The Media Act is passed in Montana
Montana House Bill No.340
The Media Act was first developed in Montana by Marshall Silverman and Jeffrey Karinja. They worked with Megan Moore to write the bill and it was introduced by Rep. W. Galt, Rep. G. Hertz, and Rep. C. Knudsen and passed into law in 2019. The original bill drafted by Marshall and Jeffrey did not have a film cap at all. However during the legislative process, one restriction was put on the bill: THE FILM CAP. The film cap was limited to only $10 million dollars in available tax credits for Montana media productions.
The Bill is revised....
In 2021 the Media Act again came up for revision with the Film Cap being the biggest change needed. At this time it was proposed that the cap be lifted completely to stop the limits put on potential businesses and productions in the state of Montana. However the cap was raised only 2 million dollars. Once again, Montana would have to wait two more years for the opportunity to eliminate the cap while other states had already done so or had raised their cap to a competitive level.
2021 Another hurdle....
2023 The Current Legislative Session...
The Year of potential growth...
This year Montana has the opportunity to finally eliminate the cap. In the current legislative session, Representative Kerri Seekins-Crowe, with the support of the other Billings Representatives, have proposed House Bill 884. This would allow Montana businesses to be built and opportunities for new jobs to be created . Opportunities like a major motion manufacturing studio being built outside of Billings, MT. This studio would bring over 2000 jobs to Billings, local residents, and surrounding communities. It would support local universities with technology and equipment, on the job training, and the funding needed to succeed in the entertainment and media markets. House Bill No.844 will create an infrastructure built by Montana for Montana. Please support local Representative Kerri Seekins-Crowe and House Bill No. 844.