Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak plans to introduce legislation that would permit technology companies to establish separate local governments within the Silver State, according to a draft of the proposal.
Sisolak pushed for the creation of so-called Innovation Zones, which would reportedly provide ways to bolster the state’s economy without the need for corporate tax breaks, a draft of the proposal obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal read.
Sisolak’s draft bill suggested the existing local government model is “inadequate alone to provide the flexibility and resources conducive to making the State a leader in attracting and retaining new forms and types of businesses and fostering economic development in emerging technologies and innovative industries.”
If the legislation were to pass, large companies in industries such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and renewable resources would have the option to create local governments with the same privileges and responsibilities as counties. Innovation Zones could tangibly form their own county clerk, district attorney’s office, sheriff’s office, court system, and school boards, as well as collect taxes.
Tech companies that want to apply for Innovation Zone status would require roughly $250 million and have plans to invest at least $1 billion over the next decade. They would also require at least 78 square miles of land. Applications would reportedly be handled by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and governance would be passed down to a three-person board with the same roles and powers as a county commissioner.
The design of the proposed framework could look similar to Facebook’s campus communities or Alphabet’s Google campuses but on a much grander scale.
Alphabet previously created an innovative development plan to build a community or “smart city” in Toronto called Quayside, though the search engine giant encountered pushback over privacy concerns, Engadget reported. Ann Cavoukian, the project’s lead expert and consultant, left the project over concerns about the lack of anonymity in data collection.
“I had a really hard time with that,” she told Engadget. “I just couldn’t … I couldn’t live with that.”
A spokesperson for Sisolak told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that additional details about the idea would be shared at a State of the State address.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the governor’s office but did not immediately receive a response.
