RICHMOND — A bill to entice movie makers to film in Virginia ran into an editing change Tuesday.
A Senate committee amended HB 861, sponsored by Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge, and supported by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
The bill entered the Senate Finance Committee hearing as a measure that offered tax credits to movie producers or TV series that hire Virginians and spend money filming in the state.
When it left the committee, the amended version would grant money upfront to movie and TV producers, including those who create digital interactive media.
Sen. Walter Stosch, R-Henrico County, said he liked Cline’s version of the bill. When the bill provides “a refundable tax credit, I believe we place the bill in its best posture,” Stosch said.
Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax County, pushed the amendment through. “Some of us don’t want it to be a tax credit,” Howell said. “I know the administration does, but we have been avoiding tax credits in this committee” this year, Howell said.
The amended version passed 15-0.
The bill’s next stop is a conference committee, which will need to resolve the question of whether the state should, in essence, return up to $2.5 million of tax money it would have already collected to a movie maker, or grant state money to someone who hasn’t yet made a movie.
The grant scenario possibly could allow the grant to be traded or sold to someone else.
Digital interactive media can include everything from video games to entertainment and advertising programs in which viewers can influence the outcomes of what they see.
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