After a slow, long evening Wednesday, one bill was introduced today into the Assembly and another into the Senate.
The Senate will first take up the large omnibus bill that includes the bulk of the components of the Faraday Future deal — tax abatements, transferable tax credits and some measures necessary for infrastructure improvements at Apex Industrial Park, soon to be home to electric car company Faraday Future’s manufacturing $1 billion manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas.
A third bill could also be introduced sometime later today.
The Assembly will start with the workforce training bill, which lays out a program to train workers for high-skill, high-wage jobs to meet workforce demands from companies in the state or looking to come to the state. For Faraday, that means training about 4,000 auto manufacturing workers.
Check below for updates throughout the day.
Senators ask tough questions on big omnibus bill
Steve Hill, director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and Mike Willden, Gov. Brian Sandoval’s chief of staff, answered tough questions from legislators on the specifics of the tax abatements and tax credits that would go to Faraday, should the bill be approved. Legislators had concerns over transparency, accountability and how Faraday’s $1 billion investment would be measured.Assembly hears testimony about workforce program
This morning, the Assembly heard testimony on the workforce development program, which aims to train high-skill workers both for existing businesses in the state and those seeking to relocate or open up in Nevada. The program was designed to make Nevada more competitive with Georgia and Louisiana in vying for Faraday’s $1 billion electric car factory. Both states have robust workforce development programs, said Cory Hunt, northern Nevada regional director at the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.The program will be paid for through reallocating money from the Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology and existing transferable tax credit allocations.
At least two amendments to the bill are expected, one to clarify the partnership between the educational institution and the company and another to specify what the plan’s diversity action plan means.
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