The atrocities of last year have certainly changed the way we all look at business and the economy. Aside from the obvious effects — recession and falling revenues — there are the hidden changes that we have all experienced. Can any of us say we will ever feel 100 percent safe in our workplace again? Terrorists have shown they have the ability and ingenuity to strike at the very heart of America – our business community.
As with every disaster, however, there are lessons to be learned. We immediately realized we had become extremely lax in our security measures, especially at our nation’s airports. While it has cost all of us who travel a few additional minutes, the wait is well worth the extra sense of comfort.
American businesses also learned that they needed to be better prepared for a disaster of this magnitude. Nowhere is this more true than in Nevada. After September 11, we saw just how badly our community’s economy could be hit by terrorists. Now imagine if these attacks had happened a bit closer to home. While I’m not trying to be an alarmist, a bit of realism is important when dealing with this type of situation. Our resort hotels can hold 10,000 or more visitors and employees. It would be foolish not to think this type of target would be attractive for terrorists.
We are fortunate that the leaders of our largest industry, gaming, care so much about security. Nearly every hotel has its own security force, and they do a very good job of keeping guests safe and spotting trouble. More must be done, however, if we are to be truly prepared for the possibility of terrorists striking Nevada. I will be proposing legislation at the 2003 legislative session to deal with these and other problems relating to terrorist acts against the Silver State.
One portion of that legislation will deal with the importance of having hotels and other businesses file disaster and emergency plans with state and local governments. Not only will this force entities that don’t have these plans to create them, but it will raise the preparedness level for everyone. It will also allow government to play a key role in helping coordinate emergency and disaster relief services in the event of an attack. The lines of communication will be open, and in a crisis situation, that is always a good thing.
Even businesses not required to file with the state can benefit from the formation of such a plan. It doesn’t take an act of terrorism to constitute a disaster. By having an emergency plan in place you can safeguard the well-being of your employees and customers.
Throughout my time in political life, I have fought against unnecessary government intervention in business. I firmly believe Nevada has some of the finest leaders and entrepreneurs of any state in the union. But on this issue, a partnership between the state and local industries can only be looked on as positive. The more we can do to safeguard against terrorism, the safer our millions of visitors will feel. It really is government’s role to provide for the safety of its citizens, and we try to do that by creating laws and enforcing them. But in regards to an issue of this magnitude, we can’t do it alone. Local businesses have too many resources not to be integrally involved in this effort.
I was recently appointed to serve on a national task force dealing with how to combat the issue of terrorism in the United States. At our first meeting, it was obvious to everyone that one of the best ways to fight this battle is by establishing open lines of communication not only between governments, but also with the private sector. While we are not seeking to tell people how to run their businesses, we must all be on the same page when it comes to being prepared for a terrorist or disaster situation. The one point I tried to stress to these national leaders is that homeland security begins at home. If individual states raise their level of preparedness, then the entire country will be more ready to deal with terrorist threats.
There are also tremendous resources that can be obtained from the federal government. Communities that are ready and prepared may be the beneficiaries of federal dollars. I have spoken to many business owners in the process of putting together this legislation and will seek out their advice and counsel when the Legislature takes it up in 2003.
