84R11785 AAF-F

By: Metcalf H.B. No. 2729

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the moving image industry incentive program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 485.022(e), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(e) The office is not required to act on any grant application and may deny an application because of inappropriate content [or content that portrays Texas or Texans in a negative fashion], as determined by the office, in a moving image project. In determining whether to act on or deny a grant application, the office shall consider general standards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the citizens of Texas.

SECTION 2. Section 485.023, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 485.023. QUALIFICATION. To qualify for a grant under this subchapter:

(1) a production company must have spent a minimum of:

(A) $250,000 in in-state spending for a film or television program; or

(B) $100,000 in in-state spending for a commercial or series of commercials, an educational or instructional video or series of educational or instructional videos, or a digital interactive media production;

(2) at least 50 [70] percent of the production crew, actors, and extras for a moving image project must be Texas residents unless the office determines and certifies in writing that a sufficient number of qualified crew, actors, and extras are not available to the company at the time principal photography begins;

(3) at least 50 [60] percent of the moving image project must be filmed in Texas; and

(4) a production company must submit to the office an expended budget, in a format prescribed by the office, that reflects all in-state spending and includes all receipts, invoices, pay orders, and other documentation considered necessary by the office to accurately determine the amount of a production company's in-state spending that has occurred.

SECTION 3. Section 485.025, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 485.025. ADDITIONAL GRANT FOR UNDERUTILIZED AND ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREAS. In addition to the grant calculated under Section 485.024, a production company that spends at least 25 percent of a moving image project's filming days in an underutilized and economically distressed area is eligible for an additional grant in an amount equal to 5 [2.5] percent of the total amount of the production company's in-state spending for the moving image project.

SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to a moving image project for which an application is submitted under Section 485.022(b)(2), Government Code, on or after the effective date of this Act. A moving image project for which an application is submitted before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the application was submitted, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.