Sánchez, colleagues introduce bipartisan bill to bring film jobs home

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), along with Congressman Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), today introduced the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, a bipartisan bill to revive film and television production in the United States and drive economic growth in local communities. 

The bill would create a federal tax credit for productions made in the United States to reverse the flow of film and television jobs to foreign countries that are luring these productions away. It would bring that work back to American production crews, small businesses and communities that depend on the industry.Sánchez and Moran were joined by Representatives Brian Jack (R-Ga.), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Mike Carey (R-Ohio) and Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) in introducing the bill. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.)  introduced companion legislation in the Senate. 

“The United States is losing good-paying union jobs because it’s become too expensive to film here,” said Congresswoman Sánchez. “This isn’t about the actors who star in films and can travel for a shoot. It’s about the production crews and set builders, the backbone of the film industry. Our bill would create incentives to bring those jobs back home and boost local economies, not just in California, but across the country.” 

“When a production comes to a community – from rural East Texas to urban New York – that money doesn’t just benefit the production company,” said Congressman Moran. “It helps the local caterer, the hardware store, the hoteliers, and every tradesman in between who makes film and television production possible. Those jobs are going overseas right now simply because other countries are offering bigger handouts. If we want to keep American storytelling in America, we have to level the playing field, and that’s exactly what this bill does. This isn’t about subsidizing Hollywood – it’s about supporting the American worker, one story and one production at a time. I’m proud to work with Senator Scott and our bipartisan group in both chambers to get this done, and I’m grateful to Ambassador Jon Voight and Sean Astin for the work they’ve put into pushing this forward.”

“My Congressional District is home to Trilith Studios, and I proudly represent the craftsmen, electricians, and carpenters who work hard to create movies that inspire generations of Americans,” said Congressman Jack. “Study after study has demonstrated that American film production delivers substantial economic benefits to communities across our country by creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and generating millions of dollars in local economic Activity. I applaud President Trump’s leadership in calling for a legislative solution to bring film production back to the United States, and I look forward to working with him and my colleagues in Congress to advance our legislation and achieve this important goal.” 

“For over a year, I’ve worked to build a coalition of unions, studios, Republicans and Democrats, and the White House, because we knew that a national film tax credit would bring hundreds of thousands of jobs back to our country,” said Congresswoman Friedman. “This bill is a result of that coalition. It tells every country that has been outbidding us for American work that we are done losing.”

“For generations, Southern California has been the heart of America’s film and television industry, supporting thousands of workers and small businesses in the San Gabriel Valley and across our region,” said Congresswoman Chu. “But today, too many productions are leaving for other countries, taking good-paying jobs and economic opportunity with them. We cannot stand by while communities across the United States lose these productions and the jobs they support. That’s why I am so proud to co-lead the bipartisan, bicameral Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, which will create a new federal tax credit to incentivize film and television production here in America. This bill will help bring productions and jobs back home, support our creative workforce, and keep Southern California the entertainment capital of the world.” 

“Ohio has a rich history in film production, from ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ to ‘The Avengers’ and ‘A Christmas Story,’” said Congressman Carey. “Many of these filming locations have become tourist attractions and are economic drivers to this day. The film industry provides high-paying jobs for artists, small businesses, and union workers. As other countries implement beneficial tax incentives to draw production away from the United States, Congress must work to ensure the United States stays competitive. I would like to commend Representative Moran for introducing this important legislation. As Chairman of the Humanities Caucus and a member of the tax-writing committee, I am confident this bill will help the United States maintain its global influence, as well as the high-paying jobs, associated with film production.” 

“The film and TV industry is an economic engine in New York. It supports thousands of good jobs at good wages,” said Congressman Suozzi. “America is the entertainment leader of the world and this bill incentivizes filmmakers and studios to hire American workers. I’m proud to help lead this commonsense, bipartisan effort.”

“Having worked in a movie theater growing up, I saw early on how films can move and inspire generations of Americans. Films like ‘The Notebook’ bring us to tears, and films like ‘Forrest Gump’ inspire us to see the world differently. That is the power of film, and South Carolina is blessed to serve as the backdrop for both of these iconic American stories,” said Senator Scott. “We cannot stand by as more and more American film production moves overseas, taking jobs, investment, and an important source of American cultural influence with it. This legislation will create jobs in communities across America, support local economies, and help ensure that the next generation of iconic American films is made right here in America.”

“For years, I’ve been championing a federal film tax credit to stop the exodus of TV and film production leaving the United States for countries offering higher incentives,” said Senator Schiff. “Now, we have the best opportunity in decades to get it done. The direct and indirect jobs created by this creative and talented workforce are enormously important, and we want to make sure they stay in this country. With the support of the White House, our bill will create an overdue federal program to bring the movie magic back to America while creating thousands of jobs and spurring local economic growth across the nation. This legislation has bipartisan, bicameral support, and it’s time we get this passed.” 

The Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act would:

• Spur American jobs and economic development by providing a 20 percent federal, labor-based tax credit to U.S. film and television productions with minimum spend of $1 million and where at least 75 percent of the principal photography days occur within the United States; 
   
• Offer 5 percent bonus credit allowances, increasing the base credit up to a maximum of 30 percent, for productions in rural opportunity zones and areas impacted by disasters, independent productions, multi-state producers in 10+ states, and producers who show a measurable onshoring of productions;
   
• Make the credit available to traditional post-production and visual effects activities when at least 75 percent of the respective post-production and visual effects production takes place in the U.S; and
   
• Support the investments of states currently offering incentives by allowing the federal incentive to supplement state credits. 

The bill is endorsed by the American Federation of Musicians, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; the Coalition for American Production; CreativeFuture; the Directors Guild of America; FilmUSA; the Independent Film and Television Alliance; the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees; the Motion Picture Association; Netflix; Paramount; the Producers Guild of America; the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists; Sony Pictures Entertainment; the Teamsters, the Television Academy; the Walt Disney Company; Warner Bros Discovery; the Writers Guild of America East and the Writers Guild of America West; and the U.S. Film and Television Production Coalition.

Statements of support from these organizations and industry leaders are available HERE.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

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