House Lawmakers Form American Film & TV Production Caucus Amid Push For Federal Incentive

A new Congressional American Film & TV Production Caucus, comprising six members - three Democrats and three Republicans - has formed to introduce a bill proposing a federal film and TV production incentive. This initiative aims to bring entertainment jobs back to the United States. The caucus includes Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.) and Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), both members of the House Ways & Means Committee.

They are set to launch this caucus to demonstrate that the movement of film and television production overseas is not a partisan issue. The proposed federal tax incentive will offer a base tax credit of 20% of all qualified labor expenditures, potentially increasing to 30% if productions relocate back from other countries or are shot in disaster-stricken areas.

A study commissioned by the Motion Picture Association predicts that such a tax credit could restore up to 143,500 entertainment jobs annually and increase annual production spending in the U.S. to $36 billion by 2035. Currently, 31 U.S. states offer tax incentives, while countries like the U.K. and Canada provide federal incentives on top of provincial and local ones.

Despite lobbying efforts for a federal incentive persisting for over a year, it was House Republicans who waited for President Trump's approval after his support was expressed on social media by Jon Voight, who visited the White House with his production partners.