Film tax credit bill narrowly survives early challenge in Nevada Legislature

CARSON CITY — A special session of the Nevada Legislature started with dramatics on Thursday when a bill proposing increased tax breaks for the film industry survived a procedural challenge that could have blocked it from consideration.

During the initial reading and bill referral in the Nevada Assembly, Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch, D-Reno, invoked a rule that can be used to force a vote on whether a bill should be rejected from further consideration. Assembly leadership called a one-minute recess that stretched longer than half an hour as they consulted with legal counsel about how to proceed.

Before the end of the recess, Assemblymember Tracy Brown-May, D-Las Vegas — who had been marked as an excused absence at the start of the day — was teleconferenced in for the rejection vote, which resulted in a 21-21 tie that allowed the bill to move forward.

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo called a special session of the Legislature on Wednesday, saying the state needed to address more than a dozen pieces of legislation. The agenda includes some high-profile bills that failed in the regular session about five months ago.

Perhaps most notable is the push to build the Summerlin Studios project. That bill would expand the state’s transferable film tax credit program to up to $120 million available annually, $95 million of which would be tied to the development of a film studio campus near Town Center Drive and Flamingo Road in the southwest Las Vegas Valley.

After the vote, La Rue Hatch questioned why call-in testimony from the public would not be allowed during Assembly meetings. Lawmakers also suspended requirements to post advance public notice for meetings.

“I feel like what we just saw was democracy at work, and I do have concerns that we are in an emergency special session considering bills that the public has not gotten to see,” she said on the floor. “And I’m especially concerned that we are allowing remote participation for our member, which I believe is right, while we are not allowing it for the public.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada condemned the testimony limitations in a joint statement with Battle Born Progress, highlighting what it said are “transparency and accountability issues” within the Legislature.

“This decision undermines the same principles of accessibility and participatory democracy that Assembly Democrats have purported to champion,” ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah said in a statement. “If this is truly the people’s house, we would encourage Assembly Democrats to reverse course and take the people’s phone calls.”

Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In-person testimony will be available in legislative buildings in Carson City and Las Vegas, “time permitting,” according to a Wednesday evening press release from the Assembly Democratic Caucus. Written testimony will also be accepted.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X. Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.