The U.S. Senate has passed the EXPLORE Act, a bill that removes permitting requirements for commercial photography and filming in national parks. The bill aims to protect First Amendment rights and make it easier for individuals and businesses to create content in these public spaces.
The U.S. Senate passed the EXPLORE Act, a bill that makes it easier to film in national parks and eliminates the need for photographers and videographers to secure permits for commercial photography and filming. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law. \\\The EXPLORE Act was championed by free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which argued that current filming permit requirements violate First Amendment rights.
Currently, filmmakers must obtain a permit and pay a fee if they intend to later profit from their footage in national parks, even if they are using the same handheld camera or phone that a tourist would use. Permits are routinely denied for arbitrary and unpredictable reasons, making it difficult for people like documentary filmmakers, press photographers, and wedding videographers to earn a living. \\\According to FIRE, the EXPLORE Act will no longer require photographers or videographers to get filming permits because they may be paid for the footage or images. As long as filming takes place where the public is already allowed, doesn’t harm or otherwise impact park resources or visitors, and involves fewer than six people, no permit will be necessary. Moreover, if an activity is already allowed in a national park, no permit to film it is required. If the NPS has already permitted an activity, such as for a wedding, no additional permit to film it will be required. \\\The EXPLORE Act aims to overturn its “unconstitutional permit-and-fee scheme that charges Americans for the right to film in public spaces.” A couple, Rienzie and Burkesmith, had applied for a permit to film Michelino Sunseri’s attempt to break the record for the fastest climb up the Grand Teton in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming in September. However, the NPS denied the pair’s permit and pocketed the non-refundable $325 application regardless
EXPLORE Act National Parks Filming Permits First Amendment Free Speech
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