HOUSE BILL No. 5855

 

February 28, 2008, Introduced by Reps. Miller, Meisner, Huizenga, Hammon, Johnson, Kathleen Law, Byrnes, Leland, Condino, Griffin, Robert Jones, Corriveau, Polidori, Gonzales, Espinoza, Brown, Simpson, Donigan, Gillard, Amos, Valentine, Spade, Meadows, Hammel, Casperson, McDowell, Dean, Rick Jones, Bauer, Bieda, Byrum, Ebli, Angerer, Proos, Nofs, Accavitti, Palsrok, Clemente, Hansen, Jackson, Lemmons, Vagnozzi, Lindberg, Clack, Sak, Constan, Knollenberg and Young and referred to the Committee on Commerce.

 

     A bill to authorize local units of government to provide free

 

use of local government property for film production.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "local

 

government filming location access act".

 

     Sec. 3. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Film" means single media or multimedia entertainment

 

content for distribution or exhibition to the general public by any

 

means and media in any digital media format, film, or videotape,

 

including, but not limited to, a motion picture, documentary, a

 

television series, a television miniseries, a television special,

 

interstitial television programming, long-form television,

 

interactive television, music videos, interactive games, video

 


games, commercials, internet programming, an internet video, a

 

sound recording, a video, digital animation, or an interactive

 

website.

 

     (b) "Local unit of government" means a political subdivision

 

of this state, including, but not limited to, a county, city,

 

village, township, district, local authority, intergovernmental

 

authority, or intergovernmental entity.

 

     (c) "Michigan film office" or "film office" means the office

 

created under chapter 2A of the Michigan strategic fund act.

 

     (d) "Obscene matter or an obscene performance" means matter

 

described in 1984 PA 343, MCL 752.361 to 752.374.

 

     Sec. 5. (1) Except as provided under subsection (2), a local

 

unit of government may authorize a person engaged in the production

 

of a film in this state to use, without charge, property owned or

 

under the control of the local unit of government for the purpose

 

of producing a film under the terms and conditions established by

 

the local unit of government. The economic and other benefits to

 

the local unit of government and this state of film production

 

located in the local unit of government or this state shall be

 

considered the value received by the local unit of government in

 

exchange for the use of the property owned or occupied by the local

 

unit of government under this act.

 

     (2) A local unit of government shall not authorize the use of

 

property owned or under the control of the local unit of government

 

for the production of a film that includes obscene matter or an

 

obscene performance or that requires that individually identifiable

 

records be created and maintained for every performer as provided

 


in 18 USC 2257.

 

     (3) A local unit of government shall cooperate with the

 

Michigan film office by providing the film office with information

 

about potential film locations within the local unit of government

 

and the use of property owned or under the control of the local

 

unit of government.