Gov. Beshear signs bill creating Kentucky Film Office

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The state legislature is now adding a new office to help bring more money to the state.

Senate Bill 1 was signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday to create the Kentucky Film Office. Kentucky has seen an increase in interest from production companies from around the country to film movies, TV shows and music videos. This office will serve to both bring in more filming interest to the state and track the economic impact the film industry has on Kentucky.

Local economies will also be impacted as well, potentially bringing in millions of dollars to communities and helping to grow some struggling parts of the state.

“When those people come in, they rent all of our hotel rooms, they eat in our restaurants, they buy gas and groceries and all that kind of stuff in our local communities. And I usually stay for an extended period of time. I mean, it’s not one or two days. It’s a month or two months or or whatever. So I think from their experience has really been good over in eastern Kentucky. And anything we can do to help that part of the state, I think we should try,” Kentucky State Rep. Kevin Jackson said.

Property rights were also a point of topic this year in Frankfort, helping authority figures and property owners protect their property from squatters, and trespassers. House Bill 10 was signed by the governor and focuses on these issues. Jackson said you already have to ask permission to enter onto someone’s property for certain activities.

“Nobody should be able to stay on your property if you don’t give them permission to, you know, you have to have permission to go in with some nice property to fish or hunt or that type of thing. Why would you be able to go on somebody’s property and leave an abandoned house or, you know, a barn or whatever without their permission.”

A few bills are heading back to the Kentucky legislature for discussion and votes after Beshear used his veto. The legislative session ends this weekend.