State Senate Majority Leader Says He’ll Fight To Preserve Film Incentives

The state Senate’s top Republican says he’ll once again try to ward off big cuts to Michigan’s film industry credits.

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The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher has more.

For the second year in a row, Governor Rick Snyder is proposing a budget that would cap the state’s film incentives at 25 million dollars for the year.

And for the second year in a row, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville says he’ll fight to give the industry at least twice that.

“To that particular industry and to the mostly blue collar workers that benefit from that in Michigan, it would be devastating to them,”  he says.

Richardville says the film industry needs at least 50 million dollars a year to stay alive in Michigan.

Governor Snyder says the film credits are a subsidy that does not generate returns as high as other programs, like the Pure Michigan ad campaign. He plans to phase out the incentives in the next couple years.