As of December 9, 2021, three additional members of Congress have joined the Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA) as co-sponsors: Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH), Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX), and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY). The bill now has the bipartisan support of 205 House members and 24 senators. Read NRB’s last legislative update on LRFA here.
At NRB, opposing performance taxes on broadcasters is a key advocacy priority. The LRFA declares that 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 in any business for such public performance of sound recordings. The 2021 version of the bill was introduced by Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL) and Steve Womack (R-AR) in the House, and Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) in the Senate, on May 4, 2021.
NRB’s past actions on this issue included sending letters last year to all members of the House and Senate who had not signed on to the LRFA, encouraging them to protect local radio stations that play music as part of their programming from having to pay new performance royalties that would cripple, and in some cases decimate, the ability of such radio stations to continue operations. NRB also partnered with NAB to express support for the LRFA and sent a renewed letter of support to 176 House members and 21 senators in 2021.
We will continue to engage relevant members of Congress on this key issue and strongly oppose a performance tax on broadcasters.
