Law Will Make Filmmakers Disclose Diversity Info for Tax Credits

By Sameer Rao Jun 20, 2018

The people behind film and television projects looking for a tax break from the Golden State will soon have to prove their official commitments to hiring diverse casts and crews and fighting harassment.  

The Associated Press reports that both the California State Assembly and Senate passed SB 871 as part of negotiations around the state budget on Monday (June 18). If signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, the legislation will require people applying to the California Film Commission’s tax credit program to provide a "written policy against unlawful harassment," information about the project’s racial and gender demographics, and a summary of the company’s internal diversity programs. It’s set to take effect in 2020.

"If you don’t have a program, you’re going to have to report that you don’t have a program,” assemblyman and majority leader Ian Calderon, one of the bill’s architects, told The Associated Press. “That doesn’t look very good.”

Those who qualify for the credit must also pay into what the bill calls a "pilot Career Pathways Training program" that funds technical skills education for "individuals from underserved communities for entry into film and television industry jobs.”