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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Texas House approves $1.5 billion film tax incentive
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — On Monday, the Texas House voted 114-26 to pass Senate Bill 22, which provides tax breaks for films shot in Texas. $300 million will be allocated to the program every other year for the next ten years — a cumulative $1.5 billion investment. 'Members, this is (the) make Texas film industry great again bill,' Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi shouted as he started to lay out SB 22 on Sunday night. His loud remarks after the House spent nearly four hours discussion the 'Make America Healthy Again' bill were designed to grab the House's attention. 'This is one of the bills that looks like it's had more different interpretations than I can count, and so I want to be very, very to the point and tell you what this film bill does.' SB 22 has consistently drawn harsh criticism from a wing of the Republican party, highlighted by strong opposition from State Rep. Brian Harrison. From March 6 to Monday at noon, Harrison posted the word 'Hollywood' in 45 separate X posts, many of them saying 'Don't Hollywood my Texas.' 'This is another anti-taxpayer bill in the most anti-taxpayer session in Texas history,' Harrison said in a statement. 'Instead of lowering property taxes, the Texas House just voted to steal billions from hard working Texans to give to liberal Hollywood. This is crony corporatism and not the role of government.' While Harrison didn't speak about the bill in front of the full House on Sunday, State Rep. David Lowe shared his sentiment. 'This bill provides taxpayer-funded incentives to the film and entertainment industry. The same industry that once hailed Harvey Weinstein as a hero and turned a blind eye to his abuse for years,' Lowe said. 'This is also the same industry that trashed us for supporting President Trump, mocked us for standing up for the unborn, vilified us for opposing gender transitions for children and ridiculed our Christian faith at every opportunity.' However, the biggest advocates for SB 22 aren't worried about Texas turning into Hollywood. '[Lowe] mentioned Weinstein and some of the issues that industries in other states have had and the darker direction they've gone,' Chase Musslewhite with Media for Texas, said. 'That's the full reason we're doing this, so we're kind of on the same page here. We really have amazing hopes for Texas to be a leader in this industry.' To qualify for the film incentives, a project must be approved by the Music, Film, Television and Multimedia Office under the Governor's Office. To start on Sept. 1, projects will have to employ at least 35% Texans, going up by five percent every two years. The breakdown for total incentives is as follows for feature films and television: In-state spending between $250,000 and $1 million 5% grant based on in-state spending In-state spending between $1 million and $1.5 million 10% grant based on in-state spending In-state spending over $1.5 million 25% grant based on in-state spending The bill includes similar incentives for digital interactive media projects, reality televisions shows, commercials and instructional videos. Adult films, news, political messages, religious services, sporting events, award shows, class projects and casino-type video games are among the projects prohibited from claiming the tax incentives. The bill also includes incentives for certain subcategories. Films promoting Texas heritage Extra grant for 2.5% of in-state spending Films shot in rural counties (>300,000 population) Extra grant for 2.5% of in-state spending Films which spend at least 25% of budget on in-state post-production Extra grant for 1% of in-state spending Films which employ over 2.5% of crew with Texas veterans Extra grant for 2.5% of in-state spending Faith-based films Extra grant for 2.5% of in-state spending Films shot at a Texas historic site Extra grant for 2.5% of in-state spending Films which partner with higher-education students Extra grant for 2.5% of in-state spending SB 22 had a pair of House amendments, so it heads back to the Texas Senate. If they concur with the changes, the bill will be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk to sign. In future years, Media for Texas hopes to increase funding for the program to the initially proposed $500 million every other year. 'We're really excited to show these legislators that the $300 million is all going to be used up in this next two years, and that in 2027 we come back to session, we can look at upping that to 500 million,' Musslewhite said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate Bill 2623 Threatens to Shut Down Veteran and Homeless Services Across Texas, says The Samaritan Inn
The Samaritan Inn and Dozens of Support Agencies at Risk Without Urgent Public Action MCKINNEY, Texas, May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Through late-night procedural maneuvers and a closed-door vote, Senate Bill 2623 (SB 2623) has moved out of committee and is now headed to the Texas House Calendars Committee. If scheduled for a floor vote, it could lead to the shutdown of veteran and homeless support services statewide, according to The Samaritan Inn. SB 2623 prohibits homeless navigation service providers from operating within 1,500 feet of schools, colleges, and parks—without a grandfather clause for existing organizations. If passed, this bill would force The Samaritan Inn and other established providers to shut down or relocate, cutting off access to essential resources for thousands of Texans, including veterans. "This bill is reactionary and harmful," said Jill Scigliano, Chief Executive Officer, The Samaritan Inn. "We are not the problem—we are part of the solution." Last week, a scheduled hearing for SB 2623 was canceled just before midnight. Advocates who traveled to testify were never heard, and 296 submitted public comments were ignored. The bill initially failed, but a motion to reconsider reversed that outcome by a 6–5 vote. Local agencies confirmed to be affected include The Samaritan Inn, City House, The Storehouse of Collin County, Mission Oak Cliff, All Community Outreach, Agape Resource Center, The Stewpot, Vogel Alcove / Family Gateway, and Hope Restored Missions. The exclusion zones in SB 2623 exceed those applied to sex offenders, and the bill offers no process for appeal or exemption. Take Action Now There is still time to stop this bill. The most effective action is to visit the Capitol in Austin and submit a red card opposing SB 2623 to the Calendars Committee. If you can't go in person, please contact the below committee members by phone: Todd Hunter – 512-463-0672Toni Rose – 512-463-0664Terry Canales – 512-463-0426Stan Gerdes – 512-463-0682Cody Harris – 512-463-0730Ana Hernandez – 512-463-0614Ann Johnson – 512-463-0389Jeff Leach – 512-463-0544Janie Lopez – 512-463-0640Ramon Romero, Jr. – 512-463-0740Carl Tepper – 512-463-0676 Calling is most effective but if no answer, please email using this format: Say: "I oppose SB 2623. Please keep it in Calendars. This bill would shut down essential homeless and veteran services our communities depend on." Media Contact:The Samaritan Inn395402@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The Samaritan Inn Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
VA benefits won't be halted under White House funding freeze order
Veterans benefits and support services will not be disrupted by the White House's freeze of federal financial programs after administration officials quickly verified that department operations do not run afoul of new rules banning money for diversity and inclusion programming. The announcement Tuesday night by VA leaders capped a day of confusion and uncertainty surrounding dozens of department benefits, including education support, suicide prevention efforts and homeless assistance grants. In a short statement, acting VA Secretary Todd Hunter confirmed that President Donald Trump's government-wide halt on financial assistance payouts — a surprise announcement late Monday night — 'will have no impact on VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries.' The order from Office of Management and Budget acting director Matthew Vaeth called for a pause on 'all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance' in an effort to identify whether that spending was connected to 'financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.' VA, DOD oversight questioned after Trump inspector general firings Although the memo included an exception for 'assistance provided directly to individuals' — which appeared to exclude veterans disability payments — White House officials did not clarify whether funds paid to outside groups that benefit veterans would be halted. That list includes veterans education benefits paid to schools, funding for state nursing home support, suicide prevention grants to advocacy organizations, homeless prevention grants to community groups, cemetery grants programs, veterans job training programs and a host of other support services. VA officials confirmed that 44 separate financial assistance programs were identified as potentially problematic by OMB officials, but all were verified as proper before the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline to halt payouts. By early Tuesday evening, that deadline was largely moot. A federal judge temporarily blocked the freeze order until at least Feb. 3. But even if the order is reinstated after that, VA programs will be exempt. Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, praised the news. 'Veterans and their families, as well as the organizations that serve them, will continue to have access to the benefits, services and resources provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs,' he said in a statement. 'I appreciate the VA quickly providing answers to my questions and continuing the important programs that serve our veterans and their families.' Democratic lawmakers called Trump's financial freeze illegal and unconscionable, given the potential impact on thousands of federal services across the nation and across the globe. 'In a brazen and illegal move, the Trump administration is working to freeze huge chunks of federal funding passed into law, by Republicans and Democrats alike,' said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. 'This chaos is already hurting people, causing confusion, and causing devastating delays.' Unrelated to the funding freeze, White House officials last week moved to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs throughout federal agencies. That meant placing 60 VA staffers solely focused on those activities on administrative leave and cancelling about $6 million in contracts related to the programs. VA officials declined to provide specifics on those contracts or what may be considered a 'diversity, equity and inclusion' program.
