Hollywood-backed federal film tax incentive faces six-week gauntlet to get through ‘lame duck’ Congress

Hollywood supporters are racing to pass a federal film tax incentive before Congress leaves for its year-end recess on 18 December. The proposal has bipartisan backing, but must clear both chambers in six weeks; if it fails, it will have to be reintroduced to a new Congress whose priorities may differ.

California Representative Laura Friedman says 52 lawmakers have signed on since the bill was introduced in September, split evenly between the parties. Senator Adam Schiff is leading the Senate effort, and supporters hope to attach the measure to a larger bill that must pass. They say a federal incentive could help keep film jobs in the US as production shifts overseas and other states, including New York, compete with California; President Trump has expressed support.