To amend section 100905 of title 54, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to require annual permits and assess annual fees for commercial filming activities on Federal land for film crews of 5 persons or fewer, and for other purposes.

To amend section 100905 of title 54, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to require annual permits and assess annual fees for commercial filming activities on Federal land for film crews of 5 persons or fewer, and for other purposes. 1. Annual permit and fee for film crews of 5 persons or fewer (a) Purpose The purpose of the amendments made by subsection (b) is to provide commercial film crews of 5 persons or fewer access to film in areas designated for public use during public hours on Federal land and waterways. (b) Access for film crews of 5 persons or fewer Section 100905 of title 54, United States Code, is amended as follows: (1) In subsection (a)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking provide a fair return to the United States be sufficient to cover the cost of a film permit and other administrative and personnel costs (B) by adding at the end the following: (3) Film crews of 5 persons or fewer For film crews of 5 persons or fewer, the Secretary shall— (A) assess an annual fee of not more than $200 for commercial filming activities or similar projects on Federal land administered by the Secretary; and (B) require a permit which shall be valid for commercial filming activities or similar projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on all Federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary for a 1-year period beginning on the date of issuance of the permit. . (2) In subsection (c)(2), by adding at the end the following: The fee under this paragraph for still photography crews of 5 persons or fewer shall be not more than $200. (3) In subsection (f), by adding at the end the following: The Secretary shall not consider subject matter or content as a criterion for issuing or denying a permit under this Act. (4) By striking subsection (b) and redesignating subsections (c), (d), (e), and (f) and subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e), respectively. (5) By adding at the end the following: (f) Exemption From Commercial Filming or Still Photography Permits and Fees The Secretary shall not require persons holding commercial use authorizations or special recreation permits to obtain an additional permit or pay an additional fee for commercial filming or still photography under this section if— (1) the filming or still photography conducted is incidental to the permitted activity that is the subject of the commercial use authorization or special recreation permit; and (2) the holder of the commercial use authorization or special recreation permit is an individual or small business concern (within the meaning of section 3 of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 632 (g) News Gathering Activities For the purposes of this section, news gathering shall not be considered a commercial activity. (h) Definitions For the purposes of this section— (1) the term commercial film crew (2) the term news gathering (3) the term Secretary .

Summary: This bill directs the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture (USDA) to assess an annual fee of up to $200 for any film crew of five persons or fewer to conduct commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land administered by such departments and to require a one-year permit for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on federal land and waterways administered by such departments. The bill also requires that the fee for a commercial filming activity or similar project in a unit of the National Park System be sufficient to cover the cost of a film permit and other administrative and personnel costs. Interior and USDA must also assess an annual fee of up to $200 for still photography crews of five persons or fewer. The bill repeals the requirement for collection by Interior and USDA of costs incurred as a result of filming activities or similar projects, including administrative and personnel costs, in addition to the reasonable fee assessed for commercial filming activities or similar projects in a system unit.