Waiting for Ansel Adams: Will 114th Congress Legalize Park Photography?

You may have read in recent WatchDogs about controversial federal laws and rules that could restrict photojournalism in federal parks, forests, and rangelands. Now comes the "Ansel Adams bill" that would make it legal to do an activity that is Constitutionally protected.

Only someone has to introduce the bill. Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) introduced it in the last Congress, only days before it adjourned. Bills from the 113rd Congress do not carry over to the 114th, and Stockman is no longer in Congress.

Under current law and regulations, the legendary photographer Ansel Adams might have had to get a permit and pay a fee to take photographs in the national Ansel Adams Wilderness near Yosemite.

• "'Ansel Adams' Bill Wants To Make It (Extra) Legal To Take Photos in All Federal Spaces Open to the Public," Consumerist, January 7, 2015, by Mary Beth Quirk.
• Text of Ansel Adams bill, HR 5893.
• Previous Story: WatchDog of December 3, 2014.