Film Credit Gets A Second Take
Senate panel passes bill for $5M in film rebates
By Sean Murphy, AP
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A $5 million annual rebate program that has been used to attract producers of films like last year’s “August: Osage County” to Oklahoma would continue for another ten years under a bill that cleared a Senate committee on Tuesday.
The Senate Finance Committee voted 7-2 for the Compete with Canada Film Act, which now heads to the full Senate, where it is expected to pass and head to the governor’s desk.
Under the program, Oklahoma provides rebates to filmmakers of $1 for every $3 they spend on movie productions in Oklahoma, up to a total of $5 million annually. The $5 million cap has been reached in each of the past three years.
Supporters say 46 other states offers similar rebates and that Oklahoma needs to continue the program to compete with other states to attract lucrative film productions.