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Small Claims Advocacy, November ‘16: LIVE UPDATES from Capitol Hill
4:30 pm
Our first meeting for the day was with Representative Judy Chu's office. We discussed details of the Small Claims bill and got a good idea of some of the working language that is now going into the bill. We know the introduction of the Small Claims bill is taking longer than we originally thought, but making sure it is able to best serve creative artists is key. We want to thank Representative Chu's office for all their hard work and for being an advocate for the Creative Artists.
Next, we had the opportunity to meet with acting Register of the Copyright Office and Director of Copyright, Karyn Claggett. This meeting was important, as it allowed PPA to see how the Library of Congress and the Copyright Office currently feel about Small Claims. Both offices want to take a very hands-off approach and want to continue to help Congress in an advisory position. Basically, they will follow Congress' guidance. This is good news for PPA and provides a positive outlook for small claims!
Karyn Claggett also let us know that Dr. Carla Hayden, the current Librarian of Congress, has ties to the creative community. Her parents have a musical background and other family members are very active in the creative-rights world.
Both meetings were very productive, especially the meeting with the Copyright office. These meetings reassured PPA that small claims is heading in the direction we have been pushing for. DON'T FORGET! The most important thing you, as a PPA member and/or someone who cares about the rights or artists, can do is to sign your name to our ever-growing list of supporters and share, share, share with everyone you know.
More to come tomorrow.
8:30 am
Good Morning! We are up bright and early, heading to D.C. for PPA's first advocacy trip since the termination/resignation/removal of Maria Pallente as Register of Copyrights. Small Claims is just as important to you and your fellow photographers as it was before and we want to make sure D.C. knows this. We will start the day with a strategic meeting with our resident lobbyist, Cindi Merifield, who will fill us in on any new developments on Capitol Hill since our last visit.
Today we are meeting with Representatives Chu and Collins' offices to talk about the status of the Small Claims bill, and also for a general check-in. PPA wants to make sure we always visit both Representatives Chu and Collins since they have been a huge asset to the success of small claims. While we are in D.C we are also going to visit Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress. During this meeting we want to emphasize the importance of modernization to the Copyright Office and how important the Small Claims bill is to PPA's members, small businesses and artists in general.
We will keep you updated throughout the day with new developments. Off to D.C we go!