HLS 15RS-1550 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 69
BY REPRESENTATIVE PONTI
TAX CREDITS: Urges and requests the International Alliance of Theatrical State
Employees Local 478 to allow Baton Rouge, Louisiana to become a production
center in its upcoming negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees (IATSE) Local
3 478 to allow Baton Rouge, Louisiana to become a production center in its upcoming
4 negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
5 (AMPTP).
6 WHEREAS, the Legislature of Louisiana desires to support making Baton Rouge,
7Louisiana a designated production city in the upcoming Area Standards Agreement
8negotiations, which will begin April 27, 2015, between the Alliance of Motion Picture and
9Television Producers (AMPTP) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage
10Employees film union (IATSE), a member of the AFL-CIO; and
11 WHEREAS, the negotiations between the AMPTP and the IATSE only take place
12once every three years; and
13 WHEREAS, Louisiana is now recognized throughout the entertainment industry as
14one of the world's top producers of motion pictures, but still must compete with dozens of
15states and nations for projects and jobs; and
16 WHEREAS, the majority of film workers on many motion picture productions in
17Louisiana belong to the IATSE Local 478 union, which covers all of Louisiana and is based
18out of New Orleans; and
19 WHEREAS, Baton Rouge and New Orleans make Louisiana stronger when they
20work together and support each other; and
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HCR NO. 69
1 WHEREAS, New Orleans and Shreveport have already been granted the production
2center union status, but Baton Rouge, which hosted over $1.3 billion in total productions
3since 2009, was denied this status in 2012 due to objections of Local 478; and
4 WHEREAS, Baton Rouge is the only city in the United States that the AMPTP asked
5 to be added to the list of over three dozen existing production centers; and
6 WHEREAS, IATSE crew members with a New Orleans address are entitled to an
7additional three hundred and ninety-two dollars per week and other benefits from feature
8film productions if they work in the Baton Rouge area, but IATSE crew members with a
9Baton Rouge address are not entitled to additional pay if they work in the New Orleans area
10and Baton Rouge crew should be treated as equals with New Orleans crew; and
11 WHEREAS, this unlevel playing field discourages IATSE members from keeping
12a Baton Rouge address and prevents Baton Rouge from being able to properly grow its
13workforce and that lack of workforce discourages more filming from happening in the Baton
14Rouge area; and
15 WHEREAS, the additional expense caused by Baton Rouge's lack of an IATSE-
16recognized production center status can raise the cost of a production by more than $1
17million in many instances, causing the state of Louisiana to issue more in motion picture
18investor tax credits than it normally would if Baton Rouge had a level playing field, at a time
19when Louisiana film industry needs to find ways to save revenue to balance the state's
20budget; and
21 WHEREAS, Baton Rouge, Louisiana has more IATSE crew members than the
22recognized IATSE production centers of Anchorage, Alaska; Charlotte, North Carolina;
23Richmond, Virginia; St. Louis, Missouri; and Tucson, Arizona; and
24 WHEREAS, jobs that would have gone to Baton Rouge, if it were an IATSE
25production center, often go to other states and nations because IATSE Local 478 opposed
26making Baton Rouge a production center in 2012; and
27 WHEREAS, Movie Maker Magazine declared Baton Rouge, the number one small
28city to live and work in in the film industry in 2015, just ahead of New Orleans, which
29ranked second.
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HCR NO. 69
1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
2urge and request the IATSE Local 478 to allow Baton Rouge to become a production center
3in its upcoming negotiations with the AMPTP.
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to Phil
5LoCicero, President of IATSE Local 478.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 69 Original 2015 Regular Session Ponti
Urges and requests the IATSE Local 478 to allow Baton Rouge, Louisiana to become a
production center in its upcoming negotiations with the AMPTP.
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