Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-1) last night introduced an amendment to the Republican budget bill to rescind a provision by Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei that would sell off 65,000 acres of public lands in Clark County for private development. The Amodei provision would have no conservation benefits for Southern Nevada and would force local taxpayers to pay the costs of extending infrastructure to far-flung developments. 

The House Budget Committee late Sunday night passed a Republican budget bill that includes the Amodei amendment to sell public lands in Southern Nevada with proceeds going directly into the U.S. Treasury.

“This Republican budget includes a massive land grab in Southern Nevada to pay for tax breaks for the rich,” Congresswoman Titus said. “There are no provisions for setting aside lands for conservation or preserving critical ecosystems. The lands proposed for sale are distant from urban areas and would require expensive extensions of infrastructure that Nevada taxpayers would be forced to bear. These developments also would strain our fragile water resources. Retaining the Amodei amendment in this legislation would make a bad bill even worse. I intend to do everything I can to stop this rip-off that benefits no one in Southern Nevada.”

Later this week, Congresswoman Titus’s amendment will be considered during the House Rules Committee’s consideration of the Republican budget, scheduled for 1 a.m. Wednesday. House Republican leadership is seeking to bring to the House floor by Memorial Day its budget proposal containing massive cuts to Medicaid, education, housing assistance and other vital services.