Sen. Dean Heller on Friday urged fellow senators to support two pieces of public lands legislation including the Douglas County Conservation Act.
He said that act is designed to “jump-start economic development throughout Douglas County while ensuring the rural character of the Carson Valley remains intact.”
He said the flood control portions of the measure are critical to development in the area to prevent flash floods such as the one that caused nearly $1 million in damages in 2014.
He said the bill was developed “from the bottom up,” by near unanimous local support including from the Washoe Tribe and area general improvement districts.
The second measure, Heller said, is the “Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act” which was created after a Las Vegas cab driver disappeared and wasn’t found until a year later, in part because of red tape that caused the park service to refuse to allow a search without a permit and $1 million insurance policy.
After the family finally raised money for the insurance, Heller said the victim’s body was found within two hours.
He said the act would attempt to prevent those sorts of delays from happening again.