Legislation would provide land for North Las Vegas UNLV campus

WASHINGTON — Long-held desires by state education leaders to establish a North Las Vegas campus for UNLV would get a boost through a bill that was announced this afternoon in Congress.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he is finalizing legislation that would convey 2,000 acres of federal land bordering Nellis Air Force base to UNLV for the satellite location that could someday dwarf the university's main campus on Maryland Parkway.

The Reid bill also would add 40 acres to the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, and 280 acres for the Pahrump branch of Great Basin College.

Reid said he will introduce the bill on Thursday, expected to be one of the final days of this year's session, and he will continue to work on it in the next Congress.

"This will be a landmark for Nevada's education system," he said. "It is predicted the greater Las Vegas population will double by 2040 and the university system needs more room."