Earl Blumenauer: “Today I voted against H.R. 1695, the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act. As the founder and…”

“Today I voted against H.R. 1695, the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act. As the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Library of Congress Caucus, I care deeply about the services and the mission of the Library, including the U.S. Copyright Office. It's past time to bring the Library and the Copyright Office into the 21st Century, and I strongly support efforts to modernize and reform existing practices. H.R. 1695, however, might unnecessarily politicize the Copyright Office and the position of the Register and could make its work less transparent and less neutral to all parties. We should allow Dr. Carla Hayden to continue to guide the modernization process by selecting a Register, a decision enjoyed by all of her predecessors to hold the office of Librarian. While it is unclear that H.R. 1695 would do more good than harm, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of aisle on future efforts to reform and modernize the Library of Congress the copyright system. The Acting CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired. Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 5-minute rule.…”