WE DID IT!! House and Senate Approve ESHB 1914

March 10th, 2022 Posted by blog 0 comments on “WE DID IT!! House and Senate Approve ESHB 1914”

We are thrilled to announce that today the House and Senate approved ESHB 1914 which increases funding for the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program to $15M a year. The bill also includes a number of other provisions that expand and strengthen the statewide film industry including: 

  • Additional incentives for projects filming in rural jurisdictions and for films that tell stories of marginalized communities  
  • Dedicated funding for workforce development for people from marginalized communities
  • Funding for small budget productions creatively driven by Washington residents
  • Extended sunset date of the program to 2030

Washington Filmworks would like to thank prime sponsors Representative Marcus Riccelli (D, 3) and Senator Lisa Wellman (D, 41) for their passion for the film industry and incredible leadership on the bill.  

The House vote was 96 yeas to 2 nays and the Senate vote was 45 yeas to 3 nays (with one person absent.) You can find who voted for the bill here. If your Senator and Representatives voted yes on the bill, please take 2 minutes and write them an email to thank them for their support.

Now that the bill has passed the House and Senate, the Governor must sign the bill into law no later than April 2, 2022.  

After the bill is signed into law, Washington Filmworks will be hosting community events to talk in more detail about what’s in the bill and the future of film in Washington State.  

Thank you to the community for your tireless advocacy efforts that made this all happen!