LD 1957 Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit
LD1957, An Act to Promote Film Production in Maine, was voted through the Maine State House of Representatives on March 26, and is headed for a vote in the Maine State Senate. Contact your State Senator today to implore them to support LD 1957!
Take these steps to help get LD 1957 passed!
(1) Find your State Senator’s contact information through the Maine Voter Information Lookup Service. Complete the form fields, click “Go”, and select the “Elected Officials” tab on the results page to view their name and email address. (No need to contact your state representative— they’ve already passed the legislation in the House!)
(2) Compose an email to your State Senator asking them to support LD 1957. Need some language? We’ve got you covered. Feel free to copy and paste the template language below into and email.
(3) Sign your name as their constituent, letting them know that voters in their district care about this legislation! (Then hit “Send”)
About LD 1957, An Act to Promote Film Production in Maine
LD 1957 repeals the existing tax credit for visual media productions and replaces it with an expanded reimbursement program. The new program would offer higher reimbursement rates, increasing from 10-12% to 20-25% of certified production wages for resident and non-resident workers, and introduces a 25% reimbursement for non-wage production expenses. Additionally, the bill provides a 3% bonus for productions primarily filmed in certain rural Maine counties. This will enable more films to be shot in Maine in an economically feasible way for production companies!
LD 1957 State Senator Outreach Email Template
Email Subject Line: Vote Yes on LD 1957 to Support Competitive Film Incentives in Maine!
Dear Senator [your Senator’s last name],
I am writing to you today to ask you to support LD 1957, An Act to Promote Film Production in Maine. As someone who works in film and media production, this bill will greatly help grow our industry and workforce, help Maine’s production companies and filmmakers shoot more projects here, and attract more production to the state.
Hundreds of films and television series set in Maine are “counterfeit”: filmed in other states and provinces throughout North America. Why? Simply put, it is not economically feasible to shoot in Maine.
What is Maine missing out on because these production projects take place in other states?
Growing Maine’s film and media production industry and workforce. Many of Maine’s skilled production professionals work on out-of-state productions. Encouraging in-state production with incentives that require hiring local crew will create more jobs and grow this industry.
The infusion of hundreds of thousands of dollars into Maine’s economy during filming. Production projects employ local film and media professionals and make large expenditures for lodging, hospitality, materials, and local services.
The ability to showcase our state and boost tourism. Film locations often become popular tourist destinations, offering long-term tourism benefits for communities throughout Maine.
Generation of State income through increased economic activity. States and Provinces currently providing “Counterfeit Maine” filming locations reap the benefits of tax income from increased activity during production and from ongoing tourism.
Retain Maine’s Talented Graduates. Maine students seeking careers in media production typically leave the state to find work, after the state has already invested more than $200,000 per student in their K-12 education, plus whatever the state has paid for their higher education.
Film incentives drive immediate economic development, create local jobs, and boost tourism. By offsetting production costs, incentives attract film productions, which inject capital into local businesses, infrastructure, and the hospitality sector. Attract more production to Maine: make Maine’s film incentives competitive by supporting LD 1957!
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your address]
