New York lawmaker wants to pay TV shows to get more diverse

The entertainment industry’s difficulties with diversity in front of and behind the camera were headline news throughout this recently concluded Oscar season. For New York State Assemblyman Keith Wright (D-NY-70)), who represents Harlem, the groundswell of attention to diversity is an opportunity to renew a push for a bill that he has been trying to pass for years, one that would offer financial incentives to television shows that hire people of color and women to write and direct episodes.

Production tax credits have long been part of the film and television ecosystem: In an effort to lure productions away from the soundstages of Los Angeles (CA), many states pay back to productions a percentage of their expenditures in the state that qualify for the credit. Traditionally, writers’ and directors’ salaries have not counted as “qualified spending” that is covered by tax credits. (Producers and the compensation for lead actors aren’t usually included either.) State Rep Wright’s bill would change this, making television writers’ and directors’ fees up to $50,000 per episode “eligible costs,” if those writers and directors are members of minority groups or women.