Heidi Alexander: “building on Senator Hatch's comments, we are grateful for his service to the U.S. Senate for more than four decades and…”

“building on Senator Hatch's comments, we are grateful for his service to the U.S. Senate for more than four decades and grateful he is a songwriter. Of course, he comes from a culture and a faith that emphasizes music. As a little boy in the East Tennessee mountains, I remember every week listening on the Zenith radio to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I think everybody in Utah and in the Mormon faith actually grows up learning to sing and to enjoy music. Orrin Hatch is not just a U.S. Senator, he is a genuine songwriter. He has a gold and a platinum record. I know many national songwriters who have cowritten with him, and they admire him greatly. I can think of no more important tribute to him than the Hatch- Goodlatte Music Modernization Act, which should pass the House this week and be on its way to the President. Then it will be, as Senator Hatch said, the single-most important piece of legislation in decades or in a generation that changes copyright law in a way that is fair to songwriters. Senator Hatch is correct. This has not been easy. It has taken several years. There are a great many different people to it. The heavy lifts and the unexpected developments were occurring all the way down to about 30 minutes before it passed last Tuesday night. It has been a great privilege to work with Senator Hatch and his staff on this legislation whom I will have more to say about in a minute.…”