Hirono, Tillis to Serve as Senate Co-Chairs of Congressional Creative Rights Caucus
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced that they will serve as Senate Co-Chairs of the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus. They join House of Representatives Co-Chairs Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) and Congressman Drew Ferguson (R-GA) to make the caucus bicameral and bipartisan.
“I am excited to join Senator Tillis and Representatives Chu and Ferguson in bringing the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus to the U.S. Senate. Creative industries—such as film, television, music, literature, fine arts, and more—are an important part of our national economy. In my home state of Hawaii alone, the creative economy contributed $4.2 billion in gross domestic product and created over 54,000 jobs and small businesses in 2020,” Senator Hirono said. “But creators also give us so much more. Their works bring us together, capture our history, and allow us to share our culture with the world. I look forward to working with my colleagues to highlight the contributions of our nation’s creators and to make sure their works are protected now and into the future.”
“As the former Chairman and now the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, I have worked hard to preserve and protect the rights of our creative community,” said Senator Tillis. “I am excited to further my bipartisan work by being named Co-Chair of the Creative Rights Caucus alongside my friend Senator Hirono. I look forward to working with her and our House Co-Chairs, Representatives Chu and Ferguson, to protect and promote America’s creative community and ensure we continue to be the world’s global leader in creative industries in the 21st century.”
"I am excited to welcome Senators Mazie Hirono and Thom Tillis as Senate Co-Chairs to the Creative Rights Caucus. Creative industries are a core part of our economic fabric, and the bicameral extension of this caucus further cements our promise to continue advocating for entertainment workers and building a strong American economy,” said Rep. Judy Chu. “I look forward to continuing to work alongside Co-Chair Rep. Drew Ferguson and gaining fresh, unique perspectives from our new Senate Co-Chairs."
“The creation of a Creative Rights Caucus in the Senate is a positive step and I welcome Senators Tillis and Hirono as its co-Chairs,” said Congressman Ferguson. “I look forward to working in a bipartisan, bicameral way to protect the important work of our creative community and ensure their concerns are heard in Congress. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I will continue to support strong intellectual property protections – especially in international trade agreements – to safeguard American creators so they can continue to spur innovation and economic growth.”
The bipartisan, bicameral Creative Rights Caucus educates Members of Congress and the public about the importance of preserving and protecting the rights of the creative community in the United States. American creators of motion pictures, music, software, and other creative works rely on Congress to protect their copyrights, human rights, First Amendment rights, and intellectual property rights.
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