In the near future, we will be introducing legislation to amend the Tax Reform Code to increase the annual funding available under the Entertainment Economic Enhancement Program (EEEP) by $2 million, from $24 million to $26 million. This modest investment would encourage touring Broadway productions to conduct technical rehearsals, complete tour preparations, and launch tours here in Pennsylvania. By expanding an existing economic development program, this legislation would generate weeks of additional hotel stays, restaurant traffic, union labor, trucking, and other economic activity in the communities that host these productions.

Competing states, including Ohio and New York, already attract this business through dedicated tax incentives. Pennsylvania has world-class venues and an experienced workforce—including assets such as the Pittsburgh Cultural District, the Benedum Center, and the Kimmel Center—yet we lack the competitive incentive needed to attract these productions.
 
Under the existing EEEP, eligible productions may receive a tax credit equal to 35% of qualified Pennsylvania expenditures for show design, construction, and operations. Increasing the program's annual funding would enable Pennsylvania venues to attract an estimated two to three Broadway tour launches each year. In Cleveland, for example, recent tour launches—including The Notebook, Hell's Kitchen, and Death Becomes Her—have brought more than 100 visiting artists and staff who work alongside roughly 100 local crew members for several weeks of rehearsal and production preparation.
 
By building upon the success of EEEP, this legislation would strengthen Pennsylvania's competitiveness while generating additional economic activity, jobs, and tourism in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and communities across the Commonwealth.
 
Please join us in co-sponsoring this legislation.