Some Pennsylvania residents have criticized their governor for getting involved in the controversial debate over reality series Amish Mafia, but his decision to call for the Discovery series to stop filming in the state may be stemming from an old political agreement.

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According to Penn Live, a 1984 agreement reached between then-Governor Dick Thornburgh and the Old Order Amish Steering Committee's Board of Directors over the 1985 film Witness, which starred Harrison Ford as a cop who was tasked with protecting an Amish boy who witnessed a murder, does have provisions which could mean Amish Mafia genuinely cannot film more episodes.

According to the website, the provisions of the agreement are:

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1. The Amish are not to be promoted as subjects for film by the Pennsylvania Film Office.

2. The government won't send scripts to producers about the Amish

3. The government won't work with companies that trespass on Amish property or try to film them

4. The Committee would need to be contacted if a producer wants to film in Amish areas, and the government will make sure the producers are aware of how the Amish feel about being filmed.

However, despite calls by Corbett, religious officials and the Lancaster chamber of commerce in support of the local "Respect Amish" movement, the show will be returning for at least a fourth season.

Discovery Channel confirmed the show would return for a late-winter premiere shortly after Governor Corbett's calls, though the network has not commented on reports that Esther Schmucker is no longer involved with the show.

Tags: Amish Mafia discovery channel Reality TV