House Republicans now plan to spend an extra $50 million for local road projects next year, but erased the state's $25 million film incentive program and took another $25 million from the Governor's $91 million business attraction fund to pay for it.
Michigan film producers and some lawmakers say they will lobby to maintain the state's $50 million film credits cap, which could be slashed 50 percent under Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's budget proposal.
Gov. Rick Snyder is holding firm on his opinion of film incentives. But his proposed budget for fiscal 2014 feels like a step backward to the metro Detroit film community.
It's a new year for the Michigan Film Office, which has $58 million in grants available for qualifying film and digital media projects.
That's $33 million more than was allotted in the just-completed fiscal year. The question now: How interested will Hollywood be?
Michigan's ailing movie industry has won a key victory by getting Gov. Rick Snyder to agree to double the money spent on film grants. But industry players warned that this one-time injection of additional dollars won't be enough to regain Hollywood's enthusiasm for the state.
The Michigan Film Office got eight applications in January and February for the state's film incentives.
Last year, 38 applications had been received by this time.
Gov. Rick Snyder still doesn't have much sympathy for Michigan's foundering film industry.
He successfully advocated for the elimination of a generous tax incentive for the industry and grudgingly agreed to replace it with a $25-million grant program.
A just released semiannual report from the Michigan Film Office reveals a nearly two-thirds drop in applications during the latter half of 2011 as compared to the same time frame in 2010. Why? The Michigan Legislature was debating and passing changes to reduce incentives.
A compact biography of Detroit Tigers great Hank Greenberg, a study of the fall and resurrection of the auto industry and an exploration of Michigan's role in the Civil War highlight the 2012 Michigan Notable Books chosen by the Library of Michigan.
Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a bill outlining guidelines for film incentives; the revised applications will be available on the Michigan Film Office website by the close of business Jan. 3, film office director Carrie Jones says.
New applications will be accepted beginning Jan. 9.
