HELENA — From the Paradise Valley to the Montana State Capitol Building, film production here in the Treasure State has increased over the last decade.
New legislation is looking at the possibility of increasing funding to help these production companies. Still, opponents of the bill have concerns that it might be too much money being allocated.
"This bill is about infrastructure. It's about careers. It's about industry. It's about the local impact and it's about the economic development," said Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings.
She introduced House Bill 200, which aims to revise how tax credits are provided to film productions.
As currently proposed, it would lower a production company's budget to qualify, increase the available tax credits from $12 million to $250 million per year, make documentaries and reality shows eligible for the credits, and extend the program through 2035.
Proponents of the bill say these changes would help build infrastructure for media productions and boost local economies.
Steve Grover, President and CEO of Montana Studios, said, "Without the industry here on a full-time basis, people have to go where there's full-time work. They go to LA, they go to Georgia, they go where that full-time work is. We could have that full-time work in Montana."
Opponents of the bill say the state should use the money to focus on investing in issues Montanans face daily, like housing and options for childcare.
"A lot of times, those jobs are not full-time, year-round jobs. A lot of the skilled expertise happens in other states, and jobs that are really produced in Montana are short-term," said Heather O'Loughlin, executive director of the Montana Budget and Policy Center.
Montana was a destination in the '80s and '90s for many productions like "A River Runs Through It" and "Far and Away."
In the late '90s, Canada began offering tax credits to productions, which led to a drought in Big Sky country filmmaking.
The initial Montana Media Tax Credit Program was passed in 2019.
The program saw productions like "Yellowstone" and "1923," which chose to film in Montana.
However, the initial funds have all been claimed, leading to those productions leaving Montana for other states.
