Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Ciresi reintroduces legislation to bolster film production in PA

Ciresi reintroduces legislation to bolster film production in PA

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    April 28, 2025

HARRISBURG, April 28 – A longtime advocate of making Pennsylvania attractive to film productions, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, has reintroduced his legislation, House Bill 1317, to expand the Film Production Tax Credit from $100 million to $125 million to make Pennsylvania more competitive as a site of potential film projects.

“The film and TV industries have been huge economic engines for Pennsylvania,” Ciresi said. “Not only do they directly employ tens of thousands of workers and support countless local businesses, but the movies and TV shows filmed here market our state’s cities, small towns and countryside to millions of people across the globe, becoming key drivers for tourism, generating significant revenue and creating long-term jobs for many years after a film’s release.”

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, since the inception of Pennsylvania’s Film Production Tax Credit in 2007, through the end of FY 2023-24, a total of 592 projects have been approved for tax credits – which in turn have injected over $4 billion in direct expenditures into the state’s economy. Projects across the state that have benefited from the Film Production Tax Credit include “Creed” (Philadelphia, Delaware), “Concussion” (Allegheny), “Southpaw” (Indiana, Washington), “Unstoppable” (Allegheny, Blair, Beaver, Cameron, Centre, McKean), “Home” (Lancaster) and “I Am Not Okay with This” (Fayette).

According to Ciresi, the current Film Tax Credit of $100 million is no longer sufficient to lure production to the state.

“We’re losing out due to a lack of funding film productions to other states and all the benefits that would have gone with them—even projects set in Pennsylvania!

 
“We could easily bring those productions back to Pennsylvania by expanding the limit for the Film Production Tax Credit from $100 million to $125 million. By increasing this cap, we would meet the needs of the film and television production industries which want to film in Pennsylvania but are kept away by the insufficient funding level for this program,” Ciresi said.
 
According to Ciresi, the greater availability of these tax credits would bring more projects to the state, leading to more jobs, increased revenue and more opportunities for Pennsylvania tourism.

The legislation was previously introduced in the 2021-2022 legislative session.