STATEMENT OF CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, OF TEXAS ON THE PERFORMANCE RIGHTS ACT, WHICH WILL HELP PAY PERFORMING ARTISTS THEIR OVERDUE COMPENSATION

Washington, DC- If we do nothing, we fail.  We must be crusaders for justice.  This is not a bill to close minority and women-owned businesses.  Quite the contrary, this is a bill to help the people whose music makes us laugh, dance, sometimes sing and shout for joy because of the praise they provide us.  For nearly one hundred years, the scales have been imbalanced.  There was no justice for older artists and certainly no justice for today’s recording artists on the issue we are discussing today.  It is my intent to work with everyone.  Also, my support for this bill does not detract from my record on other legislation such as the bill getting rid of disparities between powder cocaine and crack cocaine sentencing, my work on financial literacy, and criminal justice reform, voting rights, and healthcare reform.
I co-sponsored H.R. 848, the "Performance Rights Act" because I believe in fairness, equity, and justice.  I have great love and affection for my friends who own broadcasting companies because they are involved in this great radio industry....more>>>

"Today, President Obama signed into law his historic plan to create and save 3.5 million jobs and start to get the American economy back on track," says Rep. Jackson Lee.  "No mission is more critical to the American people. The President and Congress got this done just three weeks after Mr. Obama's inauguration."

"This economic recovery plan will create American jobs now and provide one of the largest tax cuts in American history.  It will help about 95% of American workers and lay a foundation for long-term growth through clean energy, innovation and education," says Rep. Jackson Lee.  "The legislation also has unprecedented accountability and transparency measures to help ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively—including no earmarked projects and a new recovery.gov website allowing Americans to track the investments." ..more>>