Nevada State Senator Jeff Stone issued a statement opposing Assembly Bill 5, commonly referred to as the “Hollywood Handout” bill. Stone was unable to be physically present for the vote due to a long-scheduled out-of-state commitment and because the special session ran several days beyond its originally announced schedule.
He emphasized that he strongly wished he could have participated remotely, as Sen. Edgar Flores was permitted to do, and regrets that he was not given the same opportunity to place his statement and NO vote on the record.
Unlike the Assembly Rules, Senate Rules, SR1, state, “A member who uses a remote-technology system to attend or participate in a proceeding of the Senate may not vote on any matter on which a vote is taken in that proceeding unless the member is using the remote-technology system to attend or participate in the proceeding from a location in this State.”
“After 33 years as an elected official, I have always taken pride in showing up, voting, and speaking for my constituents,” Stone said. “Had I been allowed to Zoom in like others, my strong NO vote would be on the record.”
Stone expressed deep concern about what he described as aggressive and coercive lobbying surrounding AB5, stating that no legislator should ever be threatened or misrepresented for their position on any bill.
While reaffirming his full support for Governor Lombardo’s broader efforts to diversify Nevada’s economy, strengthen public safety, expand health care access, and reduce unemployment, Stone said AB5 is not the right approach.
He outlined several key reasons for his opposition:
- Poor return on investment: Film credit programs in other states return only about $23–$27 for every $100 taxpayers invest.
- High long-term cost: AB5 would commit Nevada to $1.5 billion in transferable tax credits with no guarantee of economic stability.
- Cronyism concerns: The bill effectively grants a monopoly to one major corporate partnership. • Union-only mandates: Project labor agreements would shut out most Nevada businesses from bidding despite the project being subsidized with public taxpayer dollars.
- Lack of transparency: Limited public testimony, rushed process, and inconsistent rules undermined trust in the process.
“Nevada should not give away $1.5 billion of taxpayer dollars on the hope of a dismal return that independent professionals dispute,” Stone said.
He urged lawmakers instead to grow the economy by leveraging Nevada’s business-friendly environment, attracting manufacturing and tech, and pushing for federal land releases that would unleash major economic opportunities.
Stone added that while federal officials bicker over shutdowns, they ignore the real economic engine Nevada needs: releasing the 85% of land Washington controls. He said developing that land for water projects, housing, and industry would deliver returns far greater than any billionaire Hollywood giveaway.
