The Illinois Senate recently passed the Film Production Tax Credit— Bill 1965—by a vote of 54-1. The bill now goes to the Illinois' House of Representatives for a first reading.

The new legislation would provide a tax credit equal to 25 percent of the wages paid to Illinois residents working on television and film projects that are shot in Illinois. Productions of 30 minutes or longer would qualify for the tax credit if at least $100,000 is spent on Illinois labor.  

The bill would strengthen Illinois’ economy in the film and television industries by attracting more motion picture and television production companies to Illinois, and creating thousands of jobs for the industries' unionized workforce.

“Senate Bill 1965 would help Chicago remain competitive in the film industry,” said Robert A. Hogan, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 714 in Chicago. “In the early 90s, Chicago was a favored place for filming and television production. We would love to see this tax credit enacted permanently to encourage even more productions to choose our city.”