According to the National Breast Cancer Coalition, the chance of a woman developing breast cancer during her lifetime in the United States has increased from 1 in 11 in 1975 to 1 in 8 today. Worldwide, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women with 1.3 million cases and the leading cause of cancer death with more than 500,000 women dying from the disease in 2010.

There is also an economic cost. The National Cancer Institute estimated that breast cancer care in the United States cost $16.5 billion in 2009 and cost the nation $12.1 billion in lost productivity.

The Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act would create the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer, which brings together biomedical researchers, business men and women, and advocates to help identify opportunities and ideas in the public and private sectors that could help end breast cancer by 2020.

More information can be found here: http://www.breastcancerdeadline2020.org/what-we-do/policy/legislative-policies-priorities/legislative-priorities-2011/priority-1-2011.html

Berkley has a long record of fighting in the battle against cancer. In Congress she has:

• Supported grants for key breast cancer research
• Co-sponsored legislation that provided low-income and underserved women with breast and cervical cancer screenings
• Sought to end “drive-through” mastectomies
• Fought to establish Breast Cancer Awareness Month and increase awareness for young women

“My family has a history with breast cancer, so the fight against this deadly disease is personal for me,” said Berkley. “If we remain committed, I am convinced we can end breast cancer once and for all by the end of this decade. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act.”

The spot features the father of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Bailey, who served in Iraq and who died of an overdose at age 27 while giving himself medications for post-traumatic stress under the care of the Veterans Administration.

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Berkley sponsored a bill, later named after Justin Bailey, that requires the VA to provide drug screening, detox programs and substance abuse counseling for returning veterans.

“These distinguished Nevadans share my commitment to fighting for middle-class families, and I am grateful for their support,” said Shelley Berkley. “We cannot afford for politicians in Washington to continue siding with Wall Street against the best interests of the middle-class. Instead of continuing tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas, protecting taxpayer giveaways to Big Oil companies and ending Medicare by turning it to over to private insurance companies, we should be creating Nevada jobs, improving access to higher education and helping keep Nevada families in their homes.”

“While Dean Heller is siding with Big Oil companies and Wall Street corporations shipping American jobs overseas, Shelley Berkley has made the middle-class her number one priority,” said State Senator Ruben Kihuen. “Nevada families need someone they can count on to stand up to corporate special interests in order to put people back to work and protect Medicare and Social Security. That person is Shelley Berkley, who has proven time and again she is a champion for middle-class families.”

The founding members of “Latinos for Shelley” are:
Maggie Arias-Petrel, President and CEO, Global Professional Consulting
Debra Baez, Director of Business Development, Power Services
Miguel Barrientos, community activist
Isaac Barron, teacher and Hispanic Student Union advisor
Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson
Assemblyman Steven Brooks
Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams
Rosalinda Castañeda, Vice-Chair Membership, Latino Democrats of Washoe County
Tahis Castro, Chair, Latino Democrats of Washoe County
Mario Delarosa, Publisher, Ahora Latino Journal
State Senator Mo Denis
Assemblywoman Olivia Diaz
Eddie Escobedo Jr., publisher of El Mundo newspaper
Assemblywoman Lucy Flores
Antonio Gonzalez, Vice-Chair at Large, Latino Democrats of Washoe County
State Senator Ruben Kihuen
Sylvia Lazos, Professor of Law
Nora Luna, Hispanic/Latino program manager at local health care foundation
Dr. Rogelio Machuca
Maria Marinch, business owner and educator
Magdelena Martinez, community leader
Viviana Mehner, President, Chilean Association of Nevada
Jose Melendrez, university official
Rosa Mendoza, teacher and activist
Otto Merida, business leader
Estella Morales, activist
Robert Muñoz, Vice-Chair, Latino Democrats of Washoe County
Angel Ortiz, activist
Juan Ortega, community activist
Andres Ramirez, Vice Chair of the DNC Hispanic Caucus
Marco Rauda, community activist
Margarita Rebollal, President, Hispanic International Parade
Fernando Romero, President, Hispanics in Politics
Elaine Sanchez, community leader
Ivet Santiago, non-profit executive
Astrid Silva, community activist
Roberto Suarez, former President, Dominican Association
Javier Trujillo, community leader
Luis Valera, university official
Laura Vargas, Secretary, Latino Democrats of Washoe County
María Velez, Tesorera, Latino Democrats of Washoe County
Lynette Sawyer, Executive Director, Hispanic Museum of Nevada

The Democrat will need Latinos to help her get out of the vote against Heller, a popular Republican who has stronger support in rural and Northern Nevada where the former congressman is from.

“Yes,” Berkley said firmly when asked if she were counting on a strong Hispanic vote to win.
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On one issue that has become a rallying cry for Hispanics, Berkley backs the DREAM Act. It would give children of illegal immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship if they attend college or serve in the military. Heller voted against it, saying it could give benefits to illegal immigrants that should go to U.S. citizens.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is working on a GOP version of the DREAM Act that would let young illegal immigrants stay in the United States to study but would stop short of offering citizenship.

Berkley called the Rubio proposal “insulting to the Latino community.”

“It’s the DREAM Act without the dream,” Berkley said. “There’s no path to citizenship. I mean there’s a stark difference.”
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Berkley said Latinos would rather send her to the Senate than return Heller, whose party has been battling Obama on everything from health care reform and student aid to tax and immigration policy. “Why would you elect people with the same policies that got us into this economic mess in the first place?” Berkley asked. “I think the Latino community is wise enough to be able to make a good choice.”

Berkley has long-standing ties with Hispanic leaders in Southern Nevada, including those who have backed her in her seven successful congressional runs. Several dozen Latino leaders have endorsed Berkley for Senate, representing a broad spectrum of Nevada – education, business, politics, community services and Spanish-language media.

They also include a few prominent Republicans such as Otto Merida, president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce. He joined Berkley at Monday’s kickoff with a dozen other Hispanics, including state Sens. Mo Denis and Ruben Kihuen and Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, all Democrats from Las Vegas, and Fernando Romero, president of Hispanics in Politics.

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) on Wednesday afternoon said she would soon introduce a bill that would ensure that Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, remain an option for government conferences, by preventing the government from blacklisting these cities.

Berkley noted that the Bush administration had blacklisted Las Vegas and Reno as destinations for government conferences, but that President Obama reversed that policy. She said some Republicans today, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), are looking to reinstate that blacklist in the wake of the lavish 2010 General Services Administration (GSA) conference in Las Vegas, which led to the resignation of GSA’s top official, and an ongoing administration.

Despite that episode, Berkley said repeating this step would only hurt these cities and any others that might end up on the blacklist.

“This policy has damaged the reputation of my state, hurt our economy, and killed jobs,” she said.

Read more >>

Dean Heller decides to join Shelley’s fight to end the unfair blacklisting of NV states

Berkley welcomes Heller’s support of anti-blacklisting bill

WASHINGTON – Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley released the following statement after Senator Dean Heller announced his support for her legislation prohibiting government agencies from blacklisting Las Vegas and Reno:

“I welcome Senator Heller’s support for my legislation defending Las Vegas and Reno from discrimination. Maybe next he’ll see the light on paycheck fairness for women?”

The Senate is planning to vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act after the recess.

Berkley, Heller, agree on bill to ban blacklisting of federal conferences in Nevada

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Shelley Berkley and Dean Heller don’t agreed on much in their tough U.S. Senate race, but they’re uniting to end blacklisting by the federal government of convention cities inNevada.

Berkley on Wednesday said she’ll introduce a bill to ensure that Las Vegas and Reno remain options for government conferences. The move is an attempt combat recent backlash over a 2010 Las Vegasconference by the Government Services Administration that has come to signify excessive government waste.

Berkley on Wednesday said she’ll introduce a bill to ensure that Las Vegas and Reno remain options for government conferences.

Heller says he’ll join Berkley in the effort.

Read more >>

Political rivals agree: Cities shouldn’t be blacklisted from hosting federal conferences

Is it possible that two foes locked in what promises to be one of this year’s most bitter campaign battles agree on something?

In a rare display of comity toward his Democrat rival in the Senate race, U.S. Sen Dean Heller, R-Nev., announced his support of U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley’s legislation that would ban so-called blacklisting of U.S. cities from holding federal conferences.

Berkley was first out of the gate Wednesday, announcing she would introduce legislation that would protect Reno and Las Vegas from being denied federal conventions in the wake of the scandal surrounding the GSA’s lavish spending at a Las Vegas conference in 2010. Rather than trying to one-up her on the issue, Heller announced he’d join her.

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“It’s disappointing that Senate Republicans are once again siding with Wall Street millionaire bankers and hedge fund managers instead of Nevada’s struggling middle-class families.  There’s simply no reason why those who vacation on private yachts and travel by personal jet should pay a lower tax rate than housekeepers, teachers, nurses and card dealers.  It’s time for Washington to stand up for Nevada families struggling to put food on the table, fill up their tank with gas and make the rent or mortgage payment.”

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The Las Vegas Democrat, running for U.S. Senate, singled out a vote by Republican Sen. Dean Heller in 2011 that would have cut a veterans housing voucher program by $75 million.

“I find it shameful there are people in Congress, serving in the Senate, that would vote to eliminate programs that help our veterans,” Berkley told a gathering of about a dozen people. “Our responsibility begins the day they sign up and ends the day they pass away.”

Berkley did not mention Heller by name in her remarks, but confirmed she was talking about him when asked.

The 2011 vote was on a $75 million supplement to a housing voucher program for veterans that Republicans called unnecessary because the program still had unused vouchers.

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Berkley was speaking in Reno as part of her “Prioritize Veterans Tour” to highlight her work with former members of the armed services.

Berkley, D-Las Vegas, failed to mention or say anything about her main opponent, U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., until prompted to do so by the media after her speech.

Instead, Berkley remained focused on what could be her strongest suit: concern for the veterans of U.S. military service.

The stop in Reno marked the continuation of Berkley’s “Prioritize Veterans Tour,” which has already made stops in Pahrump, Laughlin and Las Vegas. It is scheduled to end Friday in Elko.

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Although she never uttered the word, “Heller,” Berkley said “yes” when asked after her speech if Heller was among those in Washington, D.C., who votes against veterans issues.

When later prodded by a gaggle of TV reporters to mention a specific vote against veterans by Heller, Berkley said:

“I’ll give you a specific example — the homeless veteran housing voucher program. I fought very hard to make sure that was created and adequately funded. He voted to dismantle the program, to end the program.”

Berkley’s campaign said Heller voted for a Republican continuing resolution that cut $75 million for homeless veterans in 2011, including the elimination of housing vouchers.

“The cuts to homeless veteran vouchers are to me, one of the cruelest things we can do,” Berkley said during her speech. “What this shows is our veterans need somebody that will stand up and fight for them. The next senator from the state of Nevada should make veterans in this state and this nation a major priority for this country and state.”