Assemblymember Brian Hibbetts presented Assembly Bill 379 to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, seeking state support to develop the College of Southern Nevada’s (CSN) Northwest campus. The bill, as filed, contained a placeholder $1 appropriation; presenters and CSN leadership outlined a braided funding approach and preliminary cost estimates.

Hibbetts said the site—long identified by CSN at Durango and Elkhorn—has been designated for a future campus for decades and currently houses a sign reading “future home of CSN Northwest Campus.” The bill would support construction of a first‑phase building to house the Center for Excellence in Public Safety, general education classrooms, student services and an emergency vehicle operations course; later phases could add fire‑science and EMS training programs. Hibbetts noted the urgency: the federal Bureau of Land Management conveyed the land with a reversion clause, and Hibbetts said BLM would reclaim the parcel if construction did not commence by October 2026.

James McCoy, CSN executive vice president for academic affairs, told the committee the full build‑out for the 60,000‑square‑foot first phase, an emergency vehicle operations track and on‑site development of virgin land is preliminarily estimated at $139 million to $156 million. CSN has previously secured a $4.5 million planning appropriation and has committed nearly an additional $4.5 million to reach approximately $9 million in project planning to ensure the campus is shovel‑ready. McCoy said CSN intends to seek federal, municipal, philanthropic and foundation funds and will not ask the state to cover the full projected cost.

Members asked questions about the land status and schedule. Hibbetts said there is a deadline: if CSN does not have a shovel in the ground by October 2026, the land could revert to the federal government. McCoy said CSN expects construction documents and readiness for a shovel in the ground as early as December 2025, and that the planning funds already appropriated will be spent by the end of the fiscal year.

Supporters including the Vegas Chamber, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the City of Las Vegas, American Medical Response/Medic West, CSN Foundation and local law‑enforcement and emergency‑response leaders testified in favor of the bill. Supporters emphasized regional workforce training needs, the EVOC (emergency vehicle operations course) component, dual‑enrollment opportunities for high‑school students and the campus’s potential to serve rapidly growing northwest Las Vegas neighborhoods.

No organized opposition testified in committee. The sponsor closed the hearing; the committee did not take a vote at the hearing.

Votes or future appropriations would follow normal Ways and Means and budget processes.