Nevada special session sees chaotic finish with death of film tax, corporate housing bills
The Nevada Legislature's special session concluded Wednesday in a topsy-turvy final few hours. Click the links below to see developments throughout Day 7:
- Special session ends
- Constitutional amendment to protect mail voting passes
- Success for appropriations, health provider grant program bills
- Corporate housing bill fails in Assembly
- Senate rejects film tax expansion
- Technical tweak made to Lombardo's crime bill
- Senate unanimously approves housing bill
- Senate committee passes corporate home bill
- Competing amendments on corporate home bill
Special session ends — 10:19 p.m.
Constitutional amendment to protect mail voting passes — 9:43 p.m.
Appropriations, health care provider grant program head to Lombardo's desk — 9:26 p.m.
Assembly fails to pass corporate housing bill — 9:07 p.m.
Film tax credit bill rejected by Senate — 8:58 p.m.
The Nevada Senate on Wednesday evening rejected the bill to significantly expand Nevada’s film tax credit system, a bad sign for the multiyear effort from major movie studios to vastly change the state’s film ecosystem.
Ten out of 21 senators supported the bill, failing to meet the majority threshold. Three senators were absent. It’s unclear whether the measure will be reconsidered before the end of the Legislature’s special session.
The Assembly narrowly passed the measure Sunday, 22-20, so it needs approval from the Senate to reach the desk of Gov. Joe Lombardo, who would sign the bill.
The heavily lobbied bill would put Nevada on the hook for $120 million in annual transferable tax credits to film companies for 15 years beginning in 2029. Proponents had touted its potential to create construction jobs and increase funding for Clark County’s pre-K program, though legislative staff had estimated the state budget would likely go into the red once the credits were issued.
You can view our story here.
— Eric Neugeboren
Technical tweak made to Lombardo's crime bill — 8:10 p.m.
The Senate just passed AB4, Gov. Joe Lombardo’s crime bill again on 16-2 vote, after adopting an additional amendment to Lombardo's crime bill making “technical” changes to immigration-related provisions adopted this morning.
Sen. Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) said on the floor that the amendment would “ensure completeness” to the changes. Sens Dina Neal (D- North Las Vegas) and James Orthenschall (D-Las Vegas) were the sole nays.
The amendment from last night raised concerns about public safety officials' ability to access school grounds for educational and emergency purposes. The new provision still bars immigration enforcement officials from accessing school grounds, but clarifies that school resource officers and police officers are not required to follow the school-related provisions.
The bill would have to return again to the Assembly for them to concur.
– Isabella Aldrete
Senate unanimously approves corporate housing bill — 2:44 p.m.
Senate committee approves corporate home buying bill — 1:53 p.m.
The Nevada Senate Committee on Jobs and Economy approved the-last minute proposal to crack down on corporate home buying following a hearing that offered new details on the bill.
Notably, Sen. Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas) — the presenter of the bill alongside Sen. Ira Hansen (R-Sparks) — confirmed that the proposed 1,000-unit cap on annual corporate home buying in Nevada applies to all corporations, not individual ones. That means one corporation could purchase 1,000 homes in a given year and no other corporation could buy another property.
“One corporation could bite the apple, and no one else could play,” Neal said.
The 1,000-unit cap, according to Neal and Hansen, was part of a compromise with the executive branch, which prefers an annual cap of 2,000 units. However, the two senators said this would make up too large of a percentage of corporate-owned homes. Neal said she told them “absolutely not.”
A previous bill she proposed during the 2025 Legislature (which died) would have placed a 100-unit annual cap.
An amendment to the bill presented in Wednesday’s hearing would exempt property sold by credit unions or ones that the state’s top housing official considers “in the public interest.” It also exempts apartments and newly built homes from the annual cap.
A future version of the bill is set to also exempt condos, Neal said. Supporters of the bill said they hope the final version will not include that exemption, fearing it will result in corporations emphasizing purchases of these properties.
Fiscal notes detailing expected costs incurred by the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office and Nevada Housing Division to carry out the bill are also expected. The amended bill also changed language so that it will no longer require approvals from two-thirds of lawmakers, but it is unclear if that will remain in the final version.
Some lawmakers appeared skeptical of the proposal, raising concerns about its legality.
“I'm concerned if we were to have a market like we did in 2008 to 2010 where we have inventories at such a level that we would be excluding purchasers from people that are desperate to sell their homes,” said Sen. John Steinbeck (R-Las Vegas).
In response, Neal and Hansen noted the language that allows exemptions for property deemed to be “in the public interest” and expressed an openness to adding language to address disruptions in the housing market.
Support testimony came from progressive and housing reform groups and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat whose office would be responsible for enforcing the proposal. Ford, who is running for governor, largely spent his testimony attacking Gov. Joe Lombardo, saying his unwillingness to support similar measures in the past two legislative sessions was "a dereliction of duty." Ford's campaign also released a statement after the hearing calling on Lombardo to sign the bill.
Opponents included the Nevada State Apartment Association, the Nevada Home Builders Association and the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association.
The hearing came shortly after the bill was introduced in a contentious floor hearing.
Sen. Lori Rogich (R-Las Vegas) criticized Hansen for not sharing the text of the bill.
“Why would you — a member of our own caucus — not want to work with us?” Rogich asked.
Hansen apologized and said he did not want to provide inaccurate information because it was a fluid situation. He also said he consulted with the governor’s office about the bill.
“Gov. Lombardo will come out a winner in this because this is his ideas as well. He has deep concerns over the escalation of rents,” he said. “I want this to be a win-win for everyone.”
— Eric Neugeboren
Competing amendments to corporate home buying bill — 10:50 a.m.
The last-minute addition to the special session agenda to crack down on corporate home buying was a joint effort between lawmakers and the governor's office. However, an amendment proposed by the executive branch and obtained by The Nevada Independent seeks a 2,000-unit cap on corporate home purchases in a single year. Another proposed amendment from Sen. Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas) wants a 1,000-unit cap.
— Eric Neugeboren