ASMP Intensifies Its Efforts in Support of HR 3945

ASMP Photoville NY 2017 Tour with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)     Image © Erica Price

In an effort to build additional support for HR 3945, the “Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017” (the “CASE Act”) introduced by Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Tom Marino (R-PA), and to urge the House Judiciary Committee to take prompt action on the legislation, last week, ASMP Executive Director, Tom Kennedy, and ASMP copyright counsel, Mike Klipper, joined with other organizations that support the legislation and visited the offices of several members of the House Judiciary Committee.

Among the House Judiciary Committee offices visited were House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Ted Poe (R-TX), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Louie Gohmert (R-TX).   These visits followed dozens of prior visits to House Judiciary Committee offices by ASMP and fellow proponents.

Highlighting last week’s meetings was a discussion with House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). The bottom line from Chairman Goodlatte was clear: grassroots efforts by supporters of HR 3945 are needed to convince members of the House Judiciary Committee to support the bill. These grassroots email and phone messages are absolutely critical to the Chairman’s ability to schedule a hearing on the legislation, and move the bill out of Committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives. Chairman Goodlatte’s statements reinforced the need for ASMP to continue unabated its already aggressive grassroots efforts to garner support for the legislation from Members of the House Judiciary Committee and beyond.

ASMP is hopeful that the lobbying and grassroots efforts of the supporters of HR 3945 will lead Chairman to schedule a hearing followed by a vote in Committee on the bill in the first quarter of 2018.

For those chapters with ASMP members in the districts for House Judiciary Committee Members, we need members to make the additional ask of co-sponsorship, assuming the House Members haven’t done so already. To help facilitate member actions, we have created a pathway for those members choosing to email, and we have written a suggested script for those choosing to call in (see related resource links below).

Keep in mind that members can also enlist support from clients, family members, and friends. If each of the 435 Members in the House of Representatives receives between 100 and 150 calls and/or emails from ASMP members, then we have the grassroots power to counteract the influence of who are inclined to oppose the bill, and we can provide the kind of support Chairman Goodlatte is seeking at this time.

To get this accomplished, we need all ASMP members to write emails or call their Representative to request support for HR 3945 by February 1, 2018.