I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3996 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Nevada System 
of Higher Education certain Federal land located in Clark and Nye 
Counties, Nevada, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 9, 2012 
Mr. AMODEI (for himself, Mr. HECK, and Ms. BERKLEY) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the 
Nevada System of Higher Education certain Federal 
land located in Clark and Nye Counties, Nevada, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southern Nevada 
Higher Education Land Act of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
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(1) southern Nevada is one of the fastest grow-
ing regions in the United States, with 750,000 new 
residents added since 2000; 
(2) the Nevada System of Higher Education 
serves more than 71,000 undergraduate and grad-
uate students in southern Nevada, with enrollment 
in the System expected to grow by 21 percent during 
the next 10 years, which would bring enrollment to 
a total of 85,000 students in the System; 
(3) the Nevada System of Higher Education 
campuses in southern Nevada comprise 1,200 acres, 
one of the smallest land bases of any major higher 
education system in the western United States; 
(4) the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with 
27,903 students and 3,000 faculty and staff, is the 
fourth fastest-growing research university in the 
United States; 
(5) the College of Southern Nevada— 
(A) serves more than 41,000 students each 
semester; and 
(B) is near capacity at each of the 3 urban 
campuses of the College; 
(6) Pahrump, located in rural Nye County, Ne-
vada— 
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(A) has grown by 20 percent since 2000; 
and 
(B) has a small satellite campus of Great 
Basin College to serve the 40,500 residents of 
Pahrump, Nevada; and 
(7) the Nevada System of Higher Education 
needs additional land to provide for the future 
growth of the System, particularly for the University 
of Nevada, Las Vegas, the College of Southern Ne-
vada, and the Pahrump campus of Great Basin Col-
lege. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to provide additional land for a thriving 
higher education system that serves the residents of 
fast-growing southern Nevada; 
(2) to provide residents of the State with great-
er opportunities to pursue higher education and the 
resulting benefits, which include increased earnings, 
more employment opportunities, and better health; 
and 
(3) to provide communities in southern Nevada 
the economic and societal values of higher education, 
including economic growth, lower crime rates, great-
er civic participation, and less reliance on social 
services. 
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SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) BOARD OF REGENTS.—The term ‘‘Board of 
Regents’’ means the Board of Regents of the Ne-
vada System of Higher Education. 
(2) CAMPUSES.—The term ‘‘Campuses’’ means 
the Great Basin College, College of Southern Ne-
vada, and University of Las Vegas, Nevada, cam-
puses. 
(3) FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 
means each of the 3 parcels of Bureau of Land 
Management land identified on the maps as ‘‘Parcel 
to be Conveyed’’, of which— 
(A) approximately 40 acres is to be con-
veyed for the College of Southern Nevada; 
(B) approximately 2,085 acres is to be 
conveyed for the University of Nevada, Las 
Vegas; and 
(C) approximately 285 acres is to be con-
veyed for the Great Basin College. 
(4) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means each of the 
3 maps entitled ‘‘Southern Nevada Higher Edu-
cation Land Act’’, dated July 11, 2008, and on file 
and available for public inspection in the appropriate 
offices of the Bureau of Land Management. 
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(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Nevada. 
(7) SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘System’’ means the 
Nevada System of Higher Education. 
SEC. 4. CONVEYANCES OF FEDERAL LAND TO THE SYSTEM. 
(a) CONVEYANCES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 202 
of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) and section 1(c) of the Act 
of June 14, 1926 (commonly known as the ‘‘Recre-
ation and Public Purposes Act’’) (43 U.S.C. 869(c)) 
and subject to all valid existing rights, the Secretary 
shall— 
(A) not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, convey to the System, 
without consideration, all right, title, and inter-
est of the United States in and to the Federal 
land for the Great Basin College and the Col-
lege of Southern Nevada; and 
(B) not later than 180 days after the re-
ceipt of certification of acceptable remediation 
of environmental conditions existing on the par-
cel to be conveyed for the University of Nevada, 
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Las Vegas, convey to the System, without con-
sideration, all right, title, and interest of the 
United States in and to the Federal land for 
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 
(2) PHASES.—The Secretary may phase the 
conveyance of the Federal land under paragraph 
(1)(B) as remediation is completed. 
(b) CONDITIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of the con-
veyance under subsection (a)(1), the Board of Re-
gents shall agree in writing— 
(A) to pay any administrative costs associ-
ated with the conveyance, including the costs of 
any environmental, wildlife, cultural, or histor-
ical resources studies; 
(B) to use the Federal land conveyed for 
educational and recreational purposes; 
(C) to release and indemnify the United 
States from any claims or liabilities that may 
arise from uses carried out on the Federal land 
on or before the date of enactment of this Act 
by the United States or any person; 
(D) as soon as practicable after the date of 
the conveyance under subsection (a)(1), to erect 
at each of the Campuses an appropriate and 
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centrally located monument that acknowledges 
the conveyance of the Federal land by the 
United States for the purpose of furthering the 
higher education of the citizens in the State; 
and 
(E) to assist the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment in providing information to the students 
of the System and the citizens of the State 
on— 
(i) public land (including the manage-
ment of public land) in the Nation; and 
(ii) the role of the Bureau of Land 
Management in managing, preserving, and 
protecting the public land in the State. 
(2) AGREEMENT
WITH
NELLIS
AIR
FORCE 
BASE.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—As a precondition of 
the conveyance of the Federal land for the Uni-
versity of Nevada, Las Vegas under subsection 
(a)(1)(B), the Board of Regents shall enter into 
a binding interlocal agreement with Nellis Air 
Force Base to preserve the long-term capability 
of Nellis Air Force Base. 
(B) 
REQUIREMENTS.—The 
interlocal 
agreement entered into under subparagraph (A) 
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and any related master plan shall require the 
mutual assent of the parties to the agreement. 
(C) LIMITATION.—In no case shall the use 
of the Federal land conveyed under subsection 
(a)(1)(B) compromise the national security mis-
sion or avigation rights of Nellis Air Force 
Base. 
(c) USE OF FEDERAL LAND.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The System may use the 
Federal land conveyed under subsection (a)(1) for— 
(A) any purpose relating to the establish-
ment, operation, growth, and maintenance of 
the System; and 
(B) any uses relating to the purposes, in-
cluding residential and commercial development 
that would generally be associated with an insti-
tution of higher education. 
(2) OTHER ENTITIES.—The System may— 
(A) consistent with Federal and State law, 
lease, or otherwise provide property or space at, 
the Campuses, with or without consideration, to 
religious, public interest, community, or other 
groups for services and events that are of inter-
est to the System or to any community located 
in southern Nevada; 
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(B) allow any other communities in south-
ern Nevada to use facilities of the Campuses for 
educational and recreational programs of the 
community; and 
(C) in conjunction with the city of Las 
Vegas, North Las Vegas, or Pahrump or Clark 
or Nye County plan, finance (including through 
the provision of cost-share assistance), con-
struct, and operate facilities for the city of Las 
Vegas, North Las Vegas, or Pahrump or Clark 
or Nye County on the Federal land conveyed 
for educational or recreational purposes con-
sistent with this section. 
(d) REVERSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Federal land or any 
portion of the Federal land conveyed under sub-
section (a)(1) ceases to be used for the System, the 
Federal land, or any portion of the Federal land 
shall, at the discretion of the Secretary, revert to the 
United States. 
(2) UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS.—If 
the System fails to complete the first building or 
show progression toward development of the Univer-
sity of Nevada, Las Vegas campus on the applicable 
parcels of Federal land by the date that is 50 years 
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after the date of receipt of certification of acceptable 
remediation of environmental conditions, the parcels 
of the Federal land described in section 3(3)(B) 
shall, at the discretion of the Secretary, revert to the 
United States. 
Æ 
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