State looking to offset Vegas massacre costs

Nevada homeland security officials are working to get their share of funding in the federal budget bill to help offset the costs of responding to the October 1 massacre in Las Vegas.

Mike Willden, chief of staff to Gov. Brian Sandoval, said Sens. Dean Heller and Catherine Cortez Masto both worked to ensure the bill contained emergency law enforcement assistance funding. The measure includes a total of $16 million as part of the Byrne Act grants program.

Heller said in a letter to Gov. Sandoval Nevada should be eligible for nearly $2.8 million of that funding.

That is above and beyond the $1 million the state has already received to help pay the overtime and other costs run up by first responders in investigating and responding to the massacre that left 58 dead and hundreds injured when a gunman opened fire on a concert on the Las Vegas Strip.

Willden said the state is following up on Heller’s recommendation and applying for as much of that money as they can.

Heller, in his letter, committed to working with the state to secure the money Congress included in the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill for not only Las Vegas but Florida and other recent tragedies.