Compulsory attendance bill advances

By JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 6:05 pm

Senators debated two hours Wednesday on whether students should be forced to stay in school past age 16, if their parents are willing to give permission for them to drop out.

In the end, they advanced a bill (LB996) that would take away an exception to the current compulsory attendance law.

The bill will go to a second round of debate after the 29-17 vote, and perhaps an amendment that could, instead of taking away parents’ rights to allow their children to drop out, put some teeth into the law as it exists.

LB996 would delete the provision in the law that allows a parent or guardian to sign a notarized form that lets a student drop out of school at 16.

Senators had a list of reasons why students should stay in school — the dominant one being that, without high school diplomas they have little or no hope of finding decent jobs.

Not only does the dropout suffer, but each class of dropouts is responsible for a substantial drain on the community, the state and the country, said Sen. John Wightman of Lexington, who introduced the bill.

According to the U.S. Census, one in four people in Nebraska with less than a high school diploma live in poverty.

Nebraska law should send a clear message that children should stay in school and get their diplomas, Wightman said.

Sen. Greg Adams of York, a former teacher, questioned why the exception in the law allows parents to sign off on their kids dropping out.

“Parental rights, indeed, and we’re all respectful of that. Taken to its logical conclusion, then, why didn’t we say age 12, age 14?” he asked.

Omaha Sen. Gwen Howard said that when she was a caseworker for the state Department of Health and Human Services, many state wards were disenchanted with school and made every effort to slip out the back door when they were dropped off at school.

“But the state did not give permission for a child, a ward of the state, to drop out of school at age 16,” she said. “The state recognized the importance of that child staying in school and graduating.”

All the bill is asking, said Omaha Sen. Brad Ashford, is that parents encourage their kids to go to school, with a multitude of options.

“The Nebraska way is to find a pathway for these children, not to give up,” he said. “This is the kind of bill that sets the course for our state.”

But some senators said the bill wouldn’t solve the problem.

The state Department of Education apparently has no data showing how many parents signed notarized releases allowing the nearly 2,000 students who dropped out in 2009-10 to do so.

It must be, said Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton, that school administrators are allowing students to leave school at 16 and 17 without signed consent.

“We pay these administrators six-figure salaries, and they’re not doing their jobs,” he said.

Taking out the piece of the law that allows kids to drop out at 16 would not solve the problem if administrators are not now following the law, he said.

Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash said if the bill goes through, the workload of county attorneys goes up. And they’re already busy dealing with students who have excessive absenteeism.

The bill’s fiscal note says not allowing students to drop out –with no exceptions — would have only minimal financial impact. Coash and at least one other senator disagreed.

“There’s a cost (to) enforcing this,” he said.

In addition, teachers are stretched thin, he said. Children who are disruptive and don’t want to be in school pull them away from their mission.

Omaha Sen. Brenda Council said she would work with Wightman on an amendment that would help prevent students from dropping out, without taking away the exception for parent consent.

It would be modeled after an Indiana law that would require an “exit interview” for all students who want to drop out. The interview would be attended by the student, a parent, designated school employees and the principal.

Under the Indiana law, the student, parent and principal must agree in writing to the withdrawal and whether it is because of a financial hardship, and the student must work to help support the family or have an illness or a court order.

The written statement must say the student and parent understand that withdrawing is likely to reduce the student’s future earnings and increase the likelihood of being unemployed.

Wightman said the amendment would be similar to the Indiana law, but with some fine tuning.

Reach JoAnne Young at 402-473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com– You can follow JoAnne’s tweets at twitter.com/ljslegislature.

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Editorial, 2/5: Lights, camera, act on bill

Every legislative session, there are a few bills in the hopper that are so  deserving they should be no-brainers.

The bill introduced by Sen. Colby Coash of Lincoln to allow local communities  to offer financial incentives to film companies belongs in that category.

Often the benefits for such incentives seem theoretical and far off. Not in  this case.

Alexander Payne, the Omaha native who has a trophy case full of awards from  the Motion Picture Academy and the Golden Globes, wants to make a movie called  “Nebraska.”

But his backers are pressuring him to film the movie in Kansas, which offers  a 20 percent tax credit for movies.

Hollywood veteran John Beasley wants to film a movie about the legendary  Marlin Briscoe, the first black pro quarterback to start in professional  football. Since Briscoe played at South Omaha High School and at the University  of Nebraska at Omaha, it would be natural to make the film in Omaha. But Beasley  also might end up filming in Kansas.

Nebraska is one of only 10 states that offer no incentives for locally  produced movies. Payne told state senators last week that the lack of incentives  usually dead-ends inquiries about filming in Nebraska.

In the past, Nebraska had an advantage as a “right-to-work” state where  movies could be made with non-union workers. But now that advantage has been  erased by more generous tax breaks from other states, he said.

Payne has made three movies in Nebraska — “Citizen Ruth,” “Election” and  “About Schmidt.” He is the celebrated writer and director of “Sideways,” which  popularized pinot noir wine and continues to lure tourists to California’s wine  country. Payne also is the writer and director of “The Descendants,” currently  playing in theaters. The movie starring George Clooney is the winner of best  picture from the Golden Globes and has been nominated for five Academy  Awards.

Coash’s bill, LB863, is relatively modest. It would not use state funds. It  would give local communities control over whether they wanted to offer  incentives from their local tax dollars.

If there is any question about the bill, it should be on whether those  incentives are sufficient.

There should be little dispute that a movie production boosts the local  economy. The filming of “Terms of Endearment” in Nebraska in 1983 poured  hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy. When the city of  Valentine gave a $5,000 local discount to an independent film crew, the town  estimated the economic payoff at $40,000 to $50,000.

Payne has described “Nebraska,” the movie that he wants to make, as a  father-son road trip from Billings, Mont. to Lincoln. The trip gets waylaid in a  small town in Nebraska where the father grew up. Payne has described the planned  movie as a “nice little comedy.”

But there wouldn’t be anything funny about Payne filming the movie in Kansas  because of the lack of incentives for filming in his home state. The Urban  Affairs Committee advanced the bill on a unanimous vote. We hope support also  will be strong in the full Legislature.

Read more: http://journalstar.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-lights-camera-act-on-bill/article_ee748c9f-07fe-5612-bbc9-24eb03d9c853.html#ixzz1m10YEJzT

LINCOLN — Movie producers Alexander Payne and John Beasley called for “action” Tuesday in a long and so far unsuccessful effort to permit financial  incentives for film-making in Nebraska.

Nebraska is one of 10 states that don’t offer any tax incentives for locally produced movies, television shows or commercials. The two Hollywood veterans said that ends the conversation quickly with potential film prospects.

“We have zilch. That goes over like a lead balloon,” said Payne, the award-winning director and screenwriter of “The Descendants,” “Sideways” and “About Schmidt.”

Payne, an Omaha native who splits time between his hometown and Los Angeles, and Beasley, an Omaha-based TV actor and movie producer, testified in support of a bill that would allow cities to use some of their economic development funds to reimburse expenses of movie crews working in Nebraska.

The modest proposal is expected to have a better chance of passage in the Nebraska Legislature than past proposals because
it involves no state money and it allows cities to choose whether they want to negotiate for a movie project.

Payne said even “conservative” Kansas has adopted a 30 percent tax credit program to lure movies. That program, he said,
might force his next film, titled “Nebraska,” to be shot mostly in the Jayhawk State.

“I’m being pressured to shoot in Kansas instead of Nebraska. And I’m hard-pressed to offer resistance,” Payne told the Legislature’s Urban Affairs Committee. “What do our counterparts in Kansas see that we don’t see?”

Beasley said a $12.5 million movie project he’s involved with, “The Marlin Briscoe Story: the First Black Quarterback,” may also be shot in Kansas, even though Briscoe was from Omaha and played college football at Omaha University.

“The investors in question, they want their money to go as far as it can go,” he said. The film-incentive proposal, Legislative Bill
863, is the latest in a long line of unsuccessful attempts to adopt film incentives in the state.

Past efforts, which go back to at least 2000, died primarily because of their cost in state tax dollars and because of questions about whether movie-making provides a significant economic boost. A 2009 study in Nebraska projected a $1.08 return in economic benefits for every $1 spent on incentives.

Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash, who has appeared in some small-budget films, said LB 863 is different because it costs no state money — only local tax money — and gives cities control over the films they choose to subsidize. It might inspire bidding wars between cities to host movie crews, Coash said.

“And besides, it’s just the cool thing to do,” Payne added.

Tourists, he said, are still traveling to California’s wine country because of “Sideways,” and South Dakota still gets visitors because
“Dances With Wolves” was filmed there.

LB 863 would allow cities whose voters have adopted so-called “LB 840” economic development plans to use the sales and property tax funds gathered for film projects. Such funds are now used to help new businesses and tourist-related activities.

Fifty-nine Nebraska communities, including La Vista, Fremont and Blair, have such LB 840 programs; Omaha and Lincoln are among the communities that do not, but officials said they could choose to adopt such programs, which require voter approval.

Last year, the City of Valentine provided a $5,000 discount on local lodging, food and other expenses for a Colorado film crew shooting an independent movie called “Aviation Cocktail.”

Coash said the film crew ended up spending $40,000 to $50,000 in the north-central Nebraska community, and is considering coming back to film a larger movie.

Payne, who’s shot three films in Nebraska, said the state used to have an economic advantage as a “right-to-work” state. But it has lost that advantage after states such as Michigan, New Mexico and Louisiana adopted generous tax breaks for movie production.

Payne and Beasley said Coash’s bill would offer only modest benefits, but it would at least allow Nebraska to say it has incentives and
would help build an infrastructure of movie workers in the state.

Beasley said his Briscoe movie is considering Dana College in Blair, Neb., as a potential location. Payne said that Lincoln and communities within 60 miles are being considered for some shooting of the comedy “Nebraska,” either this May or in 2013.

“We would love to work in Nebraska,” Beas­ley said.

Contact the writer:
402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120131/GO/301319770

Movie incentive bill advances

LINCOLN — Apparently, Hollywood star power works in the Nebraska Legislature.

Two days after award-winning director Alexander Payne and Omaha-based actor John Beasley testified in favor of it, a legislative committee advanced a bill Thursday to allow cities to use economic development funds to lure movie-makers to town.

The unanimous vote by the Urban Affairs Committee signals that the measure, sponsored by Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash, is likely to be approved by the full Legislature.

Nebraska is one of only 10 states that offer no incentives for shooting of movies, television shows and commercials. Coash said the state is missing out on economic development opportunities.

Payne testified Tuesday that he wants to shoot parts of a new movie, entitled “Nebraska,” in his home state but that attractive tax incentives might mean Kansas will get the project.

Beasley is involved in a $12.5 million movie project on the life of Marlin Briscoe, the NFL’s first black quarterback and a native of Omaha. He is eyeing the former Dana College in Blair as a location.

Contact the writer:

402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120202/NEWS01/702039993

Director Alexander Payne, actor John Beasley testify on film incentive bill

By JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal  Star |  Posted: Tuesday,  January 31, 2012 11:55 pm

It’s not often Hollywood touches down in the Nebraska Legislature’s  Urban Affairs Committee hearing room.

But it stepped up to the microphone not once but twice Tuesday, when  award-winning director/writer/producer Alexander Payne and actor John Beasley  testified on a bill (LB863) aimed at bringing more film business to  Nebraska.

Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash introduced the bill that would make film, commercial  and television production eligible for consideration under the local option  economic development incentive program.

Fifty-nine communities have established local option economic development  programs, and could consider using that money to attract film-related  business.

The city of Valentine recently used the incentive to attract the production  crew of the movie, “Aviation Cocktail,” which filmed there in the fall. The city  invested $5,000 and the production company spent $40,000 to $45,000, Coash  said.

Several attempts have been made at bills that would offer economic incentives  to movie producers, but even what some consider modest proposals have  failed.

Payne, an Omaha native who has made three feature films in Nebraska –  “Citizen Ruth,” “Election” and “About Schmidt” –  told the committee he  would like to bring his next film to Nebraska, but he is being pressured to  shoot in Kansas, which offers a 20 percent tax incentive.

“Frankly, I am hard pressed to offer resistance,” he said.

Nebraska offers no economic incentives at this time.

“States such as Louisiana, North Carolina, New Mexico and Michigan have  famously poured millions and millions of dollars into film production through  their aggressive incentive plans,” he said.

Films bring millions of dollars to hotels, restaurants, caterers, rental car  agencies and vendors. They bring jobs to local actors, technicians and  Teamsters. And they potentially bring in millions in tourism.

The questions producers always ask a state or community they are considering  are whether there are economic incentives and a local crew base, Payne said. If  they hear there are no incentives, that’s frequently the end of the  conversation.

Beasley, who has acted in a long list of movies and TV shows including  “Everwood,” “Harry’s Law” and “CSI Miami,” is involved with an independent film  project that would tell the story of Marlin Briscoe, professional football’s  first black starting quarterback.

“Ours is a modest $12.5 million budget,” he said. “We want to shoot in Omaha,  because it’s a unique Omaha, Neb., story. But our investors insist that we make  our money go as far as it can go.”

So his production company, West Omaha Films, is looking at traveling to  Michigan or Louisiana.

Forty states offer film incentive programs, and some have faced scandal in  recent years. The former director of the Iowa Film Office was found guilty last  year of helping to falsify documents related to that state’s tax-credit program,  following an October 2010 state audit that found nearly $26 million in tax  credits that allegedly were misused.

Iowa Economic Development Director Tom Wheeler and five others in the  department lost their jobs in the scandal, which included the purchase of luxury  vehicles ineligible for the tax credits and a ladder reportedly rented for  $1,350. Then-Gov. Chet Culver suspended the program in 2009 and requested an  investigation by the state auditor and attorney general.

The proposal in Nebraska is not a tax incentive program, but rather allows  individual communities to reimburse local businesses for offering discounts on  film production purchases.

Payne, who has won Academy Awards and a Golden Globe for “Sideways,” and  whose latest film, “The Descendants” has been nominated for five Academy Awards,  said one of his next films is a road-trip comedy. He will shoot in Lincoln  for the first time, and other small towns, within a year.

Nebraska has no name in Hollywood, he said.

“I shoot in Nebraska because I love Nebraska,” he said. “Nobody asks Woody  Allen, ‘Why do you shoot in New York?’ No one questions it. He’s from New York.  Well, I’m from Omaha and I want to shoot in Nebraska.”

Read more: http://journalstar.com/news/local/director-alexander-payne-actor-john-beasley-testify-on-film-incentive/article_faf6d570-4129-5ba1-a010-a5b4567b4644.html#ixzz1m13Hmy7Q