Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

Most of movie version of "Dallas" is set to be shot in Louisiana

Most of the upcoming movie "Dallas" will be shot in Louisiana. Some scenes from "El Paso" were also shot in Louisiana. And "Glory Road," about Texas basketball legend Don Haskins, was shot mainly in Louisiana. So, partners, what has that state got that Texas ain't?

Incentives.

This week, Gov. Rick Perry rightly proposed a package of incentives to keep Texas competitive in the movie industry. Texas is a natural when it comes to filmmaking. With its mild climate and diverse topography — from plains and deserts to rolling hills and beaches — the Lone Star state had been a leader in attracting the filmmaking industry and the dollars that go with it. Now, Texas is trailing behind Louisiana and New Mexico.

Those neighboring states raked in a huge chunk of the movie and television business after they began offering financial incentives in 2003. Since then, more than $700 million in production budgets and 4,500 jobs have gone to other states, according to the Texas Film Commission. While Louisiana and New Mexico have increased their share of the movie business, the Texas share has declined. Even 12 films set in Texas were filmed in other states and Canada. Someone get a rope.

We need more than a posse to save jobs and business that annually pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the state and local economies. Perry has the answer with his proposal to create financial incentives.

The governor wants the Legislature to set aside $20 million in cash grants to keep Texas competitive. About $10 million would be for feature films, $8 million for television productions and $2 million for TV commercials and digital interactive media, which includes the video game industry. The Legislature took a step two years ago by establishing just such a fund. But money was tight then, so the lawmakers didn't put any money in it.

This time around, the state has an estimated $14 billion surplus over the next two years and there is no shortage of needs, from increasing health coverage for the uninsured, funding the criminal justice system, awarding state employees pay raises and improving public and higher education, among other things.

But the cash grants are a wise investment because they would more than pay for themselves in the amount of dollars they would generate for the Austin and Texas economies. Equally important, the film industry creates high-paying jobs that don't pollute.

Austin voters recognized the importance of the film industry to the city's economy when they passed $5 million in bonds in November for Austin Studios. That will be used to renovate the studios to peak Hollywood standards, including soundproofing and air-conditioning studios.

Perry's proposal will keep the cameras — and jobs that go with them — rolling in Texas. The Legislature should make it a wrap.