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Gov. Sisolak calls for economic changes in Nevada post-pandemic

Urges investment, saving to prevent another crisis
STEVE SISOLAK
Posted at 2:01 PM, May 05, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-06 01:19:27-04

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak held a virtual press conference today to tout the state's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to call for changes to the state's economy to prevent it from being hit as hard by future crises.

"Yesterdays economic forum prove that our crisis management, strategic budgeting decisions, and most importantly, the shared sacrifices of every Nevadan in the last 14 months, has resulted in the state having $586.2 million more than we thought we would have when we first created this budget in December. The projected increase in revenue for the state is a signal of the start of our come back and it’s no accident. The increase in revenue projections announced yesterday, along with the funding the state will receive from the American rescue plan, will put us in a better position to begin stabilizing the state fiscal situation, restoring critical services, and getting assistance to Nevadans most in need. Because of Nevada’s limited economic structure, this crisis hit our state worse than any other," said Sisolak.

WATCH: Gov. Sisolak updates Nevada's economic recovery

Gov. Sisolak says decisions state leaders make now will determine how prepared we are for the next economic crisis.

"We must remember that spending is easy, investing is hard. But investing will always be worth it. Nevada, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to utilize the funding we have to transform our state, but it will require us to break the patterns of the past. I am committed to changing our systems, our systemic issues that make Nevada the hardest-hit state when there’s an economic downturn. We need to refill our savings account, pay off our debts, and restore the difficult cuts we suffered in areas like mental health and education. We need to bring our state back to a baseline and we also need to fix what’s broken by investing in new systems, including the one at DETR. Yesterday's economic forum showed us that those in our state who make the most were impacted the least and those who make the least were impacted the most. We will not recover if we do not use these funds to build a state that gives them every opportunity to succeed: expanding childcare, helping small businesses, investing in community-based services," said Sisolak.

Sisolak also credited the state's COVID-19 vaccine roll out for Nevada's fast economic recovery, and called for more Nevadans to get vaccinated.

"Vaccination doesn’t just protect you from COVID-19 as an individual, it also protects the people around you. When you’re fully vaccinated, you’re much less likely to get infected and much less likely to spread the virus. Increasing the number of Nevadans who are vaccinated against COVID-19 will help reduce the potential for more Nevadans to get sick and die. Every shot in an arm puts us one step closer on our path to full recovery," said Sisolak.

As of today, Sisolak says more than 45% of eligible Nevadans have initiated the vaccination process, and more than a third of all eligible Nevadans are fully vaccinated.