It's only day one of the special session, and already lawmakers are shaking up the floor.
As the six different assembly bills were being introduced on the floor, Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch objected to Assembly Bill 5 because she believes it doesn't need to be in the special session.
"It costs taxpayers $100,000 a day for a special session, and I'm very concerned that this is a session for people that are upset their bills didn't pass in regular session," she said.
Assembly Bill 5 proposes to set aside $120 million in tax credits that would be transferred to film production companies from 2028 to 2043.
La Rue Hatch's objection created a motion that the bill be voted on immediately, or it gets dropped. Lawmakers tied their votes 21-21.
La Rue Hatch responded, saying, "I called this rule because I felt there were many others that shared my concern, which clearly they did, and I think we just saw on the board that this bill doesn't have the votes to pass."
This means the bill will continue through the jobs and economy committee.
Some people on both sides of the aisle support the bill because it could provide more jobs.
Michael Brady, market representative for the Northwest Regional Organizing Coalition, says, "It's going to bring forth a lot of jobs, a lot of jobs in the Las Vegas area, but it's also going to impact the state. As the business grows, it's going to bring more jobs in northern Nevada as well."
Others are calling this bill disrespectful to working Nevadans struggling with affordability.
Alexander Marks, Deputy Executive Director for the Nevada State Education Association, says, "If Hollywood is the emergency, then Nevada leaders have lost the plot, and if tone deafness were taxable, perhaps our schools would be fully funded."
Olivia Tanager, executive director for Sierra Club's Toyabe Chapter, says, "Even the state's own projections admit that only 50 to 70 cents of every dollar will come back to the general fund. That is not economic development; that it is cheating Nevadans out of the goods and services they expect their tax dollars to fund."
We've reached out to several assemblymembers who voted to keep the bill, including Speaker Yeager, for a comment, but have not heard back yet.
We also reached out to Governor Lombardo, who says he does not have a comment at this time.
