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New Mexico Telegram » Economy, Featured, New Mexico House, Roundhouse » “Breaking Bad” bill moves on; next step is House floor

“Breaking Bad” bill moves on; next step is House floor

February 16th, 2013 | 3 Comments

A bill that would give further incentives to TV shows that choose to film in New Mexico passed a House committee on a unanimous vote and will now move to the full House for consideration.

The House Taxation and Revenue Committee passed the legislation on Friday.

The bill has two main provisions. One would give TV shows additional incentives to film in New Mexico. Currently, TV shows and films each reach a 25 percent tax credit for filming in the state. This bill would give TV shows an additional five percent tax credit, for a total of 30 percent.

The other provision would “roll over” any unused funds to the next year for film tax credits. The film incentives currently have a $50 million cap. So if there were only $45 million used in one year, the $5 million would roll over to the next year — making $55 million available.

The wide support in the committee from Representatives in both parties bodes well for the bill’s chances of passage in the full House.

Rep. Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, introduced the legislation and issued a release after its passage.

“New Mexico welcomes the film industry again,” said House Majority Whip Maestas. “New Mexicans need jobs, good paying jobs, and this bill will help get our state back to work right away by sending a strong message to Hollywood. My bill’s five percent rebate increase for TV productions filming in New Mexico is a critical investment because we know that successful TV shows employ New Mexicans and also purchase goods and services from local small businesses for two, four, sometimes six years.”

The bill has been deemed the “Breaking Bad bill” after the critically-acclaimed AMC show that is finishing up its six-year run. The show stars actor Bryan Cranston as a science teacher-turned-meth-dealer and is widely considered one of the top TV shows on current TV — and perhaps all time.

The show films in New Mexico, including extensively in Albuquerque.

Other TV shows that filmed in New Mexico since the film tax credits were passed include “In Plain Sight,” which filmed in Albuquerque, and the current A&E show “Longmire,” which films in Las Vegas, NM.

Photo via popculturegeek/Flickr

Written by

Matthew Reichbach has blogged about New Mexico politics since 2006. Matthew was a co-founder of New Mexico FBIHOP with his brother and part of the original hirings at the groundbreaking website the New Mexico Independent. Matthew has covered events such as the Democratic National Convention and Netroots Nation. In addition to politics, Matthew is an avid sports fan, especially of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and TV fan.

Filed under: Economy, Featured, New Mexico House, Roundhouse · Tags: , , , ,

3 Responses to "“Breaking Bad” bill moves on; next step is House floor"

  1. Karen Hudson says:
    February 18, 2013 at 6:10 am

    This is great news!

  2. Pedestrian’s Five Minutes With Bryan Cranston; Giancarlo Esposito Plays the Anti-Gus Fring | The Fanatics says:
    February 22, 2013 at 9:39 am

    [...] The New Mexico Telegram reports that the so-called Breaking Bad bill, offering more incentives to TV shows that choose to film in the state, has cleared another [...]

  3. Cryan Branston says:
    February 25, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    This is one of those rare political ideas that actually makes sense. Remember, Breaking Bad was originally going to be shot in southern California. But the great tax incentives brought the production to New Mexico instead. How many millions has that show alone pumped into the economy?