Harrisburg Update

The PA Legislature’s summer recess will end in September - see below for the fall voting session schedule. As a reminder, the dates in November are used for farewell/retirement speeches and electing caucus leadership for the next legislative term. There have not been any significant votes after the General Election in years.  

Senate Session Days:

• September 16, 17, 18, 30
• October 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 21, 22, 23
• November 13, 14

House Session Days:

• September 30
• October 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 21, 22, 23
• November 12, 13

The special elections to fill the seats vacated by the July resignations of Reps Donna Bullock (D-Philadelphia) and Stephen Kinsey (D-Philadelphia) will be held on Tuesday, September 17. Since their resignations, the House party split has been 100 D’s and 101 R’s. However, one House Republican (Rep Joe Kerwin from Dauphin County) is currently on military leave. So, essentially, the House is tied at 100-100. Due to a provision in the state House operating rules, Democrats retain control of the chamber, since the rules define the “majority party” as “the political party that won the greater number of elections for the 203 seats in the House of Representatives in the general election preceding the term of service that began on the first day of December next after the general election.”

Film Production Tax Credit Update

The Commonwealth of PA and the Department of Community and Economic Development released its economic impact of the Film Production Tax Credit Program FY2023-24 Report (pa.gov) in August. The department revamped the formatting for its annual report resulting in a more informative and vibrant product.

In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the department awarded $143.7 million in film production tax credit approvals to 50 productions, creating or supporting 15,722 jobs and injecting $530,463,617 in direct expenditures into Pennsylvania’s economy. When including the indirect and induced economic impacts from the IMPLAN model within this report, that number grows to an estimated $841,883,604. Based on the tax credits allocated this year, for every $1 invested, $3.69 is returned to Pennsylvania’s economy in direct expenditures. When including indirect and induced impacts, that return grows to $5.85 for every $1 invested. These figures do not include impacts on tourism or population growth, which also project substantial increases to Pennsylvania’s Return on Investment (ROI).

The report also acknowledged a need to modernize the film tax credit program to attract and support projects of all levels and evolve as the entertainment industry grows. The report recommends implementing a hybrid model, and an expanded multi-program approach that attracts, retains, and trains personnel.