Senate Reintroduces Bill to Fight Runaway Production

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) has introduced a new bill aimed at stemming the tide of runaway production.

Co-sponsored by a bi-partisan group of 18 senators including California's Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Independent Film and Television Production Incentive Act of 2003, would address the problem of "runaway" film and television production by creating a targeted wage tax credit for low-budget independent productions filmed in the U.S.

"Over the past decade, production of American film projects has fled our borders for foreign locations, a migration that results in a massive loss for the United States economy," said Lincoln. "This legislation will encourage producers to bring feature film and television production projects back to cities and towns across the United States. These productions have ripple effects on local communities with revenues and jobs generated in a variety of other local businesses."

"Quite simply, this is the right bill at the right time," said DGA President Michael Apted. "This crucial legislation levels the playing field with the ever-increasing number of foreign countries that offer tax subsidies and incentives to attract American film and television production away from this country."

A similar past bill (Senate Bill 1278) stalled only because there was no relevant tax legislation it could be attached to.

• For up to date information about the status of S1613 go to the Thomas World Wide Web system online legislative database (http://thomas.loc.gov) and type in "S1613"
• Click here to read the official press release from the office of Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln