(The Center Square) – From Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” to James Bond’s “Diamonds Are Forever” and the Rat Pack’s “Ocean’s 11,” Nevada has a long history of filmmaking.
State lawmakers recently proposed two tax incentive bills to keep the cameras rolling in Nevada and draw a large-scale studio project.
The Nevada Film Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Education and Economic Diversification Act, or Senate Bill 220, was proposed Feb. 19. Just two days earlier a strikingly similar bill, the Nevada Studio Infrastructure Jobs and Workforce Training Act, or Assembly Bill 238, was introduced.
Both tax incentives came from Democratic leaders based in Clark County, where Las Vegas and its popular filming sites are located. But both face opposition from Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.
“I just don’t see that being good policy, good investments for the constituents and the state of Nevada,” Lombardo told KTNV about a 2023 bill, which failed to go to a vote.
The state has to be careful “in trying to convince the public it’s a good way to do business when they see that there’s such massive companies,” Lombardo said.
SB 220 and AB 238 requires studios to meet capital investment requirements of at least $400 million under AB 238 and $300 million under SB 220 to receive the tax credits, according to media reports.
AB 238 funds $80 million in annual transferable tax credits and requires the studio’s project to include the Nevada Partners Vocational Training Studio. SB 220 would provide $83 million in transferable tax credits for 15 years at University of Nevada at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Research and Technology Park with partnering film studio The MBS Group.
Both bills are described as investments, which are projected to generate more money in the economy than their initial costs. The programs would run through 2050 and 2049 for SB 220 and AB 238, respectively.
SB 220 was introduced by state Sen. Roberta Lange, a Clark County Democrat who is the assistant majority leader. She previously pushed for the failed 2023 bill.
AB 238 is endorsed by two Clark County Democrats in the Assembly: Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui and Speaker Pro Tempore Daniele Monroe-Moreno.
Both bills feature major investments in education, while SB 220 focuses on a wider range of education than film, and with a more clearly outlined investment strategy for this portion of the project.
It is still unclear whether the two bills’ supporters will join together or remain split. Neither Lange nor Jauregui responded Friday to requests for comment from The Center Square.