Nevada: Heck v. Cortez Masto

Representative Joe Heck (R)

Background: Member of U.S. House of Representatives since 2010

Heck received good marks for his positions on intellectual property and talent. He supported both the America Invents Act and the Innovation Act, and opposed SOPA. As a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, he has prioritized STEM training, participating in initiatives such as the Congressional App Challenge and recognizing that “An educational foundation in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—will give our students the knowledge and skills to be successful in a competitive global marketplace that is becoming more scientifically and technologically advanced.” He is also a proponent of comprehensive immigration reform and has argued that scaling back the H1-B visa program could hurt economic growth. Heck also supported the USA Freedom Act and the JOBS Act (extra credit). Unfortunately, Heck has opposed net neutrality, voting for an anti-net neutrality resolution in 2011 and supporting a bill that would have limited the FCC’s ability to enforce its Open Internet Order. His positions on broadband and encryption are unclear.

Catherine Cortez Masto (D)

Background: Nevada Attorney General, 2007-2015

While Cortez Masto has pledged to “ensure every rural community has access to high-speed broadband, and small businesses have access to necessary capital to keep and create jobs,” her positions on most of the issues we evaluated for this scorecard are unknown. She supports comprehensive immigration reform but has not made statements on high-skilled visa programs specifically. On IP policy, Cortez Masto joined a 2014 letter from the National Association of Attorneys General that supported Congress’ patent reform efforts but raising a number of issues relevant to state interests.