Today (March 10), Congress passed President Joe Biden‘s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package.
The package was proposed by President Biden to help speed up the United States’ recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is scheduled to sign the bill into law on Friday (March 12).
Several representatives of the American music and entertainment community issued the following statement on the passage of the COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus bill:
“The American Rescue Plan provides absolutely essential economic relief for workers in the American creative community who continue to face an uncertain path back to work due to the pandemic. This legislation’s extension of CARES Act and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation benefits into early September, as well as critical tax forgiveness for the first $10,200 of unemployment insurance claimed in 2020, will provide much-needed certainty for creative community workers and their families. We are also grateful for the inclusion of additional funds for shuttered venue operators and live entertainment businesses, and continued support for the Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses are in desperate need of these funds.
We are hopeful that enactment of the American Rescue Plan is one more step toward a future where music and entertainment are again at the center of our lives and communities, and where creative community workers can put the hardship of the pandemic behind them. Until then, we will continue to work as one community to advocate for greater, enhanced relief and ensure policymakers at all levels understand American creators’ outsized contribution to our economy and our culture.”
The joint statement is from the following:
Actors’ Equity Association
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
American Photographic Artists
Artist Rights Alliance
Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston
ASCAP
The Authors Guild
BMI
CERF+ the Artists Safety Net
Copyright Alliance
CreativeFuture
Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
Digital Media Association (DiMA)
ExtendPUA.org
Freelancers Union
Future of Music Coalition
The Graphic Artists Guild
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)
Lawyers for the Creative Arts (Chicago)
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Music Artists Coalition (MAC)
Music Managers Forum – US (MMF-US)
Music Workers Alliance (MWA)
Musicians for Musicians
Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
National Independent Talent Organization (NITO)
National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA)
National Writers Union (NWU)
Recording Academy
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
SAG-AFTRA
SESAC
Songwriters Guild of America
Songwriters of North America (SONA)
SoundExchange
St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (VLAA)
Volunteer Lawyers for The Arts
Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA)
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