A House committee voted Wednesday to recommend passage of legislation creating a study committee on minority participation in the state’s growing film and television industries.
The committee vote came after witnesses, including the son of the late Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, urged lawmakers to take on the issue for which Hollywood film-makers have been drawing fire.
Maynard Jackson III, executive producer at Auburn Avenue Films, and others suggested a study committee on the topic could be a positive, given the many concerned raised about the “religious liberty” bill that lawmakers passed and that has been criticized as promoting discrimination against gays.
“This industry is very big on equal rights,” he told committee members Wednesday morning
Jackson said he believes that, if the bill becomes law, “you are going to see the air come out of Georgia’s film balloons.”
The bill has to pass the House on Thursday, the final day of the General Assembly session, for a committee to be created.
House Resolution 1577 calls for seven House members to look at minority participation in Georgia’s roughly $6 billion annual film and television industry.
Sponsors of the resolution said that with the industry’s sizable growth in Georgia, it’s important to encourage inclusion and remove any barriers to minority participation
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