It was a fairly quiet week for Nevada’s congressional delegation, apart from the announcement that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had decided to change course on the federal government’s policy on marijuana which roiled the state on Wednesday.

The Democratic members of Nevada’s congressional delegation all sent out news releases decrying the decision, which they criticized as a federal overreach impinging on state’s rights. Republican Sen. Dean Heller didn’t send out a press release about it, though he did provide a statement to a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter saying that he “strongly” encourages the Department of Justice to meet with Nevada’s governor and attorney general about the implications of changing federal marijuana enforcement policy.

Reps. Dina Titus and Jacky Rosen also focused on the looming Jan. 8 deadline for renewal of Temporary Protected Status for those residents from El Salvador, as well as called on Congress to take action to protect DREAMers before a March deadline.

For these updates and more, read on. As always, we kept the actual punctuation and capitalizations within the news release subject lines.

DEAN HELLER

Number of press releases issued this week: 5

The details: Two of Republican Sen. Dean Heller’s press releases this week were 2017 retrospectives, one recapping Heller’s thoughts on the past year and another highlighting 15 bills Heller authored or helped introduce that the president signed into law. The bills included changing the process for disability claims for veterans, directing NASA to encourage women to study STEM and pursue careers in aerospace and promoting employee ownership of privately held businesses through stock options.

“Finally, this year the Senate passed more than 400 bills, and almost 100 of them were signed into law,” Heller said. “Fifteen of them were bills that I either authored or helped introduce, including legislation to expand veterans’ GI Bill education benefits, ensure veterans’ continued access to lifesaving surgeries and give them more options when appealing disability claims.”

His office also highlighted a Las Vegas-Review Journal article reporting that the South Point Hotel and Casino will double its 2,300 full-time workers’ bonuses as a result of Congress passing its major tax bill.

“This is what the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is all about – making sure hardworking individuals and families get the much-needed break they deserve,” Heller said.

Press release subject lines:

• 1/2: In Case You Missed It: Republican Congress Has Plenty to Show for a Productive 2017
• 1/3: In Case You Missed It: President Signs 15 of Sen. Heller’s Bills into Law
• 1/4: President Signs into Law Heller-Backed Bill to Fight Human Trafficking
• 1/5: Heller, Tester Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Extend Burial Rights to Veterans’ Families
• 1/5: Tax Cuts Bill Championed by Heller Spurs Nevada Casino to Double Employees’ Bonuses

JACKY ROSEN

Number of press releases issued this week: 4

The details: Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen focused on protecting DREAMers and those with Temporary Protected Status in two of her press releases this week. She sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Friday urging her to extend Temporary Protected Status for individuals from El Salvador at risk of losing their status.

“TPS recipients are also mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, neighbors, and friends, and they have built their lives here in Nevada,” Rosen said in a statement. “Most have lived and worked in our communities for many years, and in some cases, decades.”

Rosen also criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to rescind a policy that allowed states with legalized marijuana to continue cultivation, distribution and consumption for recreational and medical use. Rosen called the decision an “insult to Nevada voters” and an “affront to state’s rights.”

“Nevadans made it clear at the ballot box in 2016 that they support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes, and their decision should stand,” Rosen said. “Local changes in marijuana policy in recent years have resulted in millions of dollars in new revenue for Nevada’s state budget, thousands of new jobs, and countless medical benefits for Nevadans suffering from PTSD, cancer, and other illnesses."

Press release subject lines:

• 1/3: REP. ROSEN TO RETURN OVER $250,000 TO U.S. TREASURY FROM CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE BUDGET
• 1/3: TOMORROW: CONGRESSWOMAN JACKY ROSEN TO ATTEND EVENT WITH NEVADA DREAMERS, TPS RECIPIENTS
• 1/4: ROSEN: ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS’ DECISION THREATENS NEVADA’S MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
• 1/5: REP. ROSEN SENDS LETTER URGING DHS SECRETARY TO EXTEND TPS STATUS FOR THOUSANDS OF SALVADORANS IN NEVADA

DINA TITUS

Number of press releases issued this week: 3

The details: Two of Democratic Rep. Dina Titus’s press releases this week focused on the decision by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to rescind the Cole Memo, an Obama-era directive that gave states with legalized marijuana some certainty about how federal law enforcement would treat their decision to legalize pot. Titus joined state Sen. Tick Segerblom and others on Thursday to demand Congress take action on the issue.

“This latest move from Attorney General Sessions and the Trump Administration is a direct attack on the State of Nevada, sovereign tribal governments, and the rights of people in states, tribes, and territories all across the United States,” Titus said in a statement.

Titus also attended an event with the Consul General of El Salvador on Friday to raise awareness about the upcoming deadlines for DREAMers and those with Temporary Protected Status. TPS for Salvadorans expires on Jan. 8, and those with protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will begin losing protection next March unless Congress acts.

Press release subject lines:

• 1/4: TITUS STATEMENT ON SESSIONS' MARIJUANA ANNOUNCEMENT
• 1/4: MEDIA ADVISORY: 2PM TODAY: TITUS, SEGERBLOM, AND MARIJUANA INDUSTRY TO PROTEST SESSIONS ANNOUNCEMENT, DEMAND CONGRESSIONAL ACTION
• 1/5: MEDIA ADVISORY: TODAY 2:30 PM: AS TPS EXPIRES, TITUS, SALVADORAN CONSUL, CULINARY UNION, AND MORE WILL CALL ON GOP TO PROTECT FAMILIES AND THE ECONOMY

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

Number of press releases issued this week: 2

The details: Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto issued an unusually small number of press releases this week, with her office only sending two missives out to the media.

Cortez Masto on Wednesday called on the Senate Ethics Committee to evaluate its process for investigating complaints of alleged sexual harassment.

“I urge the Committee to use this national moment of reckoning as an opportunity to review its practices and procedures now in place, and evaluate if more can be done to swiftly and fairly hold Members who have engaged in misconduct accountable, and just as swiftly exonerate those who have been unjustly accused,” Cortez Masto wrote in a letter to U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman Johnny Isakson and Ranking Member Chris Coons.

Like her Democratic colleagues, Cortez Masto also sent out a press release decrying U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for rescinding the federal government’s policy on how it deals with states that have legalized marijuana.

Press release subject lines:

• 1/3: Cortez Masto Calls for Reform of Senate Ethics Committee Investigations on Sexual Harassment
• 1/4: Cortez Masto Denounces DOJ’s New Misguided Marijuana Policy

RUBEN KIHUEN

Number of press releases issued this week: 1

The details: Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen sent out a single press release this week, criticizing the Justice Department’s decision to rescind its marijuana policy. He said that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision “clashes with the will of hundreds of thousands of Nevadans and millions of Americans” who have voted in favor of legalizing marijuana.

“Mr. Sessions and the Department of Justice are reversing a years-long policy of respecting the rights of states in order to take out a personal vendetta on an industry that has sold nearly $130 million worth of product in Nevada and brought in $20 million in tax revenue to the state since July,” Kihuen said in the statement. “This decision will not only impact the marijuana industry and the thousands of jobs it is creating, but it will put at risk a stable source of vital tax revenue for our state.”

Press release subject lines:

• 1/4: REP. KIHUEN: DOJ'S MARIJUANA DECISION REFLECTS A "PERSONAL VENDETTA" ON AN INDUSTRY BRINGING MILLIONS TO NEVADA

MARK AMODEI

Number of press releases issued this week: 0

The details: Republican Rep. Mark Amodei didn’t send out any press releases this week. But before the holidays, Amodei did post a “2017 year in review” on his Facebook page listing his office’s stats for the year including:

• 375 constituent tours
• 22 naturalization ceremonies
• 310 constituent cases
• 94 press engagements and editorial boards
• 44 flags for constituents