[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 65 (Thursday, April 30, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4956-S4957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MARILYN BERGMAN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am happy to have this opportunity to 
honor the many accomplishments and contributions of my good friend, 
Marilyn Bergman. Marcelle and I have had the pleasure of knowing both 
Marilyn and her husband Alan for years. They are as accomplished 
songwriters as I have ever met. For the past 15 years, Marilyn has 
served as the distinguished president and chairman of the board of the 
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, a position never 
before held by a woman.
  Marilyn's list of achievements is vast and impressive. Her work as a 
champion of the arts has brought about many important changes. She was 
instrumental in developing ``A Bill of Rights for Songwriters and 
Composers''--an initiative designed to raise public awareness of the 
tremendous contribution and rights of those who make music. In 
addition, she has gone to great lengths to support and promote the work 
of female songwriters.
  This month, Marilyn will step down from her position as chairman of 
the board of ASCAP and will move on to the next phase of her career. I 
know that she will bring the same commitment to excellence and vitality 
to all of her future endeavors and Marcelle and I wish her only the 
best.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of an April 8, 2009 ASCAP press 
release describing Marilyn's work be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 [From an American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Press 
                        Release on Apr. 8, 2009]

 Marilyn Bergman to Step Down as President and Chairman of ASCAP After 
                                15 Years

       Los Angeles/New York: April 8, 2009: Three-time Academy 
     Award-winning songwriter Marilyn Bergman today announced her 
     decision to step down as President and Chairman of the Board 
     of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and 
     Publishers). Her successor will be elected by the ASCAP Board 
     of Directors during their next meeting later this month.
       Bergman was the first woman to be elected to the ASCAP 
     Board of Directors and was named President and Chairman of 
     the Board in 1994. She will continue to serve as an active 
     Board Member.
       Commenting on her decision, Bergman said: ``I am grateful 
     to have had the honor of serving as the President and 
     Chairman of ASCAP for 15 years, and am exceedingly proud of 
     all that was accomplished during my tenure. I will continue 
     to be a passionate advocate for all music creators through my 
     work on the ASCAP Board of Directors. But in terms of the 
     Presidency itself, I see that now is the right time to step 
     down.''
       Bergman noted that she and her writing partner and husband, 
     Academy Award-winning songwriter Alan Bergman, have a number 
     of new projects in the works which require her focus. ``Alan 
     has always been supportive of the time that my ASCAP 
     Presidency required. But with so much exciting work before 
     us, I feel it's time that I fully devote myself to my first 
     calling: writing. So I look forward to shifting my energy 
     back to our work, while having the privilege to continue to 
     serve ASCAP and my fellow music creators.''
       The Bergmans have just completed work on Steven 
     Soderbergh's film, The Informant, with composer Marvin 
     Hamlisch, and are currently working on two musical theatre 
     projects, one with Marvin and one with Michel Legrand. They 
     are also at work on Visions of America: A Photo Symphony 
     Celebrating the Sites and Songs of Democracy with renowned 
     photographer Joseph Sohm and composer Roger Kellaway. This 
     was premiered at the Kimmel Center-Verizon Hall on January 
     25, 2009 in Philadelphia with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops.
       A Strong Legacy of Advocacy, Education and Growth
       Bergman's 15-year tenure as President and Chairman of the 
     Board of ASCAP was marked by a series of noteworthy 
     achievements, all of which have had a positive and lasting 
     impact on music creators.
       As a passionate voice for the rights of music creators, 
     Bergman has a strong presence on Capitol Hill. She helped 
     lead ASCAP to several major legislative victories, including 
     most notably the Supreme Court's decision in 2003 to uphold 
     the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which 
     extended copyright protection an extra 20 years--to the life 
     of the author plus 70 years. Other legislative highlights 
     include:
       Helming ASCAP through the modernization of the Federal 
     consent decree that governs ASCAP's operations.
       Leading ASCAP's lobbying effort that helped secure the 
     passage and signing of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act 
     in 1998--bringing the U.S. into line with World Intellectual 
     Property Organization treaties and strengthening music 
     copyrights on the Internet.
       Serving on the National Information Infrastructure Advisory 
     Council (NIIAC) from 1994

[[Page S4957]]

     to 1995, at the request of Vice President Al Gore. Serving 
     two terms (from 1994 to 1998) as President of CISAC, the 
     International Confederation of Performing Right Societies.
       Most recently, Bergman played a key role in the launch of A 
     Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers, an ASCAP 
     advocacy and awareness-building initiative designed to remind 
     the public, the music industry and Members of Congress of the 
     central role and rights of those who create music.
       Bergman was also instrumental in the launch of the ASCAP I 
     Create Music EXPO, the premier conference for songwriters, 
     composers and producers. The 4th annual EXPO is set to take 
     place at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, 
     April 23-25, 2009.
       She has also been a strong supporter of educating young 
     people about the creative process and the rights inherent in 
     the creation of music. Programs established under her 
     leadership include:
       The ASCAP Foundation Children Will Listen Program--created 
     in honor of ASCAP member and musical theatre great Stephen 
     Sondheim (West Side Story, Gypsy!, Pacific Overtures, A 
     Little Night Music) to provide the musical theatre experience 
     to a generation of students who might not otherwise have this 
     opportunity.
       The ASCAP Foundation Creativity in the Classroom Program--
     designed to help students recognize their own creative work, 
     to understand their rights as owners of intellectual property 
     and to respect the ethics of protecting the creative property 
     of others.
       The Donny the Downloader Experience in partnership with i-
     SAFE Inc., the worldwide leader in Internet safety 
     education--an interactive school assembly program aimed at 
     educating middle school students on what it means to be a 
     music creator and the real cost of music piracy.
       The Junior ASCAP Members (J.A.M.) Program in partnership 
     with MENC: The National Association for Music Education--
     created to support and nurture music students, and to educate 
     them on the value of music and the importance of intellectual 
     property rights.
       She also supported the development of The ASCAP Foundation/
     Lilith Fair Songwriting Contest--a national competition 
     designed to encourage unsigned women songwriters, co-
     sponsored by The ASCAP Foundation and Lilith Fair.
       ``From the moment she assumed the role of President and 
     Chairman of the Board, Marilyn worked tirelessly on behalf of 
     our membership to the benefit of all music creators,'' said 
     John LoFrumento, CEO of ASCAP. ``She has been tremendously 
     effective in helping ASCAP anticipate the changing needs of 
     our members--particularly given the immense shifts that have 
     occurred in music, technology and society as a whole over the 
     past decade. I will greatly miss the insights and 
     collaborative spirit that she brought to our working 
     relationship. But I am comforted to know that Marilyn will 
     remain a strong and active presence on our Board of 
     Directors.''
       Bergman presided over the largest expansion of ASCAP 
     membership in the history of the organization--growing from 
     55,000 when she assumed the Presidency in 1994 to a current 
     membership of more than 350,000 music creators.

                          ____________________