11 More In House Join As Co-Sponsors Of Local Radio Freedom Act

11 Join Up

Eleven more members of the U.S. HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES, all Republicans, have joined as co-sponsors of the 2021 version of the Local Radio Freedom Act, the bill that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The bill now has 149 co-sponsors in the HOUSE and 18 in the SENATE.

Signing on to co-sponsor the bill were Reps. ANDY BARR (R-KY), KEVIN HERN (R-OK), YVETTE HERRELL (R-NM), DAVID JOYCE (R-OH), NANCY MACE (R-SC), DAVID MCKINLEY (R-WV), TROY NEHLS (R-TX), JAY OBERNOLTE (R-CA), AUGUST PFLUGER (R-TX), ADRIAN SMITH (R-NE) and ANN WAGNER (R-MO). Reps. KATHY CASTOR (D-FL) and STEVE WOMACK (R-AR) are the original sponsors in the HOUSE, and Sens. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY) and MARTIN HEINRICH (D-NM) are the original SENATE sponsors.

The bill reads, "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." This year's version is competing with the American Music Fairness Act, another bill that aims to institute a performance royalty on radio music airplay.

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