After 33 years in the film industry, Matthew McConaughey told a panel of Texas lawmakers on Monday that one of his only regrets is not making more films in his home state.
The actor and Austinite testified before the Texas Senate Finance Committee in favor of Senate Bill 22, which would inject $500 million into a film incentive fund every two years until 2035.
The bill, authored by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), has received backing from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was present at the hearing. Patrick named the bill among his top priorities for the legislative session earlier this year.
For many Texans in the film industry, making movies in the Lone Star State is simply too expensive. Productions often opt to shoot in neighboring states, like New Mexico, or Georgia, which offer larger incentive programs, like generous tax credits.
“If we pass this bill in Texas, we are immediately at the bargaining table for shooting more films and television and commercials in our state immediately,” McConaughey said.
Beside McConaughey sat fellow Texan Woody Harrelson. The actor did not testify, but recently starred in an ad alongside McConaughey, Dennis Quaid and Renée Zellweger urging lawmakers to pass bills to incentivize filming in Texas.
One priority of SB 22 is to fund productions that positively depict Texas. Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) told fellow committee members he detested the prospect of the fund being used toward vulgar productions. He referenced the Paramount+ show Landman starring Billy Bob Thornton — another longtime advocate for incentivized filming in the state — as a poor depiction of Texas values.
“We’ve got to have a standard that sets the tone for the state of Texas and what we’re gonna support and what we're not gonna support,” Bettencourt said.
Paul Hale, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee, testified against the bill, calling the fund a “handout.”
“The industry should not be carried on the backs of the taxpayer,” he said.
Lilah Licon, a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, testified in favor of the bill and stressed the importance of supporting the growing Texas film industry.
“This bill would not just be investing in these pictures or infrastructure but in these people — Texans who desire to give back to their communities,” she said.
If approved by the Texas Senate Finance Committee, the bill would then await consideration by the full Senate.
The Texas Newsroom is a public radio journalism collaboration that includes NPR, KERA in North Texas, Houston Public Media, KUT in Austin, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and other stations across the state.