The Nevada Senate Airline Bill [SB363 (BDR 18-92)]was declared exempted. It means that if it doesn’t meet the deadline of passing by April 25th, it will not die.
But not everything is won yet. It passed, two weeks ago, the first hearing with flying colors, with both sides of the aisle approving it, and voting yes.
It survived the latest legislative deadline, and advanced to the Senate Revenue and Finance Committee, on the 17th. It didn’t have an hearing yet with the Finance Committee. After it passes the hearing, it will need to go to the Assembly. And if it were any differences between the Senate and the Assembly, they would have to be resolved, before it goes in front of the Governor.
“Senator Pete Goicoechea worked hard and did a terrific job” said Ellison last week. It is now out of the Committee, and it is due to go to the Finance hearing. A lot of bills went to Finance, and some fell. It passed this major step and is due for more steps.
Nevada Senate Bill SB363 (BDR 18-92), will help, with 2 million dollars grant, to connect Nevada Rural Airports and Airlines. It could include Wendover, on to Elko, Reno, Oregon, and back. In the West Wendover city council meeting of April 4th, Mayor Daniel Corona and city Manager Chris Melville, were asking themselves if they should support the bill, as they had the impression after reading the fine print, that the City of Elko was now talking only about Elko City and purposely omitting to include the town of Wendover.
Assemblyman John Ellison said la few weeks ago, that it might slow the process if city names are added at the last minute. Ellison said that even the town of Elko was missing in the bill, and that Elko Mayor’s Chris Johnson called about it. But Assemblyman Ellison said that the names of the Cities of Elko, West Wendover, and other cities missing in the bill could be added after it passes and goes in front of the House of Representatives.
Assemblyman John Ellison and Senator Pete Goicoechea are the ones who originally put the bill together, and they had fully intended to include Wendover if possible. Mayor Daniel Corona and city Manager Chris Melville talked to Senator Goicoechea a few weeks ago, who said that “they worked it out”. The High Desert Advocate contacted then Mayor Corona to understand the meaning of this statement. The facts are that they did came to an understanding. That originally, airports of General Aviation were not part of the Bill because they usually have only personal airplanes, and don’t have a TSA in place. The Wendover airport is an airport of General Aviation because it doesn’t have commercial airplanes, but the Wendover airport has Charters for the local casinos and do has a TSA in place, so Wendover in fact could be the exception and be included in the bill.
