with the information and knowledge that will allow them to be successful small business owners. In conjunction with the Latin Chamber of Commerce, Hernando holds communication workshops for those who wish to establish and begin their own small business endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Hernando Amaya Moreno. His dedication to the community is commendable and I wish him continued success.