Cell phone ban, movie incentive program head to house

Texas would expand its successful movie incentive grant program under a bill approved Wednesday by the Senate. Created in 2007, the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program offers movie and TV productions rebates of up to 20 percent of expenditures spent in the state. In its nearly 20 years of operation, the grant program has brought $2.5 billion in economic activity and nearly 200,000 jobs to Texas. For every dollar spent on the program, said Houston Senator and Finance Committee chair Joan Huffman, the state gets back $4.69 in economic benefit. Inconsistent and insufficient funding, however, means the state is losing productions to other states with more robust incentive programs, places like New Mexico and Georgia. Huffman’s bill, SB 22, would change that by dedicating $500 million each biennium into the program for the next decade. “[It] gives certainty to the industry and the investors who want to bring these great jobs to Texas,” she said.

In order to qualify for the grant program, a production must spend sixty percent their shooting schedule in Texas. To be eligible, expenditures must be spent on Texas labor or Texas goods.

“It’s all Texas based and it all has to be tied to impact in the state of Texas,” said Huffman. The bill would raise the cap on rebates to 25 percent of money spent in Texas, and includes additional bonuses, 2.5 percent each, for productions that film in rural Texas, that hire Texas veterans, or promote Texas values.

An amendment to the bill would also let faith and family focused productions qualify for a 2.5 percent bump. Incentives can raise the cap up to 31 percent, but no more.

Also this week, the Senate approved a measure Tuesday that would forbid public school students from using their personal phones during class instruction. National surveys of educators show that cell phones are a leading cause of disruption in the classroom, and Texas is no exception, said Education K-16 Committee chair and Conroe Senator Brandon Creighton.

“Texas educators have increasingly voiced concerns about cell phones disrupting the classroom, and the data backs them up,” he said. “Over 70 percent of national high school teachers say that cell phone distraction is one of the major problems that cause disruption.” His bill, SB 2365, would require districts to adopt a policy that bans phones during class time, but leaves it up to them how to accomplish this. The plans must also include accommodations for students who need to have a device as part of a special education plan or for health reasons.

In committee this week, the Senate State Affairs Committee considered a bill that would attempt to address the issue of homelessness and mental illness in the state’s largest counties. Modeled after a successful program in San Antonio, SB 2487, by Flower Mound Senator Tan Parker, would look to consolidate mental health and homelessness services and offer a path outside the criminal justice system for homeless individuals experiencing a mental health crisis in public.

The bill would require the creation of 24-hour community crisis centers, where police or mental health social workers could take a person in crisis for evaluation.

There, the person would be seen by medical professionals who would determine if the person represented a “significant risk” to themselves or others. If that is the case, the person can be sent before a judge and the civil commitment process initiated. Centers would also offer a number of services and would partner with local advocacy groups to help guide people to mental health treatment options and housing programs.

“That way individuals are not discharged back onto the streets but are guided into rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, or other suitable interventions,” said Parker. “The goal is to prevent recurring crises and reduce strains on services and encampments.”