Feb 11, 2009 8:40 pm US/Mountain
Colorado Film Bill Begins Long Legislative Journey
DENVER (CBS4) ―
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The film community of Colorado rallied on the steps of the Capitol in December.
CBS
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Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, is one of the two sponsors of the bill.
CBS
It's not as exciting as being on a Hollywood soundstage, but the work of a committee at the Colorado State Capitol may help bring Hollywood to Colorado. It was the first step in the long legislative journey of House Bill 1010.
House Bill 1010 is a tax incentive bill. It would give Hollywood filmmakers a 10 percent refundable tax break to make their movies in Colorado. The hope is that it would generate jobs and money for people and businesses in Denver.
The House Finance Committee began its look at the bill Wednesday.
"This is not about bringing Hollywood to Colorado; this is about putting Coloradans to work," said Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs.
Massey is one of the two sponsors of the bill, which in its new form, has become a 10 percent refundable tax incentive with a $10 million cap. It was scaled down from earlier versions.
"We reworked it from the bottom up to make it fiscally neutral to the state," Massey said.
While lower on the incentive scale than other states, the bill will create a fiscally neutral scenario for the state government, while creating new revenue streams from taxes, jobs and support services.
"Colorado is one of those states that productions want to come to," Kevin Shand with the Colorado Film Commission said. "We just have to give them a reason to come here and spend their dollars in our state."
If the bill doesn't make it through the finance committee, the legislation will be killed for the rest of the session and will have to wait until next year to be reintroduced.
Right now Hollywood production dollars and jobs are going to New Mexico and other Western states.
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