A bipartisan group of eight members of the House of Representatives and one Senator have signed on as co-sponsors of a resolution that opposes “any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge” on local broadcast radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act is now currently co-sponsored by a coalition of 202 Members of the House and 13 Senators.
The members of the bipartisan group adding their support to the Local Radio Freedom Act are Reps. Bruce Braley (IA-1), Corrine Brown (FL-5), Larry Bucshon (IN-8), Andre Carson (IN-7), John R. Carter (TX-31), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1), Nick Rahall (WV-3) and Jackie Walorski (IN-2). Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) is the latest Senator to sign on as a co-sponsor of a companion resolution in the Senate.
Reps. Michael Conaway (R-TX) and Gene Green (D-TX) introduced the Local Radio Freedom Act (H. Con. Res. 16) in the House of Representatives on February 15 along with 71 additional co-sponsors. An identical resolution (S. Con. Res. 6) was introduced in the Senate on March 6 by Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND).
“Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings,” reads the Local Radio Freedom Act.
The 202 House cosponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act include (new cosponsors in bold):
| Rodney Alexander (LA-5) Robert Andrews (NJ-1) Spencer Bachus (AL-6) Ron Barber (AZ-2) Andy Barr (KY-6) John Barrow (GA-12) Joe Barton (TX-6) Dan Benishek (MI-1) Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) Sanford Bishop (GA-2) Jo Bonner (AL-1) Charles Boustany (LA-3) Bruce Braley (IA-1) Jim Bridenstine (OK-1) Mo Brooks (AL-5) Susan Brooks (IN-5) Corrine Brown (FL-5) Vern Buchanan (FL-16) Larry Bucshon (IN-8) G.K. Butterfield (NC-1) Ken Calvert (CA-42) John Campbell (CA-45) Shelley Moore Capito (WV-2) Mike Capuano (MA-7) John Carney (DE-AL) Andre Carson (IN-7) John R. Carter (TX-31) Bill Cassidy (LA-6) Kathy Castor (FL-14) Steve Chabot (OH-1) Wm. Lacy Clay (MO-1) Mike Coffman (CO-6) Tom Cole (OK-4) Michael Conaway (TX-11) Paul Cook (CA-8) Tom Cotton (AR-4) Joseph Courtney (CT-2) Kevin Cramer (ND-AL) Rick Crawford (AR-1) Ander Crenshaw (FL-4) Henry Cuellar (TX-28) Steve Daines (MT-AL) Rodney Davis (IL-13) Charles Dent (PA-15) Scott DesJarlais (TN-4) Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) John Dingell (MI-12) Sean Duffy (WI-7) Jeff Duncan (SC-3) John Duncan (TN-2) Renee Ellmers (NC-2) Blake Farenthold (TX-27) Michael Fitzpatrick (PA-8) John Fleming (LA-4) Bill Flores (TX-17) Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1) Virginia Foxx (NC-5) Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) Cory Gardner (CO-4) Jim Gerlach (PA-6) Bob Gibbs (OH-7) Christopher Gibson (NY-19) Phil Gingrey (GA-11) Paul Gosar (AZ-4) Trey Gowdy (SC-4) Kay Granger (TX-12) Sam Graves (MO-6) |
Tom Graves (GA-14) Gene Green (TX-29) Tim Griffin (AR-2) Brett Guthrie (KY-2) Ralph Hall (TX-4) Richard Hanna (NY-22) Gregg Harper (MS-3) Andy Harris (MD-1) Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) Alcee Hastings (FL-23) Doc Hastings (WA-4) Joe Heck (NV-3) Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15) Steven Horsford (NV-4) Richard Hudson (NC-8) Tim Huelskamp (KS-1) Randy Hultgren (IL-14) Duncan Hunter (CA-50) Robert Hurt (VA-5) Lynn Jenkins (KS-2) Bill Johnson (OH-6) Walter Jones (NC-3) Jim Jordan (OH-11) David Joyce (OH-14) Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) Ron Kind (WI-3) Peter King (NY-2) Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1) John Kline (MN-2) Ann Kuster (NH-2) Doug Lamborn (CO-5) Leonard Lance (NJ-7) James Lankford (OK-5) Tom Latham (IA-3) Robert Latta (OH-5) Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2) Dave Loebsack (IA-2) Billy Long (MO-7) Frank Lucas (OK-3) Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-1) Ben Ray Lujan (NM-3) Cynthia Lummis (WY-AL) Dan Maffei (NY-24) Kenny Marchant (TX-24) Thomas Massie (KY-4) Jim Matheson (UT-4) Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4) Patrick McHenry (NC-10) Mike McIntyre (NC-7) Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5) Mark Meadows (NC-11) Patrick Meehan (PA-7) Gregory Meeks (NY-5) Luke Messmer (IN-6) Michael Michaud (ME-2) Candice Miller (MI-10) Jeff Miller (FL-1) Markwayne Mullin (OK-2) Mick Mulvaney (SC-5) Randy Neugebauer (TX-19) Kristi Noem (SD-AL) Devin Nunes (CA-22) Alan Nunnelee (MS-1) Pete Olson (TX-22) Bill Owens (NY-21) |
Steven Palazzo (MS-4) Erik Paulsen (MN-3) Frank Pallone (NJ-6) Bill Pascrell (NJ-9) Steve Pearce (NM-2) Tom Petri (WI-6) Joe Pitts (PA-16) Ted Poe (TX-2) Mike Pompeo (KS-4) Bill Posey (FL-8) Nick Rahall (WV-3) Charles Rangel (NY-13) Tom Reed (NY-23) Jim Renacci (OH-16) Reid Ribble (WI-8) Scott Rigell (VA-2) Martha Roby (AL-2) Harold Rogers (KY-5) Mike Rogers (AL-3) Mike Rogers (MI-8) Todd Rokita (IN-4) Peter Roskam (IL-6) Dennis Ross (FL-15) Edward Royce (CA-39) Jon Runyan (NJ-3) Paul Ryan (WI-1) Tim Ryan (OH-13) Matt Salmon (AZ-5) John Sarbanes (MD-3) Steve Scalise (LA-1) Aaron Schock (IL-18) Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) David Schweikert (AZ-6) David Scott (GA-13) Pete Sessions (TX-32) Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1) John Shimkus (IL-15) Mike Simpson (ID-2) Adrian Smith (NE-3) Christopher Smith (NJ-4) Steve Southerland (FL-2) Steve Stivers (OH-15) Lee Terry (NE-2) Glenn Thompson (PA-5) Pat Tiberi (OH-12) Scott Tipton (CO-3) Mike Turner (OH-10) Fred Upton (MI-6) David Valadao (CA-21) Marc Veasey (TX-33) Peter Visclosky (IN-1) Ann Wagner (MO-2) Tim Walberg (MI-7) Greg Walden (OR-2) Jackie Walorski (IN-2) Tim Walz (MN-1) Randy Weber (TX-14) Brad Wenstrup (OH-2) Lynn Westmoreland (GA-3) Ed Whitfield (KY-1) Roger Williams (TX-25) Frederica Wilson (FL-24) Joe Wilson (SC-2) Rob Wittman (VA-1) Steve Womack (AR-3) Kevin Yoder (KS-3) Don Young (AK-AL) |
RBR-TVBR observation: Days before, legislation was introduced (2/25) which looks to make sure that the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) considers fair market value when setting songwriter mechanical royalty rates for digital services. The “Songwriter Equity Act,” from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), aims to update provisions in the Copyright Act to help songwriters, composers and publishers to receive fair compensation for the use of their intellectual property. Both Jeffries and Collins are members of the House Committee on the Judiciary. The problem is that legislation could impose new costs on radio broadcasters and be an LRFA go-around in changing the law that would subjecting stations to new fees.
