This week, CityLife talks with Nevada’s freshman congresswoman, Dina Titus. Thanks to the recession, which monopolized much of the interview, our print edition could accommodate only some of Titus’ comments.

Thanks to the marvel of modern technology, CityBlog serves up the rest of your Titus political fix.

CityBlog: What’s the first thing you did when you got into town in D.C.?

Titus: The first thing I did was go apartment-hunting so I would have a place to live back there. It took me about a week to find a place, but I am settled in and adjusting to life on The Hill.

CB: How are you adjusting to the pace of work in Congress?

Titus: It’s a fast-paced atmosphere with long, busy days. But it has to be in order to tackle the serious problems facing Nevada and the nation.

CB: How have U.S. Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dean Heller helped you adjust? Have they shown you around? Held receptions in your honor to welcome you …?

Titus: Shelly has been great. She has shown me around and helped me find my way. She held a reception for me the first week of session and has helped introduce me to my new colleagues.

Dean stopped by my office the day we were sworn-in to say hello. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the office at the time, but I appreciated the gesture. We later spoke on the floor of the House.

CB: What are your legislative priorities in your first term?

Titus: I want to build on my accomplishments at the state level, especially in the areas of energy and education.  Investing in Nevada’s abundant renewable energy will not only reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but it can spur economic growth by creating jobs and diversifying our economy so we are not so reliant on tourism and gaming. As a lifelong educator, I also want to focus on improving our education system with a revision of No Child Left Behind and making college more affordable. With Nevadans suffering from the economic recession and the cost of college rising, more young people are finding it harder than ever to afford a college education. And with a budget deficit at the state level, education funding faces cuts. It is critical, especially during these tough economic times, that we do not shortchange our investments in education and our children’s future.

CB: Are you confident the Dems will lead Congress any better than Republicans did? I mean, the GOP set the bar so low … surely it won’t be hard to outperform them, right?

Titus: I am confident that Democrats will lead Congress effectively, and along with President Obama, bring the change that our country needs. My Democratic colleagues and I want to work with Republicans in the spirit of bipartisanship to develop solutions to the challenges we face and move our country forward.

CB: What about TARP? Are you satisfied with Treasury’s new guidelines for spending the remaining TARP funds?

Titus: Under the Bush Administration the money that was originally intended to go toward addressing the foreclosure crisis was instead funneled into banks that have done nothing but hoard the money, failing to lend and get the economy moving again. Here in Southern Nevada, where the foreclosure crisis has been the worst, we cannot afford for that to happen again.

While I have confidence that President Obama and his Treasury Department intend to responsibly use the remaining TARP funds, I voted against releasing the second $350 billion because there were not sufficient safeguards to ensure accountability and transparency. In the House, we passed legislation that I supported to require part of the TARP money go toward the foreclosure crisis. It also ensured accountability by requiring banks to report how they are spending the money they receive from the government, and it limited executive bonuses for firms receiving TARP funds.

CB: Economists keep telling me that as sure as the sun will rise, more bank bailouts are coming. Are you prepared to support future bank bailouts – and which additional guidelines, if any, would you place on future bailouts?

Titus: I hope that we can turn our economy around and restore economic security for the American people without another bailout, but it is clear that road to economic recovery will be long and hard. If another bailout is proposed I will have to examine the details carefully and the economic situation at that time. I can tell you that any proposed bailout that does not use taxpayer dollars wisely and effectively will not earn my support.

CB: Congress faces gargantuan challenges. Do you ever feel this is sort of a trial by fire for you, in terms of the array and scope of issues you’re now working on?

Titus: I have had to work hard and learn quickly, but it is an honor to be here at such a critical time in our nation’s history.  Due to the enormous challenges facing our country, there was not much time to ease into things. We had to hit the ground running, and I believe this Congress is off to a good start. We have passed legislation to help workers who are discriminated against in the workplace. We passed the SCHIP bill, which will provide health insurance for 11 million children. And the House has passed a recovery package that will create and save jobs through tax breaks to hard-working Americans and important investments to rebuild our country. With this economic recession making it harder for families to make ends meet, our work in Congress will have a vital impact on their everyday lives.