This could be the break Hollywood has been waiting for

The beleaguered U.S. film and TV industry, which has seen significant dollars leave for foreign countries, local production plummet and thousands of jobs vanish, may have some relief on the way.

It comes in the form of proposed legislation that has the rare support of lawmakers across the political spectrum. Indeed, President Donald Trump and the actors union SAG-AFTRA have been equally vocal in throwing their weight behind the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, which aims to create a significant tax incentive to bring Hollywood back home.

The bill was introduced in Congress in late September and is now with the House Ways and Means Committee. Given the bipartisan support, it is likely to have a relative glide path on Capitol Hill.

"Both parties represent people who work on sets, run catering companies and own hotels," said Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), who co-wrote the bill. "Co-sponsors come from California, Georgia, New York, Ohio and Tennessee, and every one of us has heard the same thing at home: The work is going overseas."

For film and TV creatives and craftspeople, the bill can't land on the White House's Resolute Desk a moment too soon.

"Whatever you think about the current administration, at least Trump, if he puts his weight behind this, could actually make this really move quickly, which is what we need," said Carolina Groppa, an Emmy-nominated producer who also hosts a podcast, "Angle on Producers," about the industry. "The patient's been on the gurney for a long time, collectively across the United States."

Film and TV production has indeed been fleeing Los Angeles for years - and often leaving the U.S. entirely. Other countries, from Ireland and Canada to Serbia and Colombia, have introduced huge tax incentives that have enticed producers to move projects to wherever is best for the bottom line. According to a recent report from EY Quantitative Economics and Statistics, the share of production spending for studio films with primarily U.S.-based projects declined since the turn of the century from 74 percent to 42 percent; for TV, it fell from 94 percent to 64 percent.

That trend accelerated following the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes, which were themselves triggered in part by industry contraction following the pandemic.

"You could just feel the town change," said Elsbeth Mumm, a set decorator based in Los Angeles. "Shows were being canceled, movies were getting pushed, scripts were just disappearing, things that had gotten green-lit were just stopped."