After Getting Capitol Opened for Sledding, Norton Pushes for More Public Access with Bill to Allow Commercial Filming on Capitol Grounds When Congress is Out of Session

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that when Congress returns from recess she will introduce a bill to permit commercial filming and photography on the U.S. Capitol Grounds beyond Union Square, the single area where it is currently permitted when both chambers of Congress are out of session. The expanded filming would be subject to the same terms and conditions as filming in Union Square (the area just below the west side of the Capitol, near the Botanic Gardens), which Norton got codified in the fiscal year 2014 omnibus appropriations bill. Filming could be permitted when Congress is not in session and subject to the usual police and security restrictions.

Norton has consistently sought expanded public access to public space, particularly around the Capitol, and this month got language included in the omnibus bill for non-enforcement of a law that prohibits sledding on Capitol Grounds. This Norton bill would allow commercial film and photography crews to apply for permits for exterior shots of the Capitol and its grounds. Norton said permitting commercial filming would meet a hunger in the industry for authentic shots of our Capitol can also provide a boost to the District's economy.

"Hollywood and other commercial filmmakers should not have to go to fake capitols for movies and films about the capital of the United States," Norton said. "The current policy permitting filming near the Botanic Gardens shows that the Capitol police can handle filmmaking on the grounds when Congress is not in session. However, filming from that vantage point shows the least familiar view of the Capitol. At a time when the reputation of Congress is particularly low, filming the Capitol could bolster the image Congress prefers of a building that represents American democracy. It is neither business-friendly nor true to the nation's democratic traditions to arbitrarily exclude filming of the Capitol. Encouraging commercial photography and filming at the Capitol would help spread the story of our national legislature around the world. The current policy may be unconstitutional. No policy or security reason exists to justify current limits on commercial filming and photography of the Capitol complex to only one location, Union Square, particularly considering that permits are necessary."