Louisiana Save Our Screens Fund $4.5 million
This Main Street Recovery program will provide grants for movie theaters in Louisiana that were forced to close or reduce capacity due to COVID-19. The grants are limited to $10,000 for each movie screen with a limit of $50,000 for each theater.
Adam Holland, the Mayor of Oak Grove, spoke to the Finance Committee about the Fiske Theatre, a historical one-screen cinema his family operates.
“I want to make clear that I have no objections to the corporations that are going to receive aid from this bill,” said Holland. “It’s necessary to point out the fact that the way this bill is presently written, the corporations with stockholders will be receiving the vast majority of these funds.”
Lawmakers say Louisiana sports betting could begin by fall nownews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nownews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration had been hoping to settle the $300 million judgment by paying out less than half of the amount due $130 million over the next five years. The governor’s office hoped the flood victims would agree to the deal, in order to ensure they would receive any money at all.
The House got on the board with Edwards’ plan earlier this month. The lower chamber included $30 million in this year’s budget plan for the first payment to the flood victims. The initial installment was supposed to be followed up with four more payments of $25 million over the following four years. The state also would have had to get a judge to sign off on the compromise.