On March 11, 2015, the Michigan House of Representatives voted 58‑51 to pull the plug on an “incentive” program that since 2008 has distributed some $500 million in state tax dollars to film-production companies.
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan had 1,663 full-time film-industry jobs in 2008, and 1,561 in 2013 (the latest year information is available), a decline of 102 jobs.
Last June, the Legislature appropriated $50 million in subsidies for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, 2015.
The House-passed repeal bill also contains a provision requiring any leftover film subsidy money be used to reimburse state pension funds for losses from a past film-related deal. The Granholm administration had used pension money to back investments, made by some politically well-connected individuals, in the setup of a production studio in Oakland County.
2015 House Bill 4122: Repeal film producer subsidies (House Roll Call 26)
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Republicans in favor:
Afendoulis, Barrett, Bizon, Bumstead, Canfield, Chatfield, Cole, Cotter, Courser, Cox, Farrington, Forlini, Franz, Gamrat, Garcia, Glenn, Goike, Graves, Heise, Hooker, Howrylak, Hughes, Iden, Inman, Jacobsen, Jenkins, Johnson, Kelly, Kesto, LaFontaine, Lauwers, Leonard, Leutheuser, Lyons, Maturen, McBroom, Miller,A, Nesbitt, Outman, Pagel, Pettalia, Poleski, Potvin, Price, Pscholka, Rendon, Roberts,B, Runestad, Somerville, Tedder, Theis, Vaupel, VerHeulen, Victory, Webber, Yonker
Republicans opposed:
Callton, Crawford, Glardon, Lucido, McCready, Sheppard
Republicans not voting:
Muxlow
Democrats in favor:
Kivela, Santana
Democrats opposed:
Banks, Brinks, Brunner, Byrd, Chang, Chirkun, Clemente, Cochran, Darany, Dianda, Dillon, Driskell, Durhal, Faris, Garrett, Gay-Dagnogo, Geiss, Greig, Greimel, Guerra, Hoadley, Hovey-Wright, Irwin, Kosowski, Lane, LaVoy, Liberati, Love, Miller,D, Moss, Neeley, Pagan, Phelps, Plawecki, Roberts,S, Robinson, Rutledge, Schor, Singh, Smiley, Talabi, Townsend, Wittenberg, Yanez, Zemke
Democrats not voting: None
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House Vote on Terminating Michigan Film Producer Subsidies
House rejects $50 million per year program
On March 11, 2015, the Michigan House of Representatives voted 58‑51 to pull the plug on an “incentive” program that since 2008 has distributed some $500 million in state tax dollars to film-production companies.
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan had 1,663 full-time film-industry jobs in 2008, and 1,561 in 2013 (the latest year information is available), a decline of 102 jobs.
Last June, the Legislature appropriated $50 million in subsidies for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, 2015.
The House-passed repeal bill also contains a provision requiring any leftover film subsidy money be used to reimburse state pension funds for losses from a past film-related deal. The Granholm administration had used pension money to back investments, made by some politically well-connected individuals, in the setup of a production studio in Oakland County.
2015 House Bill 4122: Repeal film producer subsidies (House Roll Call 26)
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Republicans in favor:
Afendoulis, Barrett, Bizon, Bumstead, Canfield, Chatfield, Cole, Cotter, Courser, Cox, Farrington, Forlini, Franz, Gamrat, Garcia, Glenn, Goike, Graves, Heise, Hooker, Howrylak, Hughes, Iden, Inman, Jacobsen, Jenkins, Johnson, Kelly, Kesto, LaFontaine, Lauwers, Leonard, Leutheuser, Lyons, Maturen, McBroom, Miller,A, Nesbitt, Outman, Pagel, Pettalia, Poleski, Potvin, Price, Pscholka, Rendon, Roberts,B, Runestad, Somerville, Tedder, Theis, Vaupel, VerHeulen, Victory, Webber, Yonker
Republicans opposed:
Callton, Crawford, Glardon, Lucido, McCready, Sheppard
Republicans not voting:
Muxlow
Democrats in favor:
Kivela, Santana
Democrats opposed:
Banks, Brinks, Brunner, Byrd, Chang, Chirkun, Clemente, Cochran, Darany, Dianda, Dillon, Driskell, Durhal, Faris, Garrett, Gay-Dagnogo, Geiss, Greig, Greimel, Guerra, Hoadley, Hovey-Wright, Irwin, Kosowski, Lane, LaVoy, Liberati, Love, Miller,D, Moss, Neeley, Pagan, Phelps, Plawecki, Roberts,S, Robinson, Rutledge, Schor, Singh, Smiley, Talabi, Townsend, Wittenberg, Yanez, Zemke
Democrats not voting: None
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.
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