Legislative committee takes another swing at state film production incentives
SHERIDAN — After failing an introductory vote during this spring's budget session of the Wyoming Legislature, a bill launching a statewide film production incentive is being reconsidered.
The Legislature's Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee voted during its May 10 meeting to draft another bill regarding the film incentive, with the goal of having it considered during the 2023 general session.
"We have talked about this already, and we've had a lot of discussion," Sen Affie Ellis, R-Cheyenne, said. "It just feels a little unfinished for two reasons. One, we just got out of a budget session, which requires a two-thirds vote… and another factor for me… is this working group of people that has…been volunteering their time to give us some thoughtful ideas. So that's, at least from my perspective, why I think we need to talk about it and give it a straight up-or-down vote…I do think, in a non-budget year, maybe this bill's chances look a little different."
At least in its initial draft, the bill will be identical to House Bill 93, a bill sponsored by the committee during the 2022 budget session.
House Bill 93 failed introduction on a vote of 32-28 due to a required two-thirds majority to introduce a bill during the budget session. This requirement does not exist during a general session.
House Bill 93 states the film incentive program will be funded with up to $3 million in statewide lodging tax dollars each biennium.The Wyoming Office of Tourism would distribute those dollars.
The proposed film production incentives are not the state's first.
In 2007, the Wyoming Legislature initiated a statute allocating $1 million toward in-state projects through the Wyoming Film Industry Financial Incentive program. The funds were administered by the Wyoming Office of Tourism's Film Office with a goal of bringing the entertainment industry to Wyoming. The state eventually sunset the statute in 2018.
Prior to the vote to proceed with another bill draft, the committee heard from Charles Lammers, creative assets manager for the Wyoming Film Office.
Lammers testified Wyoming received 350 film production inquiries in the last three years, but the majority of those productions had chosen to film elsewhere due to a lack of an expenditures rebate system. "Yellowstone" and its prequel "1883" were filmed in Montana, for example, while other Wyoming-set productions have been filmed in New Mexico, Utah and Canada, Lammers said.
All states surrounding Wyoming, with the exception of South Dakota, have a film incentive in place already, which puts Wyoming at a competitive disadvantage and has led to the loss of an estimated 27,000 jobs, Lammers said.
Sheridan local Sean Patrick Higgins has expressed interest in starting film production in Wyoming, Lammers said but will find it difficult to do so without an incentive.
