House works on trimming film incentives

SANTA FE — Lawmakers are trying to reach a compromise with Republican Gov. Susana Martinez on a $5.4 billion state budget and a proposal to trim the state’s film incentives, House Speaker Ben Lujan said Tuesday.
Lujan said a proposal is being developed to limit the amount of subsidies provided yearly for film production in the state. There also could be new restrictions on the type of film expenditures that qualify for a tax break. The film subsidies cost the state about $65 million last year.
Money saved from film subsidy changes could be used to meet the governor’s objections to the proposed budget, which will cut state spending by about 3 percent next year.
Martinez met with House Democratic and GOP leaders earlier Tuesday and told them the budget will cut too much from public schools, Medicaid and corrections. The governor wants lawmakers to reduce the film production tax credit, which she contends would save an estimated $25 million that could be used to offset the cuts to education and health care.
“Those cuts are too deep and leaving the film subsidy alone — not good enough,” Martinez told reporters.
During her gubernatorial campaign, Martinez pledged to protect schools and Medicaid from budget cuts.

If you subscribe to the newspaper, you receive FREE access to all the exclusive content of the web site! Simply register to receive uninterrupted access to our award-winning and in-depth local online content!

Renew Current or Past Subscription / Register for Online Subscription

If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Los Alamos Monitor, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.

Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.

Newspaper Acct. ID:
Street Address:	(exactly as it appears on the label)

If you are a subscriber and you do not know your account ID or don't have a copy of your newspaper available that shows the information on the address label you can click continue below to search for your account.

New Subscription/30 Day Free Trial Account

If you are new to the award winning Los Alamos Monitor and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.

ZIP Code:

Create a limited access account.
Register to participate in community forums, post on the community calendar, blog etc. This registration does not give you full access to read our award winning content, etc.

The Los Alamos Monitor | lacirculation@lamonitor.com | 505-662-4185
256 DP Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Office Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday