State lawmakers are getting close to passing a state budget this week.
There’s already an agreement about how much money will go to film and TV productions.
As The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher reports, at least one prominent lawmaker is not satisfied with that deal.
The budget agreement sets aside the same amount of money for Michigan’s film incentives as last year – $50 million. But this time around, half of that money is slated to continue into future budgets.
State Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville hopes to introduce different legislation that would boost that future funding for film incentives. He says that would attract more television shows, which create longer lasting jobs and allow workers to gain experience.
“We really need to develop more of a workforce,” he says. “It’s difficult to have the big pictures come into Michigan without a greater trained workforce.”
Richardville has been the biggest supporter of the film incentive program in the Legislature in recent years. He says the amount of ongoing money in the budget deal is not enough to keep the industry alive in Michigan.