Nevada committee hears bill to speed Campus for Hope construction, exempt some projects from state public works

Assemblyman Steve Yeager, sponsor of Assembly Bill 598, told the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means that AB598 is intended to let the Campus for Hope move forward more quickly by exempting certain parts of the project from state public works procurement processes while preserving prevailing‑wage protections.

Yeager, who represents Assembly District 9, said the Campus for Hope is a public‑private partnership worth $200,000,000 that will provide “temporary housing, case management, child care, vocational training, medical, dental, behavioral, and substance abuse counseling to help them out of homelessness.” He told the committee that the state, Clark County and the City of Las Vegas identified a 26‑acre parcel on the Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services campus as a preferred site.

The bill’s sponsors described four sections: an exemption from the state public‑works process for certain project contracts; explicit preservation of prevailing‑wage requirements for the Campus for Hope; a narrow allowance for the children’s cottages component to be covered by a project labor agreement (PLA) that could differ from the prevailing‑wage rules if the parties agree; and definitions consistent with the Campus for Hope project.

Jeremy Aguero, who gave a staff overview, said the Campus for Hope Foundation has committed that “not 1 shovel of dirt will be turned until the facilities that these children are in have been replaced.” Aguero described the cottages as a priority: the bill includes $7,500,000 intended to build new purpose‑built cottages for dozens of foster children with behavioral‑health needs, and project leaders hope to build up to 36 cottages as soon as feasible.

Committee members asked whether the exemption would remove day‑to‑day oversight. Aguero said the City of Las Vegas would retain responsibility for building permits and inspections and the local entitlement process; the bill aims to avoid duplicative state procurement while keeping the city’s inspection and permitting role in place.

Several industry and nonprofit witnesses testified in support. Virginia Valentine of the Nevada Resort Association said the bill would “allow expeditious construction and completion of the Campus for Hope.” Eric Hansen, chief sustainability officer at Wynn Resorts, said AB598 “removes unnecessary barriers to development of the campus project” and called the cottages “urgently needed.” Representatives of Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, Boyd Gaming, the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers, the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions, the Vegas Chamber and other organizations also spoke in favor, emphasizing partner funding and a locally sourced construction workforce.

One caller raised a concern about impacts to an adjacent intermediate care property and asked the committee to consider that potential effect. Committee members closed the hearing with no committee vote recorded that night.

Why it matters: supporters said the bill would accelerate construction of services intended for people experiencing homelessness and replace dilapidated facilities used by foster children. Sponsors and witnesses emphasized prevailing‑wage language and local inspection oversight; opponents and at least one caller raised neighborhood and adjacent‑property concerns.

What’s next: the hearing was held and testimony recorded; committee members did not take a final vote that evening.