Helena — The Senate Taxation Committee on Wednesday heard testimony on Senate Bill 326, which would raise Montana’s media (film) tax credit annual cap from $12 million to $30 million and extend the program’s sunset date, while creating reservation “buckets” to prioritize Montana productions and facilities.

Proponents told the committee the change is needed to prevent productions and the jobs they support from leaving Montana and to capture more local economic benefit. Senator Greg Hertz, the bill’s sponsor, said the current credit has helped attract series such as Yellowstone and that the existing program is effectively exhausted through 2029 unless lawmakers act. “If we don’t increase it, we’re going to slowly continue to lose business in Montana,” Hertz said.

Supporters, including filmmakers, local business owners and economic development groups, urged the committee to approve a larger cap and to keep a majority of credits for Montana‑based productions and companies. Linwood Fields, executive director of the Montana Media Coalition, said the Department of Revenue estimates roughly $60 million in credits already are reserved and that without changes “we are at risk of displacing over 1,300 full‑time equivalent film jobs and losing almost a hundred million in employee wages.” Fields and other proponents described a package of sideboards in SB 326 that would (as drafted by advocates) reserve 60% of future credits for Montana productions, set aside portions for qualified sound‑stage facilities and domiciled companies, and require a minimum share of principal photography to occur in‑state.

Industry representatives described how the transferable credit works in practice: a production spends in Montana, has expenditures audited, receives a 25 percent refundable/transferable credit and typically sells credits to Montana taxpayers who can use them against state tax liability. Sean Company, a Montana Media Coalition board member who helped draft the coalition’s sideboards, told the committee the bill also seeks to define a “qualified facility” (a proposed threshold referenced in testimony was a $10 million private capital investment) and to create reserve buckets for different types of projects to maximize local hires, wages and property‑tax benefits.

Business groups and local chambers spoke in favor. Dan Brooks of the Billings Chamber of Commerce cited a 2024 Montana Film Office report showing a $15.1 million economic impact in Yellowstone County over two years; Grant Kier of the Missoula Economic Partnership said the program supports mid‑wage jobs and “helps communities grow the tax base.” Restaurant and lodging associations and several small businesses described one‑time and recurring local spending tied to productions.

Two major industry groups asked the committee to adopt amendments before executive action. Jesse Luther of the Motion Picture Association and Mark Baker of Paramount said they support raising the cap and extending the sunset but requested changes to the bill’s 60 percent principal‑photography requirement: they proposed adding an alternative minimum spend (testimony mentioned $3 million as an example) so higher‑budget productions that shoot some scenes elsewhere could still qualify. They also urged limits on how long a single production may carry forward credits and how long credits remain transferable so that large multi‑year productions do not tie up the program’s annual allotment.

Department of Commerce and Department of Revenue staff testified as informational witnesses and said they could answer detailed questions about administration and audits. David Merian, bureau chief in the Department of Revenue’s pass‑through unit, and Allison Whitmer from the Montana Film Office answered committee questions about application and audit procedures. Whitmer said the film office receives many inquiries a year but only a subset apply for and complete the tax‑credit certification process.

Committee members asked about housing pressures when large productions arrive, how many qualified facilities Montana could reasonably support at the proposed cap, and ways to prevent a long backlog of reserved credits. Witnesses said prioritizing in‑state hires and studio investment would reduce pressure from transient crews and that at a $30 million cap Montana would likely support one or two qualified facilities initially, not the scale of larger states’ programs. Proponents said the amendment process is ongoing and that they expect to refine technical language before executive action.

No formal vote was taken; the hearing closed after senators discussed timing for amendments and upcoming executive sessions. Senator Hertz said sponsors and stakeholders would continue to work on amendments and brought the bill back into committee when ready.

A follow‑up executive action is expected before the committee’s transmittal deadline for revenue bills.