Some Ohio legislators yell 'cut' to Hollywood tax deals

Lights, camera, cut?

Some of Hollywood's biggest hit movies and equally big bombs have something in common: They were shot in Ohio, taking advantage of a 10-year-old tax credit incentive program.

Now some Ohio legislators want to dim the lights on a program aimed at luring filmmaking to the Buckeye State that offers up to 30 percent rebates for production cast and crew wages and other in-state spending.

This March 31, 2011, photo shows actor George Clooney in Oxford, Ohio, where he filmed scenes for "Ides of March," on the campus of Miami University. Some Ohio legislators are challenging a 10-year-old program aimed at luring filmmaking to the Buckeye State with a tax credit incentive offering up to 30 percent rebates for production cast and crew wages and other in-state spending. (Cara OwsleyThe Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)

Though the tax credit has been worth millions to blockbusters such as Marvel's "Avengers" and "Captain America" movies, critics say tax breaks should be going to Ohioans.

"I care about the opinion of Bobby, a Buckeye from Beverly, not necessarily Bobby De Niro from Beverly Hills," said House Speaker Larry Householder, a Republican from Glenford who questions why the state should be giving inducements to Hollywood. The House version of the $69 billion state budget eliminated the tax credit.

Both the conservative Buckeye Institute and left-leaning Policy Matters Ohio have analyzed the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit and found it lacking major economic benefits for Ohioans. However, regional film commission officials say economic impact studies have shown the state reaps a return of nearly $2 on every dollar of movie production spending.

Film commission leaders are pledging to push hard to keep the credit, saying that the state's movie industry has momentum and that thousands of jobs and tens of millions in investments could be at stake. John Daugherty, executive director of the Greater Columbus Film Commission , said film programs in Ohio schools would feel the impact with reduced opportunities for their graduates.

Among the good, great and, well, not-so-good films that took advantage of the tax credit in recent years:

— "The Avengers" assembled in Cleveland to successfully save mankind, while smashing windows, exploding cars and flinging fireballs in 2012's movie.

— Captain America and "The Winter Soldier" duked it out for multiple rounds in front of the city's Justice Center, and Chris Evans (Captain America) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) barely survived the worst-ever commute on Cleveland's Shoreway for the 2014 Avengers spin-off.

— With a back tattoo calling himself "I Am Wrath ," John Travolta got revenge on bad guys in Columbus alleys and buildings, and went by Buckeye Donuts on his way direct-to-video in 2016. He returned to Ohio to be the bad guy in Cincinnati scenes of the panned 2018 mobster biopic "Gotti."

— George Clooney and Ryan Gosling schemed about how to win Ohio's presidential primary in 2011's "The Ides of March ," while the divisive issue for fans thronged around Cincinnati's Fountain Square was who was hotter.

One of the most beloved movies in cinema, "The Shawshank Redemption," predated the tax credit — and Householder calls it his favorite Ohio-filmed movie.

The speaker explained that the House-proposed budget aims to cut Ohioans' taxes while targeting "special tax plans that benefit only specific group" for a consistent tax policy and "level playing field."

Householder noted threats by some movie celebrities to boycott states that pass social legislation they oppose, such as restrictive anti-abortion laws like Ohio passed last month.

"To me, they're getting a little too big for their britches, and you know we're going to do here in Ohio what we think is best for Ohioans and not listen to talk in Hollywood, California, about what they think is best for Ohio," he said.

However, the AP reported recently there hasn't been a wide reaction to the recently passed restrictive abortion law in Georgia, which has become a heavyweight movie industry host.

The GOP-controlled state Senate, which takes up the budget next, has actually proposed expanding the tax credit to include theatrical shows. And Republican Gov. Mike DeWine suggested the state could do even more with "a holistic approach" to attract moviemakers, to become a Midwestern rival for Georgia.

"We can make Ohio a go-to-place, frankly, like Georgia is," DeWine said. "And the credit itself is probably not enough. I would like for us to come up with a plan very quickly which includes the tax credit, but looks at what else we need to do to make that tax credit, frankly, go farther in the sense of being more productive for jobs. And it's about jobs."

Much wrangling on spending issues lies ahead before the legislators submit a two-year budget bill to DeWine by the end of June.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced Monday he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders.

Hailing from a Democratic stronghold, Sanders' decision virtually guarantees that he will return to Washington for a fourth Senate term. And his announcement comes at a critical moment for Democrats as the party navigates a growing divide over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Sanders has criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the U.S. relationship with Israel even as he's hailed much of Biden's domestic agenda ahead of what could be a tough reelection fight for Biden against presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Sanders said he wants the war in Gaza ended immediately, massive humanitarian aid to follow and no more money sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We are living in a complicated and difficult political moment," Sanders told The Associated Press on Monday. “I very strongly disagree with Biden in terms of the war in Gaza.”

At home, he said, the presidential election is between Biden and Trump, “and Donald Trump is in my view the most dangerous president, has been the most dangerous president in American history.”

With the prospect of Trump's possible return to the White House, Sanders framed his bid to return to the Senate as being driven by concerns about the future of democracy in the U.S. In an announcement video, he said that in many ways the 2024 election “is the most consequential election in our lifetimes.”

“Will the United States continue to even function as a democracy, or will we move to an authoritarian form of government?” he said. He questioned whether the country will reverse what he called “the unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality” and if it can create a government that works for all, and not continue with a political system dominated by wealthy campaign contributors.

Known for his liberal politics and crusty demeanor, Sanders has been famously consistent over his 40 years in politics, championing better health care paid for by the government, higher taxes for the wealthy, less military intervention and major solutions for climate change. He has also spent his career trying to hold corporate executives to account, something that he’s had more power to do as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Sanders is an independent. He was a Democratic congressman for 16 years and still caucuses with the Democrats.

He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He said a year ago that he would forgo another presidential bid and endorse Biden’s reelection this year.

“I have been, and will be if re-elected, in a strong position to provide the kind of help that Vermonters need in these difficult times,” Sanders said in a review of his positions as chairman of the important Senate panel and a member of the chamber's Democratic leadership team, as well as a senior member of various other committees.

AP writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed from Washington.

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he addresses Unite Here Local 11 workers holding a rally, April 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)