Devlin Robinson

A Pennsylvania senator wants to make the state the best supporting actor for Hollywood movies and television shows.

Sen. Devlin J. Robinson, R-Allegheny/Washington, wants the state to increase its existing Film Tax Credit Program to encourage multi-year commitments from studios that choose to film in Pennsylvania.

Recipients of a Film Production Tax Credit can use the tax credit to offset their Pennsylvania state tax liability or sell, assign, or transfer the credits to another entity. A film production is eligible for the program if Pennsylvania production expenses comprise at least 60% of the film’s total production expenses.

Only feature films, TV movies, television talk or game shows, television commercials, pilot episodes for TV shows or each episode of a television series intended as national programming are eligible.

“The rapid growth of subscription streaming services is causing production companies to invest historic amounts of money in producing content in locations around the world, specifically in jurisdictions that offer a wide variety of production incentives,” Robinson wrote in his legislative memorandum. “The Pittsburgh Film Office estimates that the Commonwealth has missed over a billion dollars of investment from production companies that sought to film in Pennsylvania, but were not able to access the current Film Incentive Program, thus making filming in the Commonwealth simply too expensive. This recently happened for several production opportunities in the Pittsburgh region.”

Robinson’s bill would require production companies to make multi-year commitments in Pennsylvania, which Robinson said will mean commitments for jobs for state residents and a more steady stream of revenue for local small businesses, including transportation, insurance, technology, food service, hotels, and communications companies.

Pennsylvania’s existing Film Production Tax Credit has been used 509 times since 2007-08 and given out more than $817 million in tax credits. Among the productions filmed in the state are Netflix productions “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Sweet Girl” and Sony’s “Happiest Season.”

The Pittsburgh film office recently reported that 19 movie and television projects with a combined production budget of $650 million are looking to film in Western Pennsylvania in the next six months.

Earlier this year, Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Monangahela, introduced legislation that would increase the cap on the film incentive program from $70 million to $125 million. That bill was left out of budget negotiations, but is still on the table for consideration by the legislature.

“Every year, we miss out on an untold number of film and television projects that want to film here but are lured away by better tax incentives in other states,” Bartolotta said earlier this year. “Expanding this program would allow us to bring more of these projects, jobs, revenues and economic activity to Pennsylvania communities instead of these benefits going to other states.”