Friends,
I apologize for being out of touch.
I have had more Zooms, calls and meetings than normal regarding The MUSIC Act and it is very much alive.
We have, for the moment, stopped Senator Schumer from reallocating the $2.2 billion sitting in the Shuttered Venues Operators Grant fund to another cause. That does not mean it is over, but your e-mails and calls had an effect. Thank you.
The Wall Street Journal article gave us a national voice and made Senator Schumer think, but we need to keep an eye on potential reallocation of our funds.
Daily I contact legislators and remind them not to take the money that was appropriated and allocated to our industry, as many have yet to receive assistance. There are between 3 and 5 million people affected by the lack of funding. These people reside across the various entities that have been declined.
There are currently two separate Restaurant Relief acts on the table, and both tuck The MUSIC Act into them. They are broad based and offer relief for many industries. However, our best opportunity is still to pass The MUSIC Act by unanimous consent. This is the best path because The MUSIC Act is 100% funded now, and the RRF bills need new money. There seems to be too small an appetite to provide new money in Congress to pass a bill that requires new money.
The current hold up is the same as the old hold up, there is a lot going on, and those things have the attention of Congress.
We are far down the list. In no particular order, these issues are ahead of us:
- The Supreme Court leak
- Ukraine war
- Inflation
- Recession fears
- Midterm elections
- Southern border situation
Most representatives in Congress spend their days dealing with the above issues, asking them to move on The MUSIC Act is a matter of timing. If you saw your parents having an argument, you would know that was not a good time to ask for a new car, you would wait until things calmed down and you believed you would get not only the attention of your parents, but also a fair conversation. Moving to get The MUSIC Act passed by unanimous consent is exactly the same, we must ask when we believe we will prevail.
I and others work all day every day speaking with members of Congress to confirm that they understand our need. We have received zero push back, because it is 100% funded. Today alone we had over 10 face-to-face meetings with various members of Congress. We will continue to push and make the ask when the time is right.
Thank you for all that you do and please keep speaking with your Senators and Representatives and their staff.
If you need my assistance or want to involve me, just ask, this is what I do all day, every day.
You don’t lose until you quit trying, so never quit!
Onward and Upward!
Thank you, and be safe,
Michael T. Strickland
Bandit Lites, Inc. Chair and Founder