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April 20, 2015
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Four Representatives Sign On as Local Radio Freedom Act Co-Sponsors

Luke Bryan joins 'New Artist of the Year' Cole Swindell in thanking country radio

WASHINGTON, DC -- Four Members of House of Representatives have been added to the list of co-sponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act, a resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The resolution now has 158 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and 13 in the Senate.

Adding their support for the Local Radio Freedom Act in the House are Reps. Rick Allen (GA-12), Tom Rice (SC-7), Scott Rigell (VA-2) and John Shimkus (IL-15).

Reps. Michael Conaway (R-TX) and Gene Green (D-TX) are the principal sponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act (H. Con. Res. 17) in the House of Representatives. Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) are the principal sponsors of the companion resolution (S. Con. Res. 4) in the Senate.

"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.

At the Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS last night, Luke Bryan thanked radio stations as he accepted the award for Entertainer of the Year:

"Listen guys, what an amazing night of music ... thank you to my wife, my kids ... my fans, country radio."

In an Instagram post today, Cole Swindell thanked country radio for his win last night as New Artist of the Year:

Thank you thank you thank you Country Radio, Down Home Crew, and friends & family! I wanted this so bad for y'all.. Couldn't do this without all of you and I'm SO proud to be the @acmawards #NewArtistOfTheYear .. Thanks for letting me do what I love!

The 158 House cosponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act include (new co-sponsors in bold):

Ralph Abraham (LA-5)
Rick Allen (GA-12)
Joe Barton (TX-6)
Joyce Beatty (OH-3)
Dan Benishek (MI-1)
Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)
Sanford Bishop (GA-2)
Rod Blum (IA-1)
Charles Boustany (LA-3)
Mo Brooks (AL-5)
Corinne Brown (FL-5)
Larry Bucshon (IN-8)
Cheri Bustos (IL-17)
G.K. Butterfield (NC-1)
Bradley Byrne (AL-1)
Ken Calvert (CA-42)
Michael Capuano (MA-7)
Steve Chabot (OH-1)
Wm. Lacy Clay (MO-1)
Mike Coffman (CO-6)
Tom Cole (OK-4)
Chris Collins (NY-27)
Michael Conaway (TX-11)
Paul Cook (CA-8)
Joe Courtney (CT-2)
Kevin Cramer (ND-AL)
Rick Crawford (AR-1)
Ander Crenshaw (FL-4)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
John Culberson (TX-7)
Rodney Davis (IL-13)
Peter DeFazio (OR-4)
Charles Dent (PA-15)
Sean Duffy (WI-7)
Jeff Duncan (SC-3)
John Duncan (TN-2)
Renee Ellmers (NC-2)
Blake Farenthold (TX-27)
Michael Fitzpatrick (PA-8)
Bill Flores (TX-17)
Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1)
Virginia Foxx (NC-5)
Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11)
Bob Gibbs (OH-7)
Christopher Gibson (NY-19)
Paul Gosar (AZ-4)
Trey Gowdy (SC-4)
Kay Granger (TX-12)
Sam Graves (MO-6)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Glenn Grothman (WI-6)
Frank Guinta (NH-1)
Richard Hanna (NY-22)

Gregg Harper (MS-3)
Andy Harris (MD-1)
Vicky Hartzler (MO-4)
Alcee Hastings (FL-20)
Joseph Heck (NV-3)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
Richard Hudson (NC-8)
Tim Huelskamp (KS-1)
Randy Hultgren (IL-14)
Will Hurd (TX-23)
Robert Hurt (VA-5)
Evan Jenkins (WV-3)
Lynn Jenkins (KS-2)
David Jolly (FL-13)
Jim Jordan (OH-4)
David Joyce (OH-14)
Marcy Kaptur (OH-9)
William Keating (MA-9)
Derek Kilmer (WA-6)
Ron Kind (WI-3)
Adam Kinzinger (IL-16)
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1)
John Kline (MN-2)
Ann McLane Kuster (NH-2)
Doug LaMalfa (CA-1)
Doug Lamborn (CO-5)
Leonard Lance (NJ-7)
Robert Latta (OH-5)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2)
David Loebsack (IA-2)
Billy Long (MO-7)
Frank Lucas (OK-3)
Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3)
Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-1)
Cynthia Lummis (WY-AL)
Stephen Lynch (MA-8)
Kenny Marchant (TX-24)
Thomas Massie (KY-4)
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5)
David McKinley (WV-1)
Luke Messer (IN-6)
Markwayne Mullin (OK-2)
Mick Mulvaney (SC-5)
Randy Neugebauer (TX-19)
Kristi Noem (SD-AL)
Devin Nunes (CA-22)
Pete Olson (TX-22)
Beto O'Rourke (TX-16)
Steven Palazzo (MS-4)
Bill Pascrell (NJ-9)
Stevan Pearce (NM-2)
Robert Pittenger (NC-9)
Joseph Pitts (PA-16)

Ted Poe (TX-2)
Mike Pompeo (KS-4)
Charles Rangel (NY-13)
James Renacci (OH-16)
Reid Ribble (WI-8)
Tom Rice (SC-7)
Scott Rigell (VA-2)
Harold Rogers (KY-5)
Mike Rogers (AL-3)
Todd Rokita (IN-4)
Peter Roskam (IL-6)
Dennis Ross (FL-15)
Edward Royce (CA-39)
Paul Ryan (WI-1)
Tim Ryan (OH-13)
Matt Salmon (AZ-5)
John Sarbanes (MD-3)
Kurt Schrader (OR-5)
David Schweikert (AZ-6)
Austin Scott (GA-8)
David Scott (GA-13)
Pete Sessions (TX-32)
John Shimkus (IL-15)
Michael Simpson (ID-2)
Albio Sires (NJ-8)
Adrian Smith (NE-3)
Christopher Smith (NJ-4)
Jason Smith (MO-8)
Steve Stivers (OH-15)
Glenn Thompson (PA-5)
Patrick Tiberi (OH-12)
Scott Tipton (CO-3)
Michael Turner (OH-10)
Marc Veasey (TX-33)
Peter Visclosky (IN-1)
Ann Wagner (MO-2)
Tim Walberg (MI-7)
Greg Walden (OR-2)
Jackie Walorski (IN-2)
Timothy Walz (MN-1)
Brad Wenstrup (OH-2)
Bruce Westerman (AR-4)
Lynn Westmoreland (GA-3)
Ed Whitfield (KY-1)
Roger Williams (TX-25)
Frederica Wilson (FL-24)
Joe Wilson (SC-2)
Robert Wittman (VA-1)
Steve Womack (AR-3)
Kevin Yoder (KS-3)
Don Young (AK-AL)
Ryan Zinke (MT-AL)

The Local Radio Freedom Act's 13 Senate cosponsors are:

John Barrasso (R-WY)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
James Inhofe (R-OK)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
David Vitter (R-LA)

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