Jeremy Renner details his experience meeting with Nevada lawmakers over state’s film tax incentive bill
The bill's sponsor said Monday it was too late to add an amendment that would include Northern Nevada but the bill may fund a study on the economic effects it would cause
Jeremy Renner is taking in local government politics.
On Monday, the "Mayor of Kingstown" actor shared a photo of himself at a meeting in Carson City, Nevada. The star is lobbying for a bill that would include tax incentives for films shooting in Southern Nevada to also expand to Northern Nevada where he lives.
"This is me staying quiet, listening, observing local government that represent all of Nevada," Renner captioned the photo. "What a pleasure and honor to witness and be welcomed into policy, bills, and legislation to hopefully better represent this beautiful state and it’s hard working citizens…. "
Renner, who has been recovering from a serious snowplow accident in January, has argued that Northern Nevada’s landscape, which includes Reno and Lake Tahoe, would be of interest to filmmakers.
"I have a desire and want to...speak up for people in Elko (County), people up here in Washoe (County), that we also deserve the opportunity to reap the benefits of building studios, jobs, infrastructure for the film industry," Renner told The Associated Press Monday at the state legislature. "And that’s my main impetus to be here."
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Jeremy Renner with Democratic Assemblywoman Brittney Miller in Carson City, Nevada. The actor wants an amendment to a film tax incentive bill that would include Northern Nevada. (AP Photo/Gabe Stern / Getty Images)
The 52-year-old Marvel star, who admitted he only recently found out about the bill that has been in the works for two years, also said he would like to do more projects near his home.
The bill, SB496, would provide $190 million in tax credits annually over the next two decades for two sites in Southern Nevada: University of Nevada’s campus in Las Vegas and another area in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas.
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The bill would include a $1 billion Sony expansion in Southern Nevada and construction could begin in 2025 and filmmakers could start using the sites in 2027 if the bill is passed.
On Monday, the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Sen. Roberta Lange, said it was too late to add a third site to the bill in the current legislative session, but they may include an amendment to fund a study of the effects of adding Northern Nevada to the bill.
Jeremy Renner stands outside the Nevada Legislature in Carson City. (AP Photo/Gabe Stern / AP Newsroom)
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"It took two years to get that bill to where it is today," Lange said Monday. "And so to bring in something else, a whole new idea at this point, it’s probably not going to work," said Lange. "But I think we need to look at it."
Renner moved to Northern Nevada a decade ago and said he decided to lobby for that area to be included in the bill after he found out about it on a recent trip to Los Angeles.
The bill was introduced into the legislature with only two weeks left in the biennial session.
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Georgia is the current U.S. leader in film tax incentives and other actors like Dennis Quaid in Texas are also lobbying to have similar incentives moved to their states.
"I'm an independent. This is not really a blue or red state issue. It's a business thing, and bringing filmmaking back to Texas," Quaid said on "Varney & Co." last week. "We want to bring them back, make it a really business-friendly place to be and not be any kind of welfare program or government subsidized program," he continued, "but actually, for Texas to get a return on its investment."