LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A Nevada bill to back tax credits for a Warner Bros. campus has been introduced into the Senate, and the plans promise a $50 million training facility for in-state college students to train for two years.
According to State Sen. Roberta Lange, S.B. 220 and the “Nevada Film Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Education and Economic Diversification Act” will provide $100 million in tax credits for 15 years, with a three-year “ramp-up.”
“Warner Bros. Studios Nevada” plans for a 34-acre campus at UNLV’s Harry Reid Research & Technology Park. Lange said the $50 million training facility will instruct young adults from UNLV, CSN and Nevada State College. Students can even train at the facility for two years, Lange said.
Working and studying parents can also utilize the daycare and medical facility on site.
“We are also going to be able to train kids who don’t want to go to college that want to be in the film industry,” Lange tells FOX5, emphasizing the need for diverse industries and available jobs for Nevada graduates and young adults.
“We want to have students get their education in Nevada and stay in Nevada,” she said.
Warner Bros. Discovery will make Las Vegas its next filming headquarters and hub all in partnership with UNLV. A spokesperson said that Warner Bros. Discovery will invest $900 million to build the studios, pledge $500 million of spending annually over 17 years and bring 7,500 jobs a year.
FOX5 told you about the separate Assembly bill for Summerlin Studios, A.B. 238. The proposal promises $105 million in tax credits for Summerlin Studios (with $25 million set aside for independent productions). Jauregui said the bill would mandate that at least half of the 15,000-person annual workforce must be from Nevada.
Others debate the return on investment, or ‘ROI.’ Some legislative analysts and lawmakers express concerns whether the return will be more than the investment –or at least break even.
For every $1 given in tax credits, how much will the state get back in direct or indirect revenue?
Film productions generate direct revenue for the state from sales taxes and payroll taxes. Productions utilize and hire various other businesses in the community.
“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.
Other lawmakers share their concerns.
“I look forward to reading through the bill language but on principle – 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.
Lange said she commits to a “dollar for dollar on ROI,” and said “stay tuned” for the plan. “I think there comes a time when Nevada can’t afford not to do it,” she said, noting the need for diverse jobs and more diverse industries to generate tax revenue.
Can the state pass two tax credit bills? Lange urges merging both bills– or risk that both could fail.
“We have to get to one bill, and we have to find a way to put these bills together. Otherwise, none of them are going to pass,” Lange said.
Previously, in the 2023 legislative session, two bills for tax credits for Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures were merged into one; the measure did not make it out of the session.
A.B. 238 will have its first committee hearing on Feb. 27. The hearing for S.B. 220 will be scheduled for sometime in March, Lange said.
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