Proposed bills could increase film grants

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — After Governor Roy Cooper proposed a new budget that would bring back the old film incentive program to North Carolina, two New Hanover legislators propose a different change to the film industry in North Carolina.

N.C. Rep. Holly Grange tells us that she and N.C. Sen. Michael Lee sponsored bills to nearly double the state’s film grant program. Currently, the state has a $30 million cap for the grant program. But this proposed total would be $55 million under the companion bills filed. Representative Grange says she believes the consistent funding should bring film back to the state.

“The purpose is to increase the amount of the current grant program and make it a recurring line item in the budget,” Grange said in a statement. “That will provide predictability in grant funds for the types of productions that we want to attract to our state. Governor Cooper’s program is an incentive program that is only estimated at $40 million per year with no cap. It would be impossible for the General Assembly to budget for an incentive that has no cap.

Representative Grange says she believes the consistent funding should bring film back to the state.