Latest news with #JenifferSolis
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Still no green light for largest public subsidy in state history as Legislature hits adjournment day
A small army of lobbyists for film studios could be seen entering the Senate Democrats office after the lawmakers adjourned for the night. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) The Hollywood movie studios seeking $1.4 billion in transferable tax breaks over 15 years have clearly not received a red carpet rollout from the Nevada State Legislature. Assembly Bill 238, which proposes a twelvefold expansion of the state's transferable film tax credit program, passed the Assembly late Friday in a 22-20 vote, the thinnest margin allowable since a tie would mean not passing. That left the high profile bill three days to pass the Senate. However, two whole days came and went, leaving the bill with less than 24 hours to make it across the finish line. The Senate Finance Committee on Sunday appeared to be gearing up for a late night hearing on the film tax credit bill, but instead the full Senate withdrew the bill from the committee and allowed it to take a procedural step it needed in the full chamber. The bill would massively expand Nevada's film tax credit program to support the build out and operation of a 31-acre film studio currently referred to as the Summerlin Production Studios Project (after the Las Vegas neighborhood where it would be located). Hollywood giants Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery are attached to the project. Howard Hughes Holdings is developing. A small army of lobbyists for film studios could be seen entering the Senate Democrats office after the lawmakers adjourned for the night. Nevada's film tax credit program is currently capped at $10 million per year. AB 238 would raise that cap to $120 million per year, for 15 years, beginning in 2028. The majority of those tax credits, $95 million per year, would be reserved for productions at the Summerlin studio; $25 million per year would be for productions not attached to the studio. Altogether, that's equivalent to $1.8 billion in public subsidies for the television and film industry. If approved by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo, the legislation will be the largest public subsidy approved by the State of Nevada, surpassing the $1.25 billion approved by lawmakers in 2014 for Tesla Motors. While tax credits aren't issued to companies until they prove they've met the qualifications for them, the state must treat them as 'negative revenue' when forecasting expected state revenue. That means they do impact the state budgeting process. Here's where other high-profile bills stand going into the last day of the session: All five state budget bills have all passed the Nevada Legislature. Senate Bill 502, known as the capital improvement program (CIP) bill, crossed the legislative finish line on Sunday. The CIP bill must be passed by a two-thirds majority, so it is often used by the minority party as leverage in broader negotiations. That was the case in the 2023 session, when the CIP bill failed to pass the Senate before midnight on the last day. That forced a one-day special session. The state's other four budget bills (Senate Bill 500, Assembly Bill 591, Assembly Bill 592, and Senate Bill 501) all passed the Legislature within the last week and have been signed by the governor. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Gov. Joe Lombardo reached a compromise on their competing omnibus education bills. Cannizzaro's Senate Bill 460 was amended to include components of Lombardo's Assembly Bill 584, including his proposal to establish a statewide accountability system and a salary incentive program for educators and administrators. Components of Cannizzaro's bill that made it past the amendment include revised evaluation procedures for educators and administrators and additional transparency and assessment requirements for schools receiving funding through the state's quasi-voucher system, known as Opportunity Scholarships. The Senate unanimously passed the bill Sunday, and the bill now heads to the Assembly. Cannizzaro said the bill represents the state taking 'significant strides' toward accountability and transparency. Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus also spoke on the floor in support. Also on the education front: Senate Bill 161, a Clark County Education Association priority bill carried by state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D-Las Vegas), passed the Legislature with some bipartisan support and was signed by Lombardo in the last week of the session. The bill establishes an expedited arbitration process for teachers unions and school districts, and, perhaps more consequentially, establishes a pathway for K-12 public school teachers to legally go on strike. With the passage of SB 161, CCEA will withdraw a ballot measure it had qualified for the 2028 general election ballot. That ballot measure, if approved by voters, would have given teachers the right to strike. The teachers union had previously said it was prepared to defend the ballot measure next year but would prefer to bypass it through legislative action. It marks the second time the union has pulled this move. In 2021, CCEA qualified two ballot measures — one to raise the gaming tax, another to raise the sales tax — only to pull them after the Legislature established a new mining tax that directly funds the state's K-12 per pupil education fund. Assembly Bill 540, Lombardo's housing bill, is currently in the Senate Government Affairs Committee. It has received a hearing but no action has been taken. The bill has already cleared the full Assembly. Senate Bill 457, Lombardo's criminal justice bill, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sunday after receiving a major amendment. The bill needs to pass the full Senate and the full Assembly. Senate Bill 495, Lombardo's health care bill, is prepped for a vote by the full Senate. It will need to be approved by the Senate, then by the Assembly. Senate Bill 461, Lombardo's economic development bill, is currently in the Senate Revenue and Economic Development Committee. It received a hearing but no action has been taken. On Friday, a banking bill sponsored by Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager fell short of the required two-thirds approval it needed to pass the chamber. Assembly Bill 500 would allow for payment banks, a new type of financial institution that focuses solely on payment processing rather than lending. The Assembly vote was 25-17, a simple majority but three votes short of the two-thirds it needed because it would raise state revenue. On Sunday, AB500 returned to the Assembly floor with an amendment that removed the two-thirds requirement. The amendment was adopted but, in a bizarre turn of events, the vote failed 20-22. The vote was attempted a third time and also failed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A moment of silence for property tax reform (and other bills killed by the Nevada Legislature)
Assemblymember Natha Anderson sponsored the property tax reform measure. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) A proposal to let Nevada voters decide whether the taxable value of a property should be reset when a home is sold has died, one of nine victims of a legislative deadline last week. Assembly Joint Resolution 1, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Natha Anderson of Sparks, would essentially have established a reset button on property taxes whenever a property was sold. Currently, the benefits of a depreciation factor and abatements used when calculating property tax stays with a home after it is sold to a new owner. Legislature resurrects proposal to reset property tax valuation when home is sold Because it proposed a constitutional amendment, AJR1 would have to pass in two consecutive sessions and then be approved by voters. The change would have resulted in significantly more money for local governments and school districts, who rely on property tax for funding, without changing the state's tax rate or the beloved tax cap that limits the increase of homeowners' tax bills to no more than 3% a year regardless of how large the increase in property valuation. It would also have created tax parity between a new build and a resold home. Supporters saw it as a reasonable reform to Nevada's complex and cumbersome property tax structure, which has led to underfunding of education and municipal services. Other notable bills that died included: Senate Bill 395, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. James Ohrenschall, would have required a human operator to be present in autonomous commercial vehicles weighing over 26,000 pounds, such as semi-trucks. The bill was being pushed by Teamsters, who raised concerns about autonomous vehicles eliminating middle-class jobs and creating unsafe roads. Assembly Joint Resolution 10, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, which urged the federal government to release federally managed land in Nevada for housing. Assembly Bill 391, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Brittney Miller, would have required schools to compile a report on the academic achievement of chronically absent students. The complete list of the nine bills that died Friday is available here.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Antitrust Act, medical aid in dying, study of water use fees among bills that failed to advance
(Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) The Nevada State Legislature's latest deadline brought an unsurprising end to a 'medical aid in dying' bill Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo had promised to veto. The bill was one of 31 declared dead Friday. Similar to a bill vetoed by the governor two years ago, Assembly Bill 346 would have legalized the prescribing, dispensing and administering of medication designed to end the life of terminally ill patients. Lombardo in 2023 became the first governor to veto such legislation, and a day after AB346 was heard by a legislative committee last month vowed to veto it again. Despite Lombardo's position, the legislation did continue to move through the Legislature. The full Assembly voted on it, where it passed 23-19. The vote did not fall on party lines. It was referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services but never received a committee hearing. Other notable bills that died Friday: Senate Bill 143 (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would have authorized the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Natural Resources to evaluate and review the excessive use fees and other water conservation efforts that impact turf and tree canopy. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and was heard by Assembly Natural Resources on May 5. But it was never given a committee vote. Senate Bill 218 (State Sen. James Ohrenschall, D) would have adopted the Uniform Antitrust Pre-Merger Notification Act, requiring companies to submit to the state attorney general the same notices and information they are already required to provide federal agencies prior to mergers or acquisitions. The bill passed the Senate on party lines, with the 13 Democrats in support and the eight Republicans in opposition. It was referred to the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor but never given a hearing. Assembly Bill 119 (Assemblymember Steve Yeager, D) sought to crack down on paramilitary organizing and activities. It passed the Assembly on party lines, with the 27 Democrats in support and the 15 Republicans in opposition. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Government Affairs but never given a hearing. Assembly Bill 291 (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) would have made changes to the record sealing process for people with multiple past convictions. The bill passed the full Assembly on party lines. It was given a Senate Judiciary hearing in late April but never given a committee vote. Assembly Bill 437 (Assemblymember Jill Dickman, R) would have established a Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plan, an 'insurance of last resort' for properties unable to find coverage elsewhere. The bill's death was tied to an April 23 deadline, but missed the Current's publication time, so we're mentioning it here. The bill made it to the floor of the Assembly but languished on the Chief Clerk's desk and was never given a floor vote. The complete list of dead bills by deadline is available on the Nevada State Legislature's website.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Lake Mead in for a painful summer after dry winter
Rapid snow melt across Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, pushed some basins from above-average snowpack to snow drought conditions in under a month, with snow disappearing up to four weeks early, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. (Photo of Lake Mead at Hoover Dam: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current)) Lake Mead's infamous bathtub ring is expected to get bigger this summer as low snowpack levels in the Rocky Mountains choke the reservoir's biggest source of water – the Colorado River. Snow melt from the Rocky Mountains contributes about 85% of the total water flow in the Colorado River, but those flows will likely be lower than usual this summer, according to federal data. Across the Rocky Mountains the snow season had a strong start, then came one of the driest winters on record, followed by rapid snow melt that bodes poorly for river flow in the summer. Mountain ranges across the Rockies didn't reach peak snowpack in April, and only hit about 63% of average peaks. With less snow, runoff into Lake Powell is expected to be cut nearly in half this year, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. Water levels in Lake Powell, the nation's second largest reservoir, directly impact Lake Mead because streamflow to Lake Powell is eventually released to Lake Mead. Combined storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead is down 920,000 acre-feet from this time last year, or enough water to supply about 1.8 million single-family homes for a year. A 'dreadful winter' means a high likelihood of 'extreme and exceptional drought' is in store for areas of Southern Nevada, according to the Nevada Water Supply Outlook prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service. 'In 2023 it was a great runoff year with a really big snow pack. But we're not going to see anything like that this year,' said Jeff Anderson, a USDA hydrologist and water supply specialist. Water supply estimates for the seven Colorado River Basin states were reduced in April after rapid and early snowmelt wiped out snowpack in the region. Rapid snow melt across Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, pushed some basins from above-average snowpack to snow drought conditions in under a month, with snow disappearing up to four weeks early, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 'The snow pack has melted much quicker than normal,' Anderson said. 'It dropped much quicker than the normal drops.' 'Oftentimes the snow packs don't start to melt as early as they started this year. It's like a locomotive. Once the snow pack absorbs enough energy from the sun and from the temperature and starts to melt, it's very difficult to stop that process,' he said. As snowpack melts, it recharges ecosystems and replenishes reservoirs that provide drinking water for millions of people and irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland. But early melt means water leaves the region before the summer when it's most needed. The quicker snow melts the more likely it is to evaporate too. Less snowmelt making its way to the Colorado River is part of a larger trend. Colorado River streamflow has shrunk by about 20% since 2000, with further declines projected due to climate change. The seven Colorado River Basin states that depend on the river's water are currently working on setting rules for sharing a dwindling water supply after 2026, when current operating guidelines are set to expire. But negotiations over water allotments in the country's two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, have stalled. Two consecutive winters with robust snowpacks gave states that rely on the Colorado River a few more years of stability, but with a dismal water year approaching tensions appear to be growing. Colorado River negotiators — one from each of the seven states that use Colorado River water — will not be speaking at a major water law conference in June, despite having appeared together at the conference for the last few years. That divide has come up at the other annual appearances, too. In December, negotiators opted to split into two separate panels at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference in Las Vegas after appearing together for years. The two camps – the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, and the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada – have been at an impasse since March after submitting two competing proposals for managing the river. One of the biggest sticking points between the two basins is whether or not Upper Basin states should absorb mandatory water cuts during dry years, despite using significantly less than their 7.5 million acre-feet Colorado River allocation year-after-year. Historically, Lower Basin states have used nearly all their 7.5 million acre-feet Colorado River allocation under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, while Upper Basin states use about 4.5 million acre-feet annually, significantly less than their total allocation. Lower Basin states argued all seven states should share water cuts during dry years under the new post-2026 guidelines. If they don't, downstream states warned they could face water cuts they can't feasibly absorb. If the states can reach an agreement by May, then the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation can consider the proposal as part of its longer process. In the absence of a seven-state agreement on how to manage the basin's water supply, the Bureau of Reclamation would move forward with its own management options. Bronson Mack, a public outreach coordinator for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said Nevada's Colorado River negotiator, John Entsminger, is actively attending closed-door meetings and working towards compromise. However, details from those meetings have been scant. Another fissure among states appeared after House Republicans approved a last-minute amendment to sell off nearly 11,000 acres of public land in Utah that appears to follow the pathway of the planned Lake Powell pipeline, a decades-long and highly controversial attempt by Utah to pipe water from Lake Powell. In a joint statement, U.S. Representatives Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.) said they were 'alerted by Arizona and Nevada water managers that the public land to be sold in Utah could be used to develop' the controversial water pipeline from Lake Powell to Washington County, Utah. The office of Utah Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy – who proposed the amendment – denied the allegation, as did the Washington County Water Conservancy District, which pointed to a detailed list of intended uses for the proposed land disposal, including water projects, public infrastructure, housing, recreation and an airport expansion. That reasoning doesn't fly with some of the state's public land and environmental advocates, including Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network. 'There are quite a few striking similarities,' Roerink said. 'We believe that this is much more than a coincidence.' The project has yet to clear several federal hurdles, and needs a new environmental impact statement — officials in the area say the project is no longer a priority. Roerink noted that Utah officials have also not ruled out the Lake Powell Pipeline and have continued to pursue the paper water rights that the pipeline would feed. 'This throws an even bigger wrench in a situation that is already rife with conflict, and it underscores that some states continue to believe that water exists, when in reality, we all know it doesn't,' Roerink said.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Citizen groups pan, business interests praise proposed rate process for Southwest Gas
Warnings the bill could harm consumers notwithstanding, the legislation passed the state Senate unanimously. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) A bill before state lawmakers would allow Southwest Gas and other natural gas utilities in the state to ask the Public Utilities Commission to depart from traditional rate-setting in favor of alternative rate-making, a policy shift that could pose a cost burden to customers, according to opponents. Southwest Gas currently applies for rate increases via a general rate case every three years, in which the PUC analyzes the utility's expenses and revenue requirements, and adds in a permitted rate of return for the company. Alternative rate-making allows the utility to submit a rate plan determined by additional factors, and potentially extend the rate, which could be automatically adjusted via a predetermined formula, for longer than three years. 'Nothing in this bill removes any of the PUC's authority over the rate-making process. It does not issue Southwest Gas, or any other natural gas utility, a blank check to raise rates on its customers,' said Scott Leedom, director of regulation and public affairs for Southwest Gas, at a hearing before the Senate Committee on Growth and Infrastructure in April. Senate Bill 417 suggests a number of rate-making mechanisms for which natural gas utilities could apply: Performance-based rates, which are tied to outcomes, such as a utility's ability to reduce carbon emissions or increase efficiency. The utility's success in achieving the goal determines the rate; Decoupling, or disassociating a utility's financial results from the sale of natural gas, thereby eliminating the utility's incentive to promote consumption; and, Multi-year rate plans, which call for the PUC to set rates beyond the three-year duration set in general rate cases. An amendment to SB 417 proposes allowing the PUC to establish methods to automatically adjust rates based on a pre-determined formula. The formula can include a method to recover the costs of capital expenditures, be adjusted for accumulated depreciation, deferred taxes, property taxes 'and any other costs established by the Commission.' Proponents suggest formula rates streamline the lengthy and complicated process of a general rate case. Alternative rate-making creates more predictable rate changes and lowers administrative costs, with the savings passed on to consumers, Leedom said, adding rate changes would 'potentially no longer have the cumulative stair-step increases to reflect the cost of providing service and rates. Instead, these adjustments would be smoother and incrementally smaller.' Proponents, which include the Retail Association of Nevada, the Nevada Trucking Association, and a variety of chambers of commerce, cited predictability and the potential for lower costs in their testimony supporting the measure. SB 417, they contend, mirrors a 2019 bill sponsored by then-Sen. Chris Brooks, which allowed electric utilities to apply for alternative ratemaking. The measure was signed into law by then-Gov. Steve Sisolak. 'It is not a mirror of SB 300,' said Ernest Figueroa, Consumer Advocate and Chief Deputy Attorney General of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. The measure, unlike SB 300, Figueroa said, does not state how the plan 'aligns an economically viable utility model to state public policy goals.' Additionally, Figueroa said he believes the inclusion of provisions regarding formula rates 'unfairly tips the scales in the utility's favor to the detriment of the ratepayer.' Other opponents, including the Sierra Club and the Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition, argue the proposed process is opaque. Kristee Watson of the Nevada Conservation League noted that lawmakers, in the 2023 legislative session, established an integrated resource planning process for natural gas utilities. Southwest Gas is slated to file its first IRP this summer. Watson said that process should be permitted to play out before considering alternative rate-making. 'This is not the time to give gas utilities more tools to raise rates with less scrutiny,' she said. Last year, Arizona's five-member elected body of utility regulators passed a measure approving formula rate plans for utilities, including Southwest Gas, which also operates in that state. 'Consumer advocates in Arizona and nationally have warned against ratemaking plans that reward utilities for engaging in high risk planning that can often lead to devastating consequences for ratepayers,' reports the Energy and Policy Institute. Jermareon Williams, government affairs manager for Western Resource Advocates, an environmental nonprofit, testified that general rate cases 'act as safeguards for customers and shelter them from unneeded investments a utility may choose to pursue to increase their profits.' The Senate passed the measure 21-0. Reno resident Bari Levinson, a member of the Energy Coalition, testified that former Nevada Consumer Advocate Jon Wellinghoff, who also served as a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), opposes the measure. In a statement read by Levinson, Wellinghoff said that giving Southwest Gas 'the right to have their rates set on a future test year with estimated costs used to set rates charged to customers, rather than using actual known and experienced expenses will definitely drive up costs for consumers. We do not want our rates to skyrocket like they have in California.' California began decoupling electric and gas rates in the early 1980s. Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, who chairs the Senate Committee on Growth and Infrastructure, asked PUC attorney Garret Weir if the bill lacks guardrails present in SB 300, as opponents asserted. Weir, who testified in neutral, said he was unaware of any guardrails in SB 300, but noted the PUC imposed 'robust regulations' via rulemaking. He also noted the legislation only allows natural gas utilities to apply to the PUC for alternative rulemaking. 'Ultimately, the commission would still have the obligation to ensure that any rates adopted pursuant to this statute were just and reasonable and in the public interest,' he said.
