WASHINGTON, DC -- A bipartisan coalition of 77 members of the House of Representatives and eight Senators have joined together to introduce resolutions in Congress opposing "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA) signals members of Congress's opposition to any potential legislation that would impose new performance royalties on broadcast radio stations for music airplay.
Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14) and Steve Womack (R-AR-3) are the principal cosponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act in the House of Representatives. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and John Barrasso (R-WY) are the lead cosponsors of a companion resolution in the Senate.
"America’s broadcasters commend the bipartisan cosponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act for standing with their hometown radio stations against a devastating performance royalty," said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. "For decades, free radio airplay has promoted performing artists and their music, launched the careers of countless performers, generated unparalleled revenue for record labels and served the millions of listeners who tune into their local radio stations every day. We appreciate the bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate who have voiced their support for preserving the mutually beneficial relationship between broadcast radio and the music industry."
"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 the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station broadcast over the air," reads the Local Radio Freedom Act.
In the 116th Congress, a similar resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate. The House resolution eventually gathered support of the majority of the House of Representatives. The Senate resolution garnered 28 cosponsors.
The 77 House cosponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act include:
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Rick Allen (R-GA-12) Mark Amodei (R-NV-2) Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) Don Bacon (R-NE-2) Troy Balderson (R-OH-12) Jim Banks (R-IN-3) Joyce Beatty (D-OH-3) Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) Mike Bost (R-IL-12) Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2) Mo Brooks (R-AL-5) Anthony Brown (D-MD-4) Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) Andre Carson (D-IN-7) Buddy Carter (R-GA-1) Kathy Castor (D-FL-14) Steve Chabot (R-OH-1) Tom Cole (R-OK-4) James Comer (R-KY-1) Jim Costa (D-CA-16) Rick Crawford (R-AR-1) Rodney Davis (R-IL-13) Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12) Tom Emmer (R-MN-6) Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1) Virginia Foxx (R-NC-5) Mike Garcia (R-CA-25) Bob Gibbs (R-OH-7) Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX-15) Paul Gosar (R-AZ-4) Kay Granger (R-TX-12) Glenn Grothman (R-WI-6) French Hill (R-AR-2) Richard Hudson (R-NC-8) Bill Johnson (R-OH-6) Fred Keller (R-PA-12) Mike Kelly (R-PA-16) Andy Kim (D-NJ-3) |
Ron Kind (D-WI-3) Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16) Annie Kuster (D-NH-2) Bob Latta (R-OH-5) Al Lawson (D-FL-5) Stephen Lynch (D-MA-8) Tom Malinowski (D-NJ-7) Thomas Massie (R-KY-4) Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) Dan Meuser (R-PA-9) Seth Moulton (D-MA-6) Markwayne Mullin (R-OK-2) Greg Murphy (R-NC-3) Devin Nunes (R-CA-22) Steven Palazzo (R-MS-4) Chris Pappas (D-NH-1) Dean Phillips (D-MN-3) Bill Posey (R-FL-8) Hal Rogers (R-KY-5) David Rouzer (R-NC-7) Bobby Rush (D-IL-1) Gregorio Sablan (D-MP-AL) Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5) David Scott (D-GA-13) Mike Simpson (R-ID-2) Van Taylor (R-TX-3) Tom Tiffany (R-WI-7) Michael Turner (R-OH-10) Fred Upton (R-MI-6) Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ-2) Filemon Vela (D-TX-34) Tim Walberg (R-MI-7) Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4) Joe Wilson (R-SC-2) Rob Wittman (R-VA-1) Steve Womack (R-AR-3) Don Young (R-AK-AL) Lee Zeldin (R-NY-1) |
The Local Radio Freedom Act's eight Senate cosponsors are:
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John Barrasso (R-WY) Mike Crapo (R-ID) Steve Daines (R-MT) Joni Ernst (R-IA) |
Maggie Hassan (D-NH) Martin Heinrich (D-NM) Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) Jon Tester (D-MT) |
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.