Zombies Lobby for Tax Incentives
Last week, a horde of zombies stormed the capitol for an important cause: the growing film industry of Washington State. Cast and crew from Spokane’s very own “Z Nation” filmed a promotional video encouraging my colleagues to support SB 6027, which promotes job creation through the movie and TV production industry.
As part of the Filmworks program that began in 2007, film and television producers who work in Washington State may qualify for a tax credit for their projects. This incentive draws thousands of jobs to our economy, while also promoting Washington State in national and international media.
Sen. Billig and Sen. Kohl-Welles fight off the zombies
Although I support this program because we have seen well-documented job creation, we do have to be careful with this kind of tax credit. When industry-based incentives become too prevalent, states can face a “race to the bottom,” where we compete with each other at the expense of our other obligations. SB 6027 has a public hearing this week in the Senate Ways & Means Committee
Senate Bills in the House
As we move back into committee hearings, we will be considering House bills that passed across the Capitol to the Senate. At the same time, three of my prime-sponsored bills are making their way through House committees. This mid-session switch from chamber to chamber is another way we pare down the amount of bills that become law: only about 20% of all the proposed legislature actually makes it all the way through the process.
ESB 5153, our bill to increase campaign finance transparency, passed with a unanimous Senate vote. We had a good hearing in the House State Government Committee earlier this week and I am optimistic about the opportunity to pass this important bill.
SB 5721 will help improve the Expanded Learning Council which is working to close the educational opportunity gap in Washington State through after school and summer education programs. SB 5721 also received unanimous support in the Senate, and we had a productive hearing in the House Education Committee yesterday.
SSB 5381 is our third bill moving to the House. Also known as the Sheena Henderson Act, this legislation would create a protocol for returning firearms to owners who had them confiscated by law enforcement. This bill, too, passed unanimously in the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House Judiciary Committee.
32 days of session to go! In that time, I am eager to keep these bills moving through the House and complete our budget work. More on the budget in the next newsletter. Until then, please keep in touch.
Keeping In Touch
If you have a comment, idea, or question, please let me know. I would love to hear from you! You can reach me by e-mail at andy.billig@leg.wa.gov or by phone at 360-786-7604.
If you know someone who would like to receive their own copy of my weekly e-newsletter, tell them they can go to my website at http://www.senatedemocrats.wa.gov/senators/billig/ and click on the link to “Sign up for my e-newsletter.”
Onward!
-Andy
