Hawaii Local members: Two bills relating to the film and TV industry will be heard soon. Please consider submitting a testimony for both!
HB796 HD1
On Friday, March 28, at 10 a.m. the Senate Committee on Ways and Means will hear:
HB796 HD1 RELATING TO TAX CREDITS: Requires that income tax credits established or renewed after Dec. 31, 2025 include a five-year sunset or an annual one-third reduction, beginning with the sixth year of the credit.
Please consider submitting testimony in OPPOSITION to this bill ASAP.
This measure calls for the eventual sunset or significant reduction of all income tax credits established or renewed after Dec. 31, 2025. As written, this measure may have dire unintended consequences, not just for the film industry, but for a wide swath of the population of Hawaii, many of whom benefit in profound, life-altering ways from the tax credits this bill will kill.
The hearing notice can be viewed here.
HB874 HD3SD1
On Monday, April 1, at 9:30 a.m. a joint committee meeting of the Senate Judiciary and Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committees will hear:
HB874 HD3SD1 RELATING TO CHILD PERFORMERS: Establishes that for a minor in theatrical employment with a gross income of at least $5,000 on a project or $20,000 in a calendar year: a parent or legal guardian of the minor is required to establish a trust account for the minor with an independent third-party trustee; and the employer of the minor is required to deposit a portion of the minor's earnings into the trust account until the minor becomes an adult. Makes misappropriation or fraudulent use of funds within the trust account a breach of fiduciary duty subject to penalties. Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to adopt rules for enforcement by its Wage Standard Division.
Please consider submitting testimony in SUPPORT of this bill.
This bill is important because it also includes “social media influencer” in the definition of child performers. Over the last decade, the rise of social media has introduced great opportunities for many people, including child performers and their families, in digital entertainment and advertising. According to Forbes, “the influencer industry is worth approximately $250 billion, a figure that Goldman Sachs predicts will grow to nearly $500 billion by 2027.” While many people often associate influencers with genres such as beauty, health & fitness, or gaming, family influencers and vloggers have become increasingly popular. Parents often choose to share intimate, relatable content around family life, parenting, their children, and everyday moments. For the children featured in this type of content, their homes have also become their workplace, which has introduced new challenges and substantial risks. These include a lack of oversight over how and how much children are working on the creation of digital content, a lack of transparency and accountability around their compensation for that work, and the reality that it can be very difficult for kids to control where and for how long their images and performances are available in the digital world.
The hearing notice can be viewed here.
How to Submit Testimony
To submit testimony, go to the bill’s status page (HB796 HD1 and HB874 HD3SD1), look in the upper right-hand part of the screen and click on the orange “Submit Testimony” button. You need to do this separately for each bill.
If you have not already created a login, you will be instructed on how to do so. After that, it is just a few clicks to have your voice heard.
Here are instructions on how to submit testimony.
On-time testimony must be submitted 24 hours before the hearing; late testimony will be accepted until the hearing time.