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California films that want tax credit must meet new diversity requirement
- California lawmakers approved an amendment to SB 485 on Wednesday to include a diversity requirement to the state’s $330 million tax incentive for film and TV production.
- The updated provision, currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, requires tax credit beneficiaries to set hiring goals that are “broadly reflective of California’s population, in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender.”
- While California’s population is 40% Latino, 35% white, 16% Asian American and 6.5% Black, the state’s film and TV workforce from projects that received a tax credit from 2015 to 2020 were 70% white, 17% Latino, 7% Black and 4% Asian American.
- The updated bill, which is set to take effect on July 1, 2023, now prescribes that productions availing the state’s film tax credit are required to submit a diversity work plan and a final diversity report that shows whether the hiring goals were met.
- Productions that are able to meet their goals or show a “good faith effort” will be eligible for an additional 4% tax credit on top of the 20% or 25% credit that the current law prescribes.
An amendment to include a diversity requirement to California’s $330 million tax incentive for film and TV production is now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature.
SB 485, which will extend the tax credit through 2030, was amended on Wednesday for tax credit beneficiaries to set hiring goals that are “broadly reflective of California’s population, in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender.”
Congress passes bipartisan $280 billion bill aimed at challenging China’s dominance in chip manufacturing
- Both chambers of the United States Congress have passed the “Chips and Science Bill,” a $280 billion measure which aims to boost the country’s technological competitiveness against China.
- The measure would provide $52 billion of subsidies and grants for the domestic chip manufacturing industry and over $100 billion in technology and sciences investments.
- On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the bill in a 243-187-1 vote, a day after the Senate cleared it in a bipartisan 64-33 vote.
- “This Chips and Science bill will create millions of good-paying jobs and it will help lower costs and help protect America’s national security interests,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer during the senate deliberations on Wednesday.
- The bill now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden, who said that it is “exactly what we need to be doing to grow our economy right now.”
A bill authorizing $280 billion to boost the country’s manufacturing and technological competitiveness against China is one step closer to becoming a law.
The legislation, called CHIPS and Science Act, would provide $52 billion in subsidies and grants for the domestic chip manufacturing industry and over $100 billion for technology and sciences investments, including $81 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF). It will also establish a 25 percent tax credit for investment in semiconductor manufacturing.
Senate bill seeks to sanction Chinese officials who block inquiries into COVID-19’s alleged Wuhan lab origins
- Introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Coronavirus Origin Validation, Investigation and Determination (COVID) Act of 2022 would sanction Chinese officials if they fail to allow inquiry into the lab leak theory.
- The bill would specifically target the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which administers the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), the agency at the center of the theory.
- The bill would also suspend funding for studies involving the CAS and prohibit cooperation in virus research between the U.S. and China.
A bill that aims to sanction Chinese officials for preventing investigations into the alleged artificial origins of COVID-19 was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
The legislation, known as the Coronavirus Origin Validation, Investigation and Determination (COVID) Act of 2022, would authorize sanctions 90 days after its enactment if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “fails to allow for a credible and comprehensive international investigation into laboratories in Wuhan,” according to Rubio’s website.
US House pass bill banning goods from China’s Xinjiang region over Uyghur oppression with 428-1 vote
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that aims to penalize the Chinese government over its alleged oppression of the Uyghur people.
Unanimous support: Having recently received an overwhelmingly bipartisan 428-1 vote in Congress, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is the latest step the U.S. has taken against China following the White House’s recently announced boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Japanese Politicians Are Pushing to Give Everyone 4-Day Work Weeks
A Japanese politician from the Liberal Democratic Party is spearheading the push for a bill that would give workers a three-day weekend without affecting job security.
About the bill: House of Councilors member Kuniko Inoguchi, who represents a district of Chiba Prefecture, saw the potential to introduce the bill after the successful implementation of four-day workweeks by a few Japanese companies in the past, according to Sankei Shimbun via SoraNews24.
U.S. Planning to Expel Chinese Grad Students With Military Ties
In an apparent move to intercept suspected scientific and technological espionage, American officials are reportedly planning to expel Chinese graduate students with links to the Chinese military.
Estimates show that at least 3,000 students will see their visas canceled — a fraction of the 360,000 Chinese nationals studying in the U.S. — effectively halting projects that they could be working on, according to The New York Times.
Japan May Make It Illegal to Spank Kids When Disciplining Them
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his cabinet members have recently submitted a bill that makes it illegal for parents to hit their children when disciplining them, as the number of child abuse cases in the country rises.
According to NHK News, the bill was submitted by the Cabinet of Japan, which consists of many high-ranking ministers including the Japanese prime minister himself, on March 19. If passed, the bill would make it illegal for parents to enact corporal punishments on their children, which includes spanking children in broader interpretations.
American Man Goes to the ER in Taiwan, Reveals ‘the Horrors of Socialized Medicine’
As Americans, many of us have lived in fear of healthcare costs and consequently have become comfortable with avoiding seeking medical care unless it is a life-threatening emergency. American expatriate, Kevin Bozeat, feared for the when his sudden illness in Taiwan forced him to rush to an ER; however, his story could be a huge wake up call for the American healthcare system.
Bozeat shared a detailed account of his experience at a Taiwanese hospital in a Facebook post titled, “The Horrors of Socialized Medicine: A first hand experience” which has since been shared over 204,000 times.
Disturbing Massachusetts Bill Pushes for Data Collection of Asian-Americans
A bill that seeks to collect data from Asian-American and Pacific Islander ethnic groups in Massachusetts has been met with outrage from the concerned communities in the state, with many calling the proposal a “racist bill”.
Introduced by Democratic Rep. Tackey Chan of Massachusetts in January, the MA House Bill H3361 is set to require state agencies in Massachusetts to identify Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders through data collected from surveys, to be broken down by the state’s five largest ethnic groups in the state, including Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese.
Congresswoman Introduces Bill For Asian Americans Battling Mental Illness
In an effort to combat the stigma on mental health among Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), a new bill was introduced at the U.S. House of Representatives last week.
The bill, titled “Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act,” was introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) in a timely fit for the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, NBC News reported.
Verizon Charges Couple Over $2.1 Million For Just One Month of Service
A couple from Damascus, Oregon, was expected to pay a $2 million outstanding phone bill on a Verizon plan that was canceled after only a month of being opened.
Ken Slusher and his girlfriend opened the account with Verizon last November and also purchased two phones, according to KUTV.
