Advocates' Send Letter Sounding Alarm Amid Funding Shortages, Urging Lombardo to Abandon Film Tax Credit Scheme

CARSON CITY, NV - Today, advocates delivered a letter to Gov. Joe Lombardo urging him to review a report from his own Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) detailing a poor return on investment for state film tax credits. This comes in advance of a looming special session, in which Gov. Lombardo is poised to put film tax credits back on the agenda despite strong opposition.

LINK TO VIDEO AND LETTER

Blaine Harper, AFSCME Member and Staff Research Associate, issued the following statement:

“When the state must make tough budget decisions, state workers are always the ones who are asked to make sacrifices first. Over the years, we’ve been asked to take furloughs, forgo cost of living increases, and take on extra work while jobs are held vacant. We can’t trade one job for another: public service jobs keep our communities safe, healthy, and strong. Studio jobs won’t."

Amber Falgout, Communications Director, Battle Born Progress, issued the following statement:

“Time and again, we face critical decisions about how to allocate public resources. Nevadans are fed up with politicians prioritizing the interests of wealthy donors and their allies over the needs of everyday people. Calling a special session to push through $1.6 billion in tax credits for Sony—while thousands of Nevadans face uncertainty about basic food assistance in the coming months—is not just irresponsible, it’s a dereliction of duty. I have benefited from SNAP, Medicaid, and WIC. Programs that allowed me to support and provide insurance for my oldest child as a single mother while attending college for my bachelor's degree. Programs that I genuinely believe saved my life and allowed me to gain a marginal amount of upward mobility in a system that is designed to have people like me fail.”

Olivia Tanager, Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter Director, issued the following statement: 

“We're here today because the proposed expansion of our already existing home tax credits to the tune of more than $1.3 billion over 15 years, is not just fiscally reckless, it’s environmentally short sighted. It's a bad deal for Nevada's people and a bad deal for our planet. Let's be clear, we all want to see thriving, diversified economies in Nevada, but this proposal does not get us there. It gives away hundreds of millions in public money to one industry, an industry that can pack up and leave as soon as a better deal comes along somewhere else.”

SPOKESPEOPLE ARE AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH

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About Battle Born Progress: Battle Born Progress, through strategic communication efforts, empowers, engages and mobilizes Nevada voters to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed. We support, engage, and mobilize the progressive community through bold leadership, strategic communications, accountability, and education. We are on the cutting edge of new media and are the go-to source for progressive issues and advocacy for traditional media.