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Push for two Nevada movie studio bills ramps up as debate continues

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Push for two Nevada movie studio bills ramps up as debate continues


LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Lawmakers and supporter of two bills for tax credits for movie studio campuses are ramping up their calls for approval, as both face further support and scrutiny amid the state’s projected shortfalls.

The clock is ticking until the end of the 2025 Legislative session.

Assembly Bill 238, backing the joint venture at Summerlin Studios between Warner. Bros. and Sony Pictures, remains in the Ways and Means Committee.

Senate Bill 220 –supported by Birtcher Nevada Development and the MBS Group at the Harry Reid Research & Technology Park–remains in the Finance Committee.

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Both bills are expecting a hearing within days.

Supporters of each bill, and trade unions who support both, argue for a need for economic diversification and a rapid infusion of revenue streams amid slumping tourism and high unemployment, touting each legislation’s own benefits.

 On Thursday, lawmakers were informed by the state’s Economic Forum of a $191 million shortfall over two budget cycles. Friday, lawmakers told FOX5 that the State Education Fund will also see a decrease of more than $150 million.

FOX5 spoke with Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui on A.B. 238, who argues that the bill is more crucial than ever for Nevada’s economy.

“We cannot afford to lose this opportunity. We cannot afford to not do this during a time when our economy is going to slow down, which means tourism is going to slow down, which means our revenue is going down as projected by the Economic Forum. This is the perfect time to bring a new economy, new revenue into our state,” Jauregui said, noting that tax credits do not kick in until 2028, or after a proposed movie studio campus is built and a filming project has wrapped up.

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A.B. 238 proposes a $120 million tax credit package over 15 years for productions at Summerlin Studios. The bill mandates that half of the 15,000 annual workers would be Nevadans.

Proponents of S.B. 220 and the “Nevada Film Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Education and Economic Diversification Act” echo the need for economic diversity and also higher education support, as federal funding cuts threaten learning and training opportunities for young Nevadans.

S.B. 220 will provide around $100 million in tax credits for 15 years, with a three-year “ramp-up.” According to bill proponents, the project would generate around 9,000 jobs a year, and through the lifespan of the project, generate $80.5 billion in economic impact.

The Nevada State Education Association has strongly opposed the potential negative fiscal impact of both bills, arguing for lawmakers to prioritize critical funding that’s needed for Nevada schools.

“We have a looming federal budget crisis that could potentially cut hundreds of millions of dollars from our education programs, and for some reason Carson City is entertaining another Hollywood handout,” said Alexander Marks of the NSEA.

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 “We can’t afford giant tax credits to corporations…the biggest plot twist right now is that the state budgets’ education funding is only increasing by two dollars,” he said, urging lawmakers to pass the Commission on School Funding’s plan for education.

Other lawmakers have already voiced concerns.

“I believe Las Vegas and Nevada are great the way we are, we don’t need to try and be Hollywood 2.0 on the backs of the taxpayers,” said Senate Republican Leader Robin Titus, in a statement this year to FOX5.

Both bills argue a “net positive” effect: for every $1 of tax credits given, more than $1 will be returned in tax revenue and economic infusion.

Others debate the return on investment, or ROI: for every $1 given in tax credits, how much will the state get back in direct or indirect revenue?

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Film productions generate direct revenue for the state from sales taxes and payroll taxes. Productions utilize and hire various other businesses in the community.

Some have expressed concerns over ROI.

“You’d be hard pressed to find an economist or an economic development professional who would say this is a great investment. Essentially, they are a negative balance on the general fund,” said Dr. David Damore of UNLV think-tank The Lincy Institute, urging scrutiny if Nevada lawmakers seek to utilize tax credits.

The 2025 legislative session was a topic of a panel at the Vegas Chamber “Preview Las Vegas” event in January.

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Court OK’s counting late-arriving mail ballots in Nevada, 29 other states

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Court OK’s counting late-arriving mail ballots in Nevada, 29 other states


LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada’s laws allowing the counting of mail-in ballots that arrive up to four days after Election Day — so long as they are postmarked by that date — is constitutional under a Monday ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a 5-4 ruling, justices upheld a challenge to a Mississippi law that’s similar to Nevada’s statute. Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the court’s three liberal members, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Katanji Brown Jackson, to uphold the law.

Conservatives Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch dissented.

The ruling affects 30 states, all of which allow some ballots received after Election Day to be counted. That includes Nevada, which allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be received and counted up to four days later, and ballots without a postmark to be received and counted up to three days later.

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Plaintiffs in the case — including the Republican National Committee and the Mississippi Republican Party — had contended that federal laws referring to “elections” mean both the casting and counting of ballots, which they said must occur on Election Day.

“The federal election-day statutes do not preempt Mississippi’s law because the defining element of an ‘election’ has always been the electorate’s choice of candidate,” the case summary reads. “And a related federal statute — the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act — confirms that while federal law dictates when ballots must be cast, state law governs when they must be received.”

In Nevada, critics have contended that late-arriving ballots erode confidence in elections, because they delay learning final election results for days and, in some close races, can change the outcome.

Gov. Joe Lombardo has called the weeklong wait for final, unofficial results “a national embarrassment.”

Plaintiffs in the case made similar arguments, but were turned away by the court: “Finally, plaintiffs policy arguments about election integrity and voter confidence are properly addressed to legislatures, not courts,” the case summary reads.

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Several attempts to require ballots to be received by Election Day have been introduced in Nevada’s Legislature, but none have been successful in the Democratically controlled body.

Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar has argued that the overwhelming majority of ballots are in and counted by Election Day, and only the closest races may be changed by late-arriving ballots. He’s advocated for more resources for county clerks and voter registrars to be able to count mail ballots more quickly.

Under the ruling, nothing will change for Nevada voters going to the polls in four months to vote in the November election. But officials still encourage voters to send in their mail ballots early, or to put them in drop boxes at voting centers during early voting or on Election Day.

Supreme Court upholds late-arriving mail ballots in Mississippi

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One dead, four hospitalized after head-on crash on I-15 in Clark County

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One dead, four hospitalized after head-on crash on I-15 in Clark County


LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada Highway Patrol responded to a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 15 near mile marker 94 Sunday evening.

The crash was reported at 6:43 p.m. on June 28.

MORE ON FOX5: Driver sustains life-threatening injuries in Las Vegas multi-vehicle crash

A passenger sedan and a pickup truck were involved in the crash. One vehicle was traveling southbound, lost control, crossed through the median, and struck the other vehicle head-on in the northbound travel lane.

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One adult male died at the scene. Two people were transported by ground ambulance, and two others were transported by life flight to a local hospital.

Road closures

All northbound I-15 travel lanes were closed at mile marker 94, but have since opened as of Sunday night.

Nevada Highway Patrol said further information will be provided following the preliminary investigation.

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Officials elevate response efforts to combat eastern Nevada wildfires

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Officials elevate response efforts to combat eastern Nevada wildfires












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