HB 840 seeks to amend Title 12 and Title 27 of the O.C.G.A. relating to conservation and natural resources and game and fish, respectively.

The bill revises paragraph (5) of subsection (c) to change the date of efficacy for the rules and regulations of the Board of Natural Resources from January 1, 2013 to that day in 2016. The bill makes it unlawful to keep, hold, or possess any wildlife in captivity for film production purposes without first procuring a film production wildlife permit. The permit shall allow the permit holder to transport, possess, or transfer wildlife for any permitted purpose related to film production, though the permit shall not exempt the holder from any other requirements. It is duly unlawful for the permit holder to release the wildlife from captivity or house or maintain the wildlife in such a manner as to pose a reasonable possibility that the wildlife may be released accidentally or escape from captivity. The bill also specifies the annual permit fees for resident and nonresident film producers as $300 and $600 annually, respectively.