Montana needs the film industry and its jobs

Film companies come to Montana, they spend big, they train and hire Montanans, they renew communities. The bill was bipartisan in 2019. Expanding it in the 2023 session should be easy. We must replace the coal and oil industries that are closing down.

So what’s the hold-up in the Montana legislature? In 2019, the tax credit cap was $10 million. After almost going through at $200 million in 2021, the cap was suddenly cut to $12 million with no explanation from the Republican majority or the governor’s office.

The legislature has proposed a $30 million cap this year. That cap will keep the current productions in Montana, but will not expand the industry. The cap must be higher. Why such a low cap on a bill that is doing so much for Montana? We all know we need good jobs and new industry, not just in the Bitterroot and in Butte, but all across our state.

Sue Malek served in the Montana Senate from 2013 to 2021 and in the Montana House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013