The Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council’s Legislative Committee conference call was called to order on August 23, 2005 at 2:05 p.m.

Chairman Batchelor recapped on a conversation he had with Susanne Darna, Legislative Affairs Director for the Office of Tourism, Trade & Economic Development (OTTED). Two items were discussed:

Permanent Film Fund
Discussed the thought of creating a permanent line item for production incentives in the state budget.A permanent film fund would not require “asking” the legislators for funds each year during session. Susanne expressed the Legislature and Governor’s general like of approving incentive legislation on a year-to-year basis, and would more than likely veto a permanent line item incentive program.

Revolving Film Fund
A thought more suitable for the Governor and Legislatures may be looking into self-sustaining program funded by sales tax. The program would be used to provide low interest loans for film producers, there by replacing the money from the interest generated from the loan into the fund. Qualified distributors who stand to generate money from the production of the film would be targeted. The program would be like no other incentive or fund offered by Florida, but comparable to the current incentive offered by the state of New Mexico. Because of the nature of how the program would operate, taking from the state sales tax general revenue, this would be a long-term development project in which more research would be conducted and Dr. Pam Dana would be consulted. Estimated time of completion for finding an agreeable program introduced would be approximately one year.

Additional Incentive & OFE Funding
Discussion on the OFE’s current operating budget developed. The legislature approved an additional $200,000 for operating expenses. The operating budget of the OFE would continue to be a priority for the advisory council, especially if additional incentive programs will be added to the OFE’s duties.
Paul Meena provided an update on current lobbying efforts by Universal Studios. The figure for the financial incentive that was heard via industry champions Senator Sauders, Speaker Bense and Representative Davis was $20 million. Discussion on what the industry “ask” should be, either $20 million or $30 million, leaving room for compromise. This topic will be addressed and settled at the Film Florida and advisory council meetings in September.
Discussion on Judy McDonald, Staff Director for the House of Representatives, and her attendance at the next quarterly meeting and to provide an update on the current interim study requested by the House of Representatives.
Additional topics that were discussed regarding the advisory council were:

Talent Agency Deregulation
Hollis discussed this item as a topic at a Film Florida Legislative Committee meeting. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has a new agency director, Simone Marstiller, and now may be a good time to meet with her to discuss the direction of the legislation. Hollis provided a history on how the legislation began, and what the legislation entails. Hollis expressed his interest in having the committee pursue the deregulation. He told the council that this was an item important to the industry, and Film Florida would like to continue the efforts to deregulate the talent agent industry.

Make-Up Artist License Requirement
The make-up artist exemption was discussed as being a serious issue for the industry. Make-up artist are generally members of the IA and are not required by to be licensed by other states. Hollis provided a background on how the issue was raised in the past. Paul Meena said the issue was currently silent in the legislature and does not look like it will be brought up again. Although, this does not mean the council and the industry should not be aware of the issue.
Hollis suggested having a joint meeting with the Film Florida and FFEAC Legislative Committee to discuss priorities for the upcoming session, in which the items will be discussed in detail in the agenda’s of the quarterly meetings for Film Florida and the advisory council in September. He will provide the advisory council with suggested times and dates for scheduling the meeting.
Prior to adjournment, discussion commenced on New Jersey’s transferable industry tax credits. Exact details of how New Jersey’s tax credit’s operated were not known. Marty Wilson offered to provide the council with details of the program. The committee agreed. A deadline was not set.
No other topics were discussed.

The meeting adjourned at 3:04 p.m.