Sheila Jackson Lee: “As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 704, the ``Artistic Recognition For…”

“As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 704, the ``Artistic Recognition For Talented Students Act,'' or Arts Act,'' bicameral, bipartisan legislation that directs the Register of Copyrights to waive the filing fee for an application to register a copyright for a student's work that has won the Congressional Art Competition or the Congressional App Challenge. The Congressional Art Competition (``Art Competition'') and the Congressional App Challenge (``App Challenge'') are annual district-by- district contests that recognize students' achievements in the visual arts and in the science, technology, engineering, and math (``STEM'') fields. The Art Competition began in 1982 to encourage students' artistic creativity. High school students are eligible to participate by submitting two- dimensional artwork, which is typically judged by a panel of local artists. The App Challenge stems from H. Res. 77, adopted in the 113th Congress, which recognized both the importance of STEM achievement to the country and the importance of encouraging students to appreciate and pursue career paths in STEM and established an academic STEM challenge to further those goals. Middle and high school students are eligible to participate in the App Challenge by creating a software app using any programming language and any platform.…”