Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was honored by The Recording Academy along with musical pioneer Quincy Jones and Sen. Ted Kennedy during this evening's "Grammys on the Hill" event at the Willard Hotel in downtown Washington, DC.
Blackburn, the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Songwriter's Caucus, was recognized with the Grammys on the Hill Award for her work on issues including intellectual property rights protection and changes to the law governing taxation of a songwriter's catalog sales.
According to a press release from Blackburn's office, songwriters were disadvantaged by the tax code before the change, which required them to pay income tax when selling their life’s work. The sale is now considered as a capital gain, classified in line with other intellectual property creations.
Blackburn issued a statement saying that she was "deeply honored" by the "Grammys on the Hill" tribute.
"The creative community is our nation's second largest exporter of goods and services, and Tennessee's 7th district has arguably the world's largest population of songwriters. We must respect their constitutional right to protect their intellectual property, ensure that their work is respected as private property, and to make sure these rights are not violated."
