Joe Hogan

Issues

  • Issues

    Job Creation

    Our state and our nation are currently facing one of the most dramatic economic downturns in our history. Nevada has been particularly hard hit. We will only begin to turn our economy around when Nevadans are able to find jobs with wages and benefits that allow them to support themselves and their families. That’s why I supported a jobs bill that will create 8,000 jobs by funding road construction. The funding for these jobs was recently released and 70% of the funding was distributed to Clark County. I will continue to support efforts that create new, sustainable jobs for Nevadans.

    We’ve all heard how important renewable energy will be in ending our dependence on foreign oil, but renewable energy also has the potential to create hundreds of jobs here in Nevada. We have an abundance of natural resources to be tapped; our state should be the leader in renewable energy development in the nation. I have supported incentives for renewable energy projects that create Nevada jobs, and this must continue to be a priority for the future.

    Now, more than ever, we know how important it is to diversify our economy and end our dependence on a single industry, tourism. During the interim, a special legislative committee studied how Nevada can become a manufacturing, distribution and transportation hub for the Western United States. We will consider the committee’s proposals during the upcoming legislative session.


    Government Efficiency and Accountability

    As a member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, I’ve spent hours in hearings evaluating the budgets of each state agency. I strongly believe we must make the budget process more transparent, with stated goals and measurement of performance. I supported legislation last session requiring state agencies to set goals and to measure progress toward attaining those goals. The legislation was, unfortunately, vetoed by Governor Gibbons but will be reintroduced next session.

    In the past 18 months, we have cut more than $1 billion in state spending. And, we are continuing to look for ways our state can save money. During the last session, I supported legislation that limited the use of expensive, outside consultants. We must also work to make our government work more efficiently by consolidating or sharing services where possible and improving the collection of unpaid taxes.

    We must work to protect vital state services—education, health care and public safety. I supported the State Revenue Stabilization Fund, a forced savings account for our state, to avoid the drastic cuts that these programs face during economic downturns.

    Education

    My kids are grown now, but I know how important it is that every student receives a quality education. When I speak with educators, they tell me how important it is that they have the resources in the classroom to help every student reach his or her potential. I voted to restore millions of dollars in cuts to education proposed by Governor Gibbons, and I support the creation of a rainy day fund for education to help prevent severe cuts in the future.

    We must also continue to work to improve the high school graduation rate, recruit and retain the best teacher for every classroom, reduce class size, return decision making to the school level, and improve school accountability.

    Our economic recovery depends on a well-trained workforce. In these difficult times, we must continue to make education a priority.



Paid for and authorized by Hogan for Assembly