Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Film Entertainment Incentives Sb177 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate advances SB177 to rename Film Office, add music projects and raise incentive caps
Summary
Senators advanced SB177 to rename the Alabama Film Office to the Alabama Entertainment Office and to broaden incentive eligibility to music albums while increasing several program caps.
Senators advanced SB177 to change the Alabama Film Officeto the Alabama Entertainment Office and to broaden incentives to include music recording projects, increase the annual incentive cap, and raise per-project thresholds.
A Department of Commerce representative appearing on behalf of the film office said the change is meant to reflect work beyond films and to help recruit larger projects. "We actually got to hire a brand new executive director for our film office this year, so it's an excellent time to capitalize on this. So, essentially, we're changing the name of the film office to the entertainment office to more accurately portray what it is we we do out of that office because it's far more than just films," the representative said.
The bill would add music albums as a qualifying project type and increase the program's annual cap from $20,000,000 to $30,000,000; the sponsor said the office has been committing about $20,000,000 annually. The text discussed reserving $2,000,000 of the new $30,000,000 cap for recording-industry projects for the first six months after enactment; unused reserved funds would revert to the overall cap after six months. The representative said the qualifying minimum spend for projects remains $500,000 and that the maximum qualifying spend for a single film project would increase to $25,000,000 (from $20,000,000).
A senator noted that the film Selma was shot in Georgia because of that state's incentives, and others argued the changes could help Alabama recruit projects that might otherwise go to Georgia or Nashville. The Department of Commerce representative added that the new film director previously worked for Create Barbados and that the office hopes to recruit projects suited to locations such as Muscle Shoals.
A motion to give SB177 a favorable report was moved (mover identified in the transcript as "April"), seconded, and recorded with "no objections." The transcript excerpt does not include a roll-call vote tally. Following the favorable report the Senate returned to routine business and adjourned for the day.
Direct quotes in this article are taken from the session transcript.
