What's happening
This bill directs state agencies to set rules limiting how much municipalities can charge for film, television, and commercial production permits.
Why it matters
Could make New York more attractive for film and TV productions. by standardizing and potentially lowering permit fees, which may encourage more projects to choose local municipalities, boosting the state’s creative economy.
Limits on permit fees may help smaller or independent filmmakers. who often face barriers due to unpredictable or high local charges, thereby increasing diversity and opportunity in media production.
Shifts some control from local governments to state agencies. by requiring statewide rules and a cap on fees, which may reduce municipal revenue and autonomy but creates a more predictable and transparent process for the industry.
May lead to increased economic activity in regions with previously high permit fees. , as productions could be more evenly distributed across the state instead of clustering only in more affordable areas.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Cap Film Permit Fees
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to commerce, economic development and small business
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8294
IN SENATE
May 8, 2020
Introduced by Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business
AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to directing the empire state development corporation and the governor's office of motion picture and television development to promulgate rules and regulations for municipalities charging film permit fees
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The economic development law is amended by adding a new article 23 to read as follows:
ARTICLE 23
FILM, TELEVISION AND COMMERCIAL PRODUCTIONS Section 450. Film permit fees.
§ 450. Film permit fees. The empire state development corporation in conjunction with the governor's office of motion picture and television development shall promulgate rules and regulations regarding permit fees charged by municipalities for film, television and commercial productions. Such rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited to, language that provides for a specific maximum amount that can be charged by a municipality for all such fees in each economic development region established pursuant to article eleven of this chapter.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14917-01-0
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the economic development law, in relation to directing the empire state development corporation and the governor's office of motion picture and television development to promulgate rules and regu- lations for municipalities charging film permit fees
Purpose
This legislation would limit the ability of municipalities to charge exorbitant permit fees for film, television and commercial productions.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one amends the economic development law to add a section that would require the Governor's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development shall promulgate rules and regulations regarding permit fees charged by municipalities for film, television, and commercial productions.
Section two establishes the effective date.
Justification
In recent years the number of films and other media productions has drastically increased across the state due to the Film and Motion picture tax credit, which incentivizes studios to film across New York State, including Upstate New York. This bill aims to prevent localities from charging fees that go beyond a reasonable amount. Setting such high upfront fees only serves to deter production companies from filming in our communities by increasing costs and red tape.
Filming in Upstate New York has become attractive to production compa- nies, big and small, due to State incentives in place to give some film projects tax breaks. These high fees discourage return business that brings revenue into local economies, such as the bed tax, hotel and restaurant fees, and sales tax revenue. While municipalities are enti- tled to be made whole and be compensated, unnecessarily high fees hurt these communities in the long run.
Legislative history
New legislation
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.