Senate Passes Senator Cortese’s Film Safety Bill Spurred by ‘Rust’ Movie Tragedy

The State Senate on Wednesday passed legislation by Senator Dave Cortese establishing landmark safety rules on motion picture productions. SB 735, a bill that was spurred by the 2021 death of a cinematographer on the ‘Rust’ film set, establishes a first-in-the-nation regulatory process for keeping workers safe. The bipartisan bill reflects months of negotiations between studios and labor representatives.

“SB 735 is a case of progress rising out of tragedy. While our discussions with film studios and their unions followed a heartbreaking death on a movie set, the legislation evolved into a greater effort to protect television and film workers from serious injury and death,” said Senator Cortese (D-San Jose), who chairs the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement. “SB 735 will bring great uniformity to film and television in this prolific era of streaming by reducing threats and keeping workers safe.”   

The bill protects film and television workers by establishing clear, mandatory guidelines around the use of firearms and ammunition on sets, among other provisions. It establishes training requirements and safety standards to ensure that prop firearms and blanks are handled safety, and prohibits the use of live ammunition except in the most limited circumstances.

SB 735 also creates the five-year Safety on Set pilot program requiring any employer who receives a motion picture tax credit to hire an independent safety advisor to conduct preproduction risk assessments, and oversee safety practices and procedures in motion picture, television, and streaming productions.  

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