North Carolina Senate bill aims to increase film grant funding

A bill introduced by State Sen. Michael V. Lee is designed to expand support for film and television productions by enhancing grant options and providing updated guidelines for funding, as noted by the North Carolina State Senate.

Filed as SB 1002 on April 30 in the 2025 regular session, the short title for the measure is ‘Micro-Budget Productions & Film Grant Changes.’

Below is a summary, drawn from the bill text, incorporating interpretation for greater clarity.

Essentially, SB 1002 would broaden North Carolina’s Film and Entertainment Grant Fund by increasing per-project grant limits for feature films and TV seasons, and adjusting the threshold that defines a highly compensated individual from $1 million to $4 million. The bill clarifies what expenses qualify as production costs and narrows the types of expenditures excluded, such as specific insurance, financing, and prize-related costs. It establishes a Micro-Budget Productions Account for productions with in-state expenses of $50,000 to $1.5 million, providing both base grants and bonuses for hiring North Carolina residents and shooting in economically distressed areas. The measure allocates $1.5 million in one-time funding for this account and is set to take effect on July 1, 2026, for grants awarded after that date.

During the 2025 regular session, Lee filed an additional 53 bills.

According to the legislative process in North Carolina, a bill begins when a lawmaker formally submits a bill, sending it to a committee for review. Each chamber must read the bill three times. If one chamber makes changes after the other has passed it, both must agree to a unified version. Once approved by both chambers, the measure is sent to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not meeting) to sign, veto, or allow it to become law without a signature.

Further information on active bills and legislative measures is available here.

Lee earned his BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1991 and received his JD from Wake Forest University Law School in 1997.

A Republican, Lee was elected to represent North Carolina’s 7th Senate district in 2023, succeeding former state senator Jim Perry.