John Conyers

Last Sunday, Circuit City, one of the Nation's largest retailers, finally shuttered its remaining stores and laid off approximately 34,000 employees.

While these stations earned over $16 billion in advertising revenues last year, they paid nothing to the performers whose music they played.

Labor ardently supports the efforts of our brothers and sisters in the music profession to be fairly compensated when the music they have created is played on the radio.

I am here today to stand in support of the hundreds of thousands of recording artists, singers, and musicians who seek to secure a performance right so that they may finally be able to receive the fair compensation they deserve for the…

I'm here as a representative of the musicFIRST coalition, to give voice to fellow artists and musicians who join together to assert their right to be compensated for the airing of their musical performances on terrestrial radio.

I'm hopeful that we can work with the NBA to try and resolve any legitimate concerns it has with the bill.

Before Congress chooses to act or withhold action on any matter, we have an obligation to ensure all legitimate concerns are fairly reviewed and addressed.

Now, I have a prediction that sooner or later this measure is going to become law.

I think H.R. 848 is an important piece of legislation and I think that it is fair to say that the current situation involving recording artists is not one that we can be very proud of.

I ask you to keep those consumers in mind as you consider SHVERA reauthorization this year.

My critical test of this legislation will be whether it protects consumers and adapts their interests to this new digital age of broadcasting

The purpose of today's hearing is to assess the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004 (SHVERA)

We must preserve competition. Satellite television continues to be the main competitor to cable television in most areas

I believe the best starting point for such a bill in this Congress is Chairman Cohen's H.R. 6146 from the last Congress, which I was pleased to co-sponsor.

My hope is that this hearing will help lay the groundwork for a bipartisan bill.

First, libel tourism threatens the First Amendment rights of Americans to speak on matters of public concern.

On January 26th, 2009 Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan) introduced HR 676, The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act.

If it was left up to me--and let FOX News get this right--I would nationalize the whole industry.

The Congressional budget office estimated a similar bill would be a net $17 million gain to our budget in savings and increased revenues if we pass such a bill.

Memphis, my home, has one of the highest levels of subprime mortgage lending in the country.

What we have seen so far in the TARP is helping out folks that are in essence the officers who sent people into battle.

Speaker Pelosi always speaks of what Dr. Martin Luther King spoke about, and that is the fierce urgency of now.

I appreciate the gentleman who came forward with this bill and the others who have come forward with similar bills.

We want it done quickly, and we want it done now.

The banking industry is just so powerful. They have owned this Congress for far too long.