[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H12077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING RICHARD MASUR, PRESIDENT OF THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Wilson). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am very delighted today to rise to 
honor Richard Masur who on November 12, 1999, completed his second term 
as president of the Screen Actors Guild, the world's largest union of 
professional performers.
  Richard Masur was first elected to the Screen Actors Guild board of 
directors in 1989. He then went to vice president. In 1995, he became 
president and was then again reelected in 1997.
  He is well known to film and television audiences. He starred in over 
35 television movies, including the highly acclaimed chronicle of the 
AIDS epidemic and his Emmy-nominated performance in The Burning Bed. 
Three of his films are among the top 10 rated TV movies of all time. He 
has also taken a turn as the distinguished director of many 
productions.
  In his role as the Screen Actors Guild president and a leader in the 
American labor movement, he participated actively in the Guild's 
international work as a member of the International Federation of 
Actors, assisting other performers' unions throughout the world in 
their struggle for recognition and the achievement of fair wages and 
working conditions.

  One of the primary goals was to strengthen the international 
protections against the exploitation of performance images and 
performance in cyberspace. He urged Congress to pass the World 
Intellectual Property Copyright treaties, which applied the 
international copyright law to on-line violations.
  Also, under his leadership, the Screen Actors Guild became a national 
leader in the debate over actor diversity in the entertainment 
industry. He passionately advocated for the accurate portrayal of the 
true American scene, for color-blind casting and nontraditional 
thinking where it was appropriate so that the diverse American audience 
would see itself reflected on the screen in the stories that we tell.
  As the Screen Actors Guild president, he established the Guild's 
first government relations department. In its first 2 years of 
operation, he was the principal voice and primary advocate in a 
successful Federal and State legislative agenda, which included a 
number of issues, including legislation that would provide the first 
ever legal protections for performers residual compensation, the 
economic rights of senior performers, the protection of both 
compensation, education, and the working conditions of child 
performers, and the right to personal privacy for the Guild's highest 
profile performers.
  Over his 25 years performing as a professional actor, Richard Masur 
has sustained his activist commitments to issues of political and 
social justice, ranging from universal health care to international 
human rights. He has established an unassailable reputation for 
honesty, integrity, and selfless commitment, not only to his fellow 
performers, but to all of his fellow citizens as well. His creative and 
innovative approaches to problem solving has set him apart as a leader 
in the entertainment community.
  He has been a bridge builder between diverse communities and diverse 
interests, illuminating our understanding of many issues by drawing the 
common threads together. All in all, he has added to our culture. We 
respect and revere him.
  At this point, we salute our dear friend, Richard Masur, for his 
services to the Screen Actors Guild and to our citizenry at large. I am 
sure many of my colleagues will join me in wishing him much success in 
his future endeavors.

                          ____________________