Orphan Works NOT Dead!

Blogs are stating the Orphan Works bill is dead.
This is not true.

The House bill is dead. Which means the legislation is dangerously close to passing.

Senators Orrin Hatch (R) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D) along with Congressman Howard Berman (D) vowed to pass Orphan Works this year. The Orphan Works bill has passed the Senate. The House has already agreed they would be fine taking up the Senate Bill as a substitution for the House Bill.

There is a high probability the House may pass the legislation tomorrow when the House is in session again.

The House will probably be operating under suspension rules again, meaning they don't have to follow the normal protocols. No one is sure how long the House will stay in session. It may go through the weekend, depending on how long it takes for them to negotiate and pass a bailout rescue.

It is believed that the Orphan Works bill is in play anytime in the House is in session.

They may also come back for a lame-duck session in November after the election.

The bill is not dead and artists need to be aware this is not over yet.

Due to the bailout bill, e-mails are blocked in some offices because they've been overwhelmed with angry constituents about the economy. Faxes are jammed. Many artists have said that they can not get through the Washington phone lines due to the large volume of calls.

Artists are trying the representatives home offices in order to get through.

Remember, every one of your Congressman is standing for re-election and it is important to remind them of that point as you call them.

The bill is not dead.