LANSING ? Michigan Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville isn’t just looking for a 20 percent increase to funding the film incentive program, he told reporters after session Wednesday, but rather enough money to not only provide incentive money to movies but help train under-employed individuals in Michigan, especially young people, who can’t gain much long-term experience in the state.

How much money will go to the film incentive is among three main issues that must be discussed at the leadership level when it comes to deciding on budget targets, he said.

The other two, said Sen. Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Township), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, are boilerplate language on the New International Trade Crossing in Detroit – there is currently debate about whether language is needed to ensure no state funds are allocated to the project – as well as transportation and infrastructure funding.

Of the latter, the Senate is still in the process of considering bills sent over by the House that are part of a larger package to put up to $500 million toward the matter. And Mr. Richardville (R-Monroe) said his members will caucus about the transportation funding proposals on Monday (the chamber has scheduled a rare Monday session to begin at 1 p.m.).

Richardville is seeking $60 million for the program, up from $50 million in the current year. Governor Rick Snyder has proposed reducing the program to $25 million.

“If you bring a big picture here, the people that invest $100 million in the film aren’t going to say ‘hey let’s bring somebody in and train them on the job,'” he said. “They want them trained already.”

And for that, Richardville suggested trying to provide more money to bring in two “good-sized” television series to Michigan so that those interested in working in the movie-making business can gain longer, on-the-job experience by working their way up the production hierarchy.

“The way the law is written today, you get up to a certain point if you hire Michigan workers. We don’t have the Michigan workers available and trained, so they still have to bring some of them in from California. They don’t want to do that. It’s much more expensive,” he said. “But if we can take some of our under-employed people today and develop careers instead of a job for six months on a movie, then we can continue to strengthen that industry.”

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