The race in the 3rd Congressional District, in which Democratic state Sen. and UNLV professor Dina Titus challenges three-term incumbent Republican Jon Porter, remains tight as it goes down to the wire. Last Thursday, the two candidates participated in their final televised debate.

There are a number of issues for voters to consider and considerable differences between the two.

For instance, while Ms. Titus has taken some sensible stances — she claims to have “come out for offshore drilling long before he did” — she joins with her party leader, Sen. Harry Reid, in opposing both nuclear power and construction of the coal-fired power plants that could provide Nevadans with ongoing reliable power without driving rates through the roof.

Asked if higher taxes on oil companies won’t send gasoline prices back through the roof, she insists, “No it won’t.”

And she joins with her party’s other national leader, Barack Obama, in insisting we can all get rich on new “solar energy” jobs — meaning government subsidies of an industry that can’t grow as fast on its own as the green extreme might wish.

Asked why Democrats have not used their control of Congress to repeal one of the laws that helped launch Wall Street’s current financial meltdown — the Community Redevelopment Act of 1977, under which banks were encouraged to make loans they might not have otherwise made — Ms. Titus reverts to the now-standard Democratic line, saying, “All of that should be on the table.”

That’s like saying patching the holes and lowering the life rafts should be “on the table” when your ship starts listing heavily to starboard. It shouldn’t be “on the table.” If they meant to do it at all, it should have been done weeks ago.

In contrast to this, Rep. Porter has been a steady, relaxed and reliable representative of his constituents, voting not a Republican party line, but rather “whichever way I think will be best for Nevadans.”

Judging simply between the two candidates, Jon Porter is the better choice.

But something more needs to be said of this race.

First, Democratic candidates traditionally “run to the center” as an election approaches. A politician’s entire career is a better predictor of future votes than what they say in October of an election year. And Dina Titus’ career, taken as whole, is that of someone who has worked for the government all her adult life, and who has never seen any trouble with violating that section of the state constitution which stipulates a Nevadan can’t make policy in one branch of government (the Legislature) while drawing pay in another (the executive-branch University of Las Vegas, an institution whose biennial budget is set by … surprise! Dina Titus and the Legislature).

Is this a person who can be expected to demand her Washington cohorts respect constitutional restrictions on the tax-and-spend powers of the Congress?

Please.

For the other overriding concern, today, as hyper-liberal Barack Obama appears to have surged to an irresistible lead in the polls, is that of total one-party government.

If Democrats take the White House, appoint two or three new far-left Supreme Court judges to replace their ailing septuagenarians, and hold Harry Reid’s U.S. Senate — perhaps with a new, filibuster-proof majority — it is only a braced-for-the-storm Republican minority in the House that stands in the way of the redistributionist juggernaut.

Barack Obama says he wants to raise taxes — as much as a trillion dollars in new taxes, if he’s to fund all the new programs he’s promised — “only” on those who pay 60 percent of the income taxes already. Want to see the current economic downturn converted into a massive, decade-long Depression as investment capital flees these shores en masse?

It won’t matter whether Dina Titus personally seeks those outcomes. As a back-bench newcomer to a stronger Democratic majority, she’ll be along for the ride; any doubt she may have will be swept away in the deluge.

Congressman Jon Porter shared his views on health care with a group of local medical professionals during the inaugural Nevada Healthcare Forum Oct. 14 at the Sierra Health Services headquarters in northwest Las Vegas.

After telling of a recent eight-hour experience he had at a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Virginia to renew a required sticker needed to park in Washington, D.C., he summed up his thoughts of health care.

“I’m scared to death that health care will be run like the DMV,” he said. “I don’t want to see all the bureaucratic dilemmas ruining health care.”

Porter said he doesn’t want to see patients not seeing doctors because more insurance forms are needed or a patient not seeing a doctor because previous X-rays were not sent over on time.

Porter encouraged the health care professionals to contact him and other elected officials to help come up with solutions about health care so that the federal government doesn’t run the process.

“You (speaking to medical professionals) need to figure out a way to make health care work or the federal government will take over,” he said during the forum. “You and me need to start a smoother system so it doesn’t take days, months or years to see a doctor.”

Porter said the complaints he hears most often about health care are that it is not available or difficult to access. Porter said he has worked to make health care more available by helping to create a nursing program at Nevada State College to help alleviate the state’s nursing shortage. He said he is also pushing to make health information more technologically advanced.

“Paper kills,” he said. “Prescriptions written on paper can be difficult to read and people die because of it, and close to 90,000 people a year in the country are hurt because of paper.”

Porter said all health information needs to be created electronically.

Porter said he is also proud of the work he has done to help those serving in the military in Nevada to receive needed additional health care.

Finally, Porter spoke about his support of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The program and provides $24 billion in federal matching funds over 10 years to help states expand health care coverage to more than 5 million of the nation’s uninsured children.

“I supported the bill because I wanted to make sure every child has access to health care,” he said.

Democratic state Sen. Dina Titus, who is challenging Porter for his congressional seat, has a bill in the state Senate that would ensure 25,000 uninsured children in Nevada, an issue she wants to keep pushing, said Andrew Stoddard, spokesman for Titus. Stoddard also said that although Porter eventually supported SCHIP, he voted against it numerous times.

While on the payroll as a political science professor at UNLV, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus spent three days in Carson City in January and conducted other legislative duties for which she was paid, according to state and university records.

Titus, D-Las Vegas, drew her university pay until she took leave without pay for the legislative session on Feb. 7.

But UNLV officials said Titus did nothing improper, and there’s no need to correct her pay records for the university time she worked between Jan. 10 — the date professors had to report before classes on Jan. 18 — through Feb. 4.

Titus, a Democratic candidate for governor, didn’t teach classes during the spring semester and her numerous responsibilities during the four weeks she was paid didn’t fit into a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday regimen, university officials said.

UNLV’s handling of Titus’ work schedule contrasts sharply with Henderson’s, where Deputy Police Chief Richard Perkins, a likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate, had four errors corrected on his time cards this year when he was credited with working a full day for the city when he was in Carson City the same day serving as Assembly speaker.

UNLV spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said professors under contract, such as Titus, can’t be compared to municipal employees who may be expected to work more of a set schedule.

“It is not unusual for professors to be there (at school) until 9 or 10 o’clock at night,” Grey said. “The work schedule varies as long as you are meeting your obligations to teaching, research, and sitting on committees. It is not unusual to do some business remotely.”

While drawing her $9,951 a month salary from UNLV as part of a nine-month contract, Titus left Las Vegas shortly after noon on Jan. 24 and flew to Carson City for the State of the State address. After participating in budget subcommittee meetings on Jan. 25 and 26, Titus returned to Las Vegas just after 5 p.m. on Jan. 26, according to her travel records with the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

While in Las Vegas on Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, Titus participated in three meetings of the budget subcommittee that ran each day from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m, state records show.

For all three days in Carson City and Las Vegas, Titus received state pay of $130 a day, according to state records. As she has done since she has served in the state Senate since 1989, Titus took leave without pay from her UNLV professorship once the regular session started Feb. 7.

Titus campaign manager Dave Barnhart said she did nothing improper in doing her state work while she’s getting paid by the university, prior to the start of the session. He said it’s consistent with past practices in which she can conduct legislative duties and university responsibilities because she has such a flexible schedule, especially when she’s not teaching any classes.

Titus even does university work while in Carson City and has flown back to Las Vegas for university work at her own expense, Barnhart said.

“Dina doesn’t have a 9 to 5 job,” Barnhart said. “Often times she will be working to midnight or 1 o’clock. She’s meeting her obligations to the people of Nevada and the university. Voters have consistently re-elected her and said what a wonderful job she has done. Her employer has been pleased and impressed with her performance.”

Titus has unsuccessfully pushed for legislation that would require government employees, as she does, take a leave without pay from their job while they serve in the Legislature.

Showing her integrity, Barnhart said, Titus has adhered to that standard that has cost her more than $180,000 in pay. He said, however, there’s nothing wrong with Titus getting paid to attend state meetings outside of the legislative session while she is drawing a university pay check. Barnhart said she earned that money by attending the meetings and even turned down pay if she had to leave meetings early.

Mehran Tamadonfar, chairman of the UNLV political science department, said he has no problem with Titus working as a lawmaker while she is serving as a professor at the same time. He said she hasn’t missed teaching political science classes because of her state duties and her university responsibilities in January and early February didn’t conform to a time clock or set schedule.

“As long as she doesn’t miss class and does her research and service, I don’t have a problem,” Tamadonfar said. “I want to see a product at the end. People may see this job as 8 to 5, but that’s not the way it is.

“Many things happen at night or on weekends or through e-mail. We have had a good talk, and she clearly understands what the rules are. She knows the expectations and has never let me down in that respect.”

In January, Tamadonfar said, Titus started work on a state-funded internship program in which UNLV students work as paid interns for lawmakers in Carson City and earn class credit. Titus reviewed applications from students and helped select the six choices. She also prepared students to work in Carson City where she served as their supervisor during the legislative session and graded them even though she wasn’t being paid by UNLV, Tamadonfar said.

In January Titus served on a search committee screening applications for hiring a professor, Tamadonfar said. She also served as a mentor for a new faculty member and on an ongoing basis conducts research that is reflected in articles in public policy journals or presentations to academic conferences, he said.

During the spring semester, Titus also served on thesis committees for the political science and ethics and policy master’s programs in which she would review students’ work, again even when she wasn’t paid by the school.

Primarily when she returned from the session in June, she worked on a personnel committee, evaluating professors for merit pay and tenure, Tamadonfar said.

Handling all of those particular responsibilities didn’t require Titus to be on campus at regular times throughout the week, Tamadonfar said. He said the university gets more than its money’s worth from Titus.

Tamadonfar said Titus’ students have benefitted from her practical experience in politics and often tell him that. He said there’s been no problem with any blurring of her research and political career. She only gets credit in her annual evaluation for writings and work as a academic and not those of a politician.

“It is not unusual in academic life to be involved in the political field,” Tamadonfar said. “It helps a lot to bring practical politics to academic research. It is my job to assess the academic quality of that research. If she writes something as a politician, that is not research.”

For the fall semester, Tamadonfar said, Titus is assigned to teach two advanced political science classes, one on Nevada and one on national politics. Tamadonfar said he laid out his expectations to Titus and doesn’t expect any problems as usual.

“I don’t tolerate people missing class, and if she was assigned to teach a class, she would have to be here,” Tamadonfar said. “If she doesn’t sleep at all and goes and campaigns, that would be OK with me.”

Barnhart said Titus is 100 percent committed to the governor’s race and has spent 60 to 70 hours a week campaigning over the summer. Titus, who doesn’t officially have to report to UNLV until Aug. 22 for the start of classes on Aug. 29, is obligated to UNLV and won’t miss any classes to campaign, Barnhart said.

Titus is also scheduled to teach classes for the spring semester that runs from January through May, Tamadonfar said. The university granted Titus leave for the legislative sessions because the political science department could plan in advance, he said. If suddenly Titus were to request leave without pay for the spring semester, he said she may not get it.

“I have to look at my needs, and it’s not automatically granted,” Tamadonfar said.

Barnhart said Titus is taking it one semester at a time and she’s made no decision on whether she will teach during the spring semester.

Porter, 53, who has been the district’s representative since 2002 when it was formed also served in the Nevada Senate from 1994 to 2002 and was mayor of Boulder City from 1987 to 1991. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for the 1st Congressional District seat in 2000 against eventual winner Shelley Berkley.

Four other candidates for the congressional seat will be on the Nov. 4 ballot. They are: Independent American candidate Floyd Fitzgibbons, Green Party candidate Bob Giaquinta, Independent candidate Jeffrey C. Reeves and Libertarian Party candidate Joseph P. Silvestri.

Porter was interviewed by In Business Las Vegas at his campaign headquarters Oct. 13.

What strengths do you bring to the table as a congressman?

I think what’s paramount, especially in these economically challenging times, is that we have someone with a business background. I grew up in a family of business. My mom and dad had a small business in Iowa. My dad was an electrical contractor, and we spent the better part of my life sitting around the dinner table talking about the challenges of being in business, from paying taxes to government regulation to accounts receivable, accounts payable, the economy and how it impacted my mom and dad. So I literally grew up in the family business. And I had my own business for 20 years. It was a small family business, and I had it at the same time that I served on the Boulder City Council and as mayor and in the state Senate. So, in all due respect to my opponent who is a professor at the university, I think my experience is critical now. I know what it’s like to meet a payroll, I know what it’s like to be the first one there in the morning and the last one to leave. I also know what it’s like to struggle with families trying to find health insurance for employees. In fairness, my opponent does not have this perspective. She doesn’t understand what it’s like to walk up to the door in the morning with the key to that business and not know what’s going to happen the rest of the day. So I think my experience with local, state and now federal government, but equally important, 20 years of my own business and my family’s business.

Who do you blame for the home-mortgage meltdown - the banks who made the subprime loans, the politicians who fostered the lending environment or the consumers who weren’t qualified to take on the responsibility?

Well, I think there’s a lot of blame to go around and let’s start with Wall Street. I had legislation that passed in this relief package to hold (Wall Street firms) accountable. It creates oversight to look at what happened with Wall Street. I believe there was criminal activity to tell you the truth. I think some folks on Wall Street took advantage of people around the world. I think there’s blame to go around Congress. I looked back at the history of this, and they started relaxing a lot of the post-Depression era protections for the American people. And I blame the administration. I think the administration dropped the ball. I’m appalled and I’m angry that this happened. But I also think some families made some poor choices as well. There are certain responsibilities when you sign on the dotted line to make sure you know what you’re doing. So I’m angry, but I’m also very, very concerned about some of these families that are struggling.

Experts have criticized the lack of regulation in the banking industry. What should Congress do, if anything, to change that?

I think we need to modernize our lending institutions and their practice of lending funds. But I think that right now, we need to take a deep breath so we can provide some calm to the markets and to the world so people will invest again. But at the same time - and my legislation provides for that - we need to find out what went wrong, and we need to find out as soon as possible so we don’t have the same mistakes repeated.

In the current economic environment, do you favor any new taxes?

Absolutely (this is) the wrong time to raise taxes. Right now these businesses are struggling. I drive up and down the streets of Vegas and I see businesses with “for sale” signs going up, and I see “for rent” or “going out of business.” There’s not a business street in Las Vegas where you don’t see a sign that says “going out of business.” So it’s absolutely the wrong time. Businesses should be able to reinvest their money instead of giving to the government so they can create more jobs.

How about new taxes on those making $250,000 or more, as Sen. (Barack) Obama advocates?

That’s an example of not understanding what it’s like to be in business. I have so many friends who are in business who may show $250,000 in revenue, but they may be taking home $10,000 or $12,000 or $20,000. There’s this misconception: If you haven’t had your own business, a lot of people look at your revenues and say, “Well that’s all profit.” I could give you 10 businesses that have revenues over $250,000 that are not taking home more than $10,000 or $20,000. So it’s absolutely wrong. The small and ma-and-pa businesses need the ability to create jobs. What’s built America is the entrepreneurial spirit, and if we tax that mentality and we tax those revenues, they’re going to be out of business.

Do you favor any tax cuts? Why?

Yes, absolutely. I had legislation in this past session, actually, to prevent the Democratic Party from taking away the child tax deduction. (Democrats) actually reduced it from $1,000 per child to $500. That’s a specific example. We need to make sure families reap the benefits as well. We have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, and what’s happening from a global perspective is that these businesses are leaving the country because they can’t afford to operate here. And there are folks who want to tax them, and they think that’s what will keep the businesses alive. So I think there are a lot of areas that should be reduced.

What are the most pressing federal issues that affect Nevada businesses?

The economic situation is paramount because businesses now are having a hard time getting the normal loan they used to get. I can tell you of dozens of businesses that I’ve talked to that used to have credit at a particular bank or credit union or lending institution, and they would use that credit to help buy inventory and to pay payroll and flooring up for their retail products. They’re not able to get the loans that they used to have available because the money has tightened up so much. So that’s pressing.

But also parallel to that is the lack of an energy policy for our country and I’ll tell you, prior to the last two weeks’ crises, what has been brewing and has not been addressed is the lack of oil and the lack of energy. If you look up and down the Strip in the travel and tour industry and our resorts, people can’t get the flights that they used to get. United (Airlines) has cut 150 of their cities. US Airways has cut back on its flights. So from a business perspective, the two most important things are that there needs to be capital available for businesses to borrow money to pay their employees and there needs to be energy and oil so we can fly our planes. We can certainly address both of those, especially oil. There’s no excuse for us not exploring for energy here.

Rising health care costs eat a lot of business profits. Do you favor changing the American health care system so that businesses don’t bear so much of the cost burden?

We have one of the best health care systems in the world, but it certainly has its problems. I think there should be additional incentives for business to be a partner in health insurance and preventative medicine and health care, and I think there is a place for their role. But I also would like to have the insurer have more say in the product. A way to do that is to provide for small businesses to band together to have associate health plans. I think businesses play a vital role, not only in health insurance but in preventative medicines. I toured the Vons stores here and they told me about some of their incentives for their employees for preventative, which reduces the costs, so think there certainly is a place for partnerships.

Immigration was a hot-button issue a year ago, but seems to have cooled. President Bush and most business leaders have argued for a system that would allow immigrants working in the United States a way to stay on the job. What’s your position?

I don’t think the issue has really cooled down. From the perspective of my constituents, the media (are) not talking about it much, but in the community it’s still one of the top issues. I think we have to make sure the federal government does a better job. I visited the border, and we’re using Vietnam-era technology at one of the sites I went to. We need to secure the borders, but I support a temporary guest workers’ program. I think that we need to make sure that businesses are given the tools to make sure that they can tell who’s legal and who isn’t. Now if a business intentionally is abusing the federal laws and taking advantage of individuals, it should be held accountable as well and there should be fines. But I want to clarify that as long as we give them the tools they need, they shouldn’t be in the law enforcement business. But right now, even the federal government doesn’t know who’s here.

Assess the presidency of George W. Bush.

I am furious over this current situation and, again, I think there is a lot of blame to go around. But I really think that a crisis of this magnitude, there weren’t enough checks and balances in place. So I’m extremely frustrated. But as I said, from Wall Street to Main Street, there are challenges and there is a lot of blame to go around. But I’d like to speak directly to that issue. It was not handled properly. We should have known about it long ago. There’s 2 (million) or 3 million loans out there that are bad. Somewhere, there should have been a check and balance.

What have been the pros or cons to Nevada of having Sen. Harry Reid as majority leader?

That’s a good question and let me explain a perspective. Let’s say it’s not Harry Reid for a second. A lot of times when you’re the top elected official, whether it be majority leader or speaker, sometimes it can be challenging to be able to do some of the things you did when you were a regular member. Because as a leader, you have 50 to 100 and in some cases, 435 people that you’re working with. So with that comes some challenges. That’s not because you’re name is Harry Reid. That comes with leadership. But also a leader can have an advantage because Sen. Reid sits at the table. He played a major role in this relief package, so I think there are pros and cons. As a matter of fact, I had a fundraiser for Sen. Reid in my home when I was the mayor of Boulder City.

What’s your stance on Internet gambling, particularly for poker play? Would you support legislation that enables online poker?

The most important thing is that we need to dispel the rumors, and we need to find out exactly what’s happening. We know there’s $12 (billion) to $15 billion a year being spent on the Internet worldwide - gaming on the Internet. I introduced legislation last session and (Rep.) Shelley Berkley introduced it this session, so we’re working on it together to get the facts. We’ve called for a true study by the federal government to find out exactly what the impacts are because there are people who have fear about the security and the privacy. There are those who are concerned about children and I agree with all those. The most important thing to do right now is pass that legislation so we’ll have the facts.

Tourism is the No. 1 industry in many states, including Nevada, yet it has not been a part of the presidential debate or most political discussions. What would you do to give tourism a higher profile?

You’re absolutely right, from an economic standpoint, travel and tourism is No. 1, 2 and 3 in every state in the country and even the states don’t realize how big it is. That’s not just tourism, it’s business travel as well. So I’ve worked closely with Congressman Sam Farr, a Democrat from California, from Monterey, and we have reinvigorated what’s called the Travel and Tour Caucus, trying to elevate the prominence and importance of travel and tour. We’ve passed legislation to help promote businesses around the world so there’s a consistent message. We’re working on trying to ease the visa problem we’re having. That doesn’t mean we’ve become slack in our security, it just means we need to make sure that there’s a professional and secure way for the legitimate traveler to come in and out of the United States. So these are the sort of things we’re working on. It’s critical to our economy and to the country. And by the way, it’s one of the largest employers in the country. It’s in the top 100. If you include travel and tour, it’s one of the top businesses in the world.

What specific plan do you have to make Nevada a major energy resource to the nation with its solar, wind and geothermal resources?

When I was the mayor of Boulder City, we really started and have since created the third-largest solar facility in the world. I worked with the city of Henderson, Clark County and the federal government to secure the land where we now have the Solar One facility. So as a leader in alternative energy and - actually, when it wasn’t necessarily politically popular - I pushed, and I’m very proud to see that we’ve built a solar facility. Current legislation - I have proposed a fast track for alternative energies to secure and either lease or purchase public lands. You know, in Nevada we have about 89 or 88 percent federal land. The problem is that the bureaucracy of Washington gets in the way. Close to 200 permits have been sitting on desks and, by the way, Sen. Reid helped move those forward. I think we need a process in place so that it can be fast-tracked. Currently an (environmental impact statement) is required on all sites. I think if we could possibly use an environmental assessment, that would save about five years. It needs to be a priority for the Department of Interior. So my legislation does all this. It’ll help move it forward and it creates jobs. Why not have Nevada be on the cutting edge of the world? I believe that we are, but we can even go further.

There are a number of proposals being floated about climate change. Although it’s unclear how some of them would affect businesspeople, one thing is clear - they’re going to produce higher costs to them. How would you protect business from the costs of dealing with global warming?

Well, the first step is how do we protect our environment from global warming? And what can we do to work with businesses in balance with that? And I think that’s where you begin, with how do you protect the environment. We see it right here with NV Energy, the new Nevada Power. (Company officials are) taking every step possible with their proposed coal plant in Northern Nevada to make sure it’s cutting edge and state of the art. So what we need to do is work with business and make sure we can give them as many incentives as possible to encourage that, from the delivery of energy to businesses, to schools and public facilities when they’re built. It all goes hand in hand. But you don’t do it through taxation. You do it through incentives, not taxation.

What is the No. 1 thing your opponent has said in a public setting or in advertising that it not true? This is your chance to set the record straight.

She’s said a lot of things that aren’t true. But I think what’s best is to talk about what is true. There’s no one who has worked as hard as I have for Nevada, from travel and tour and being on the Convention Authority board, creating special events with Las Vegas Events, having my own business and taking that experience from small business to state and local government. I’m very proud of my accomplishments. But I think the public will decide what’s true and what isn’t true. It’s also troubling to me that I have an opponent who believes that taking a contribution is “pay for play.” She said that in Review-Journal articles. But this campaign’s really about what we can do for the future, and I believe that with challenges like this - with my experience - I’m the right person for the job.

In the 3rd Congressional District, incumbent Republican Jon Porter has strayed from conservative principles of late to vote for a pork-laden farm bill and to expand federal subsidies for a child health insurance program, among others. But his small business background and his commitment to develop domestic oil supplies still make him the stronger choice at a time when Nevada needs new jobs and the restored tourist traffic that falling jet and motor fuel prices can bring.

Democratic challenger Dina Titus — an articulate and personable state legislator and college professor — tilts considerably to the left. Sending her to Congress would only reinforce a Democratic leadership that’s heading in the wrong direction for Nevada. Voters should retain Jon Porter in the 3rd District.

CONTACT: Mike Diegel, 202-314-2004

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business association, has endorsed U.S. Rep. Jon Porter for reelection in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District.

The endorsement comes from NFIB’s Save America’s Free Enterprise (SAFE) Trust, the organization’s political action committee, and is based on evaluations of the candidates’ views on legislative issues affecting small business.

“Representative Porter has been a strong ally of small business since his election in 2002,” said Lisa Goeas, NFIB’s vice president, political. “As a former small business owner and NFIB member, he truly understands the issues that impact small business owners. They face enormous challenges, from finding and keeping affordable health insurance to looking for real and lasting tax relief. In this challenging economic environment, small business needs Representative Porter’s leadership to ensure their voice is heard, and we look forward to continuing to work with him in the next Congress.”

Rep. Porter also is a consistent winner of NFIB’s Guardian of Small Business award, given to those members of Congress who vote to protect free enterprise.

Today’s endorsement puts the considerable grassroots support of the state’s small businesses behind the Porter campaign. Small business owners and their employees vote in high numbers and are known for actively recruiting friends, family members and acquaintances to go to the polls. NFIB will encourage its members to help turn out the influential small business voting bloc on Election Day. According to NFIB polling data, small business owners and their employees make up 43 percent of registered voters in America.

Congressman Jon Porter received a ringing endorsement from Valley police, fire and public safety officials.

He accepted the endorsement Monday at a rally in Henderson.

PORTER ENDORSED BY SOUTHERN NEVADA POLICE, FIRE AND PUBLIC SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS

Henderson, NV- Today, Congressman Jon Porter received the endorsements of major Southern Nevada police, fire and public safety organizations at a rally. This overwhelming support reflects Porter’s deep commitment to our public safety community throughout his 25 years of his public service.

“It is an honor to receive the support of Southern Nevada’s most prestigious police and fire organizations,” said Porter. “As public servants we all share the fundamental responsibility of keeping our communities safe and ensuring that Southern Nevada is the finest place to raise our families.”

Porter was joined by Rusty McAllister, President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada; David Kallas, President of the Southern Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs; Paul Page, Chairman of the Las Vegas Metro Police Managers and Supervisors Association; and representatives of the Police Protective Association, the Henderson Police Officers Association, the Henderson Police Supervisors Association, the North Las Vegas Police Officers Association, and Las Vegas, Henderson, and Clark County Firefighters.

During his three terms in Congress, Porter has fought for our public safety community, passing meaningful legislation and bringing home federal funds to strengthen public safety efforts in Southern Nevada.

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Minority Leader John Boehner made a special point of thanking Nevada Rep. Jon Porter, who’s fighting for his political life, for voting yes twice this week.

Porter, who represents the foreclosure-wracked Vegas suburbs, trails Democrat Dina Titus in recent polls.

“I applaud Congressman Porter for making this a better bill for the American taxpayer. Through his hard work, Congress and the nation will be better able to learn the lessons of the current crisis and will find new ways to protect the homes and savings of taxpayers in the future,” Boehner said.

WASHINGTON, DC – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) highlighted the efforts of Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV) to strengthen accountability and oversight on behalf of taxpayers in the economic rescue legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today. Rep. Porter introduced legislation last week to create a special commission to investigate the collapse and recovery of our financial markets, and he successfully worked to include it in the economic rescue legislation. Boehner issued the following statement:

“I applaud Congressman Porter for making this a better bill for the American taxpayer. Through his hard work, Congress and the nation will be better able to learn the lessons of the current crisis and will find new ways to protect the homes and savings of taxpayers in the future.”