Ways & Means advances $22.8M for university planning and maintenance projects across Nevada System of Higher Education
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Summary
The committee advanced Senate Bill 427, allocating $22.8 million in planning and one‑time maintenance funds to NSHE institutions, including $6.2 million each for UNR and UNLV planning design for life‑sciences and business buildings; the committee accepted a conceptual amendment replacing a proposed bond sweep with general‑fund support for CSN.
The Assembly Ways and Means Committee advanced Senate Bill 427, which provides state funding for planning, design and one‑time maintenance projects across the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE).
SB 427 includes $6.2 million in state planning money for the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) to design a life‑sciences facility and $6.2 million for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to plan a new Lee Business School building. The bill also includes smaller appropriations for maintenance and safety projects at community colleges, the Desert Research Institute, and Western Nevada College, totaling $22,809,302 in the version the committee considered prior to an amendment.
At the hearing UNR President Brian Sandoval described the existing Fleischmann Agricultural building, constructed in 1957, as undersized and outdated and said the proposed life‑sciences facility would support pre‑nursing, biology, biotechnology and related workforce needs. "That building was constructed in 1957 ... it is no longer state of the art," Sandoval said, noting space and ADA limitations.
UNLV President Chris Heavey said the Lee School of Business building, built in 1984 and housing more than 4,300 students, needs replacement to meet modern workforce training needs in southern Nevada; he estimated construction costs would likely fall in the $120 million to $150 million range.
Patricia Charlton, chancellor for NSHE, and institutional officials described multiple one‑time maintenance projects: HVAC and rooftop replacements at Great Basin College, fire‑sprinkler replacement at Desert Research Institute buildings, exterior repairs at Truckee Meadows Community College and parking and erosion controls at Western Nevada College.
Lawmakers pressed on financing and timing. Committee members expressed concern about an initial draft that proposed transferring $22,809,302 from the Consolidated Bond Interest and Redemption Fund (a fund that supports debt service) and asked for alternatives. The chair offered and the committee adopted a conceptual amendment that deleted the bond sweep language and instead added a general‑fund appropriation of $300,000 to the College of Southern Nevada for planning and permitting of its Northwest Campus public‑safety center, while retaining the other NSHE allocations. The amendment was adopted before the committee advanced the bill.
Presidents Sandoval and Heavey said both campuses plan to match state planning funds with institutional resources to complete design. Sandoval estimated a total construction cost for the UNR life‑sciences building of roughly $123 million; Heavey estimated UNLV's building at $120–$150 million and said construction funding would likely combine philanthropy, institutional bonding capacity and potential future state support.
The committee advanced the bill with the amendment. The approved planning dollars will allow campuses to proceed to detailed design and later return to the Legislature if additional construction funding is requested.
What happens next: The institutions will complete planning and design work and, if construction funding is needed, they can request that support in a future session or through other financing mechanisms.