Were underwater on their mortgages
But Reid and the rest of the Nevada delegation made sure that plenty affecting Nevada made it into the final pieces of legislation of the 113th Congress. Here's what lawmakers agreed to that could affect you:
Extended tax breaks
When Nevadans file their federal income taxes in April, they'll still be able to deduct state and local sales tax they paid. A tax break package Congress passed retroactively extended this rule for tax year 2014, benefiting taxpayers in Nevada who can't deduct state income tax because they don't pay it.
Nevadans who refinanced their homes or were underwater on their mortgages will also be able to deduct the difference on their debt for tax year 2014. Reid had wanted both these tax breaks to be permanent, but they'll have to be renewed next year, too.
Mostly rural counties in Nevada with lots of federal land will receive roughly $20-$25 million total to take the place of tax revenue they would stand to earn if they owned the land and could collect property taxes on it. These payments in lieu of taxes have become a key budget filler for many rural counties in Nevada.
Opened federal land for development
Thousands of acres of federally owned land in Nevada will open up to commercial development in exchange for closing about 75,000 acres of land for wilderness protection.
Reid negotiated eight Nevada lands bills, some of which affect Las Vegas, into an unrelated, must-pass defense spending bill. It's the most significant lands package to pass Congress since 2009, but it was a controversial move that earned the scorn of budget hawks like retiring Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who called the defense bill, filled with unrelated federal lands bills, "the worst of Washington."