Music-Related Legislation Before Congress Right Now: Full List of Bills (UPDATING)

There are a handful of pending costs before the 119th Congress that are being carefully enjoyed by the music market. These pieces of federal legislation might impact artists, customers and business throughout various locations of business, consisting of songwriting, licensing, tourist, royalties, ticketing and live efficiencies.

A number of these costs have bipartisan assistance from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and market gamers have actually been greatly associated with promoting for their passage: The Recording Academy and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have actually signed onto a number of them, as have business giants like the significant record labels and Live Nation.

The legal procedure is long and sometimes hard to understand. Lots of expenses get presented more than twice the years, typically with various variations in the Senate and House of Representatives. There are committee evaluations, hearings and modifications before an expense makes it to the flooring for a congressional vote and, ultimately if passed, the desk of the president to be signed into law.

In the interest of putting together all the details in one location, Signboard has actually assembled a list of all the music-related legislation presently before the 119th Congress. Listed below, you can check out the history behind each expense, who supports it and what effect it would have on the market.

We’re keeping an eye on advancements for each piece of proposed legislation, and this list will upgrade as costs move through your house and Senate. We’ll likewise include brand-new costs as they’re presented and inform you why they matter for the music company.

• RAP Act

  Presented in 2022, the Restoring Artistic Protection (RAP) Act intends to restrict the usage of rap lyrics in federal prosecutions. It’s long been questionable to mention lyrics as proof of a criminal offense, however the prosecutorial technique has actually gotten a spotlight over the last few years as it’s been wielded versus prominent rap artists like Young Thug, Gunna and Lil Durk.

  The RAP Act was reestablished in 2023 and after that once again in your house in July 2025, after which it was described your home Judiciary Committee.

  Co-sponsored by Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), the RAP Act has broad assistance within the music market. The Recording Academy and RIAA have actually tossed their weight behind the expense, as have Warner Music Group (WMG), Universal Music Group (UMG) and Live Nation.

• NO FAKES Act

  The Nurture Originals, Foster Art and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act is Congress’ effort to safeguard artists from expert system (AI) deepfakes. This legislation would turn an individual’s digital similarity into a kind of copyright, enabling artists to accredit out these rights and take legal action against those that release deepfakes without their authorization.

  The NO FAKES Act was initially presented in 2024 and after that revamped two times– as soon as in April 2025 and after that once again in May 2026. The upgraded variation of the expense in both your house and Senate consists of extra notification and takedown arrangements that might insulate hosting websites from liability– and platforms consisting of YouTube and Spotify are now on board as advocates. The proposed law cleared a significant obstacle in June 2026, when it was all backed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The next action will be a complete Senate vote.

  The music market’s significant gamers have actually supported NO FAKES, consisting of the Recording Academy, RIAA, WMG, UMG and Sony. The expenses are sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); and in your home by Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.) Nathaniel Moran (R-Tex.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.) and Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.).

• American Music Fairness Act

  Legislators and music market gamers have actually been pursuing years to pass a law needing terrestrial radio stations to pay efficiency royalties to artists and record labels. The current variation of this proposed law was presented in 2021 as the American Music Fairness Act, which has actually considering that been re-introduced two times.

  Most just recently reminded both your home and Senate in January 2025, the expenses intend to close a loophole that permits AM/FM radio stations in the U.S. to just pay publishing royalties– unlike satellite radio stations and online banners, which need to compensate both songwriters and entertainers when they prepare a track. The costs have actually been described both chambers’ Judiciary Committees. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s copyright subcommittee held a hearing in December 2025, throughout which KISS rocker Gene Simmons affirmed that it’s “un-American” not to support the legislation.

  The American Music Fairness act is co-sponsored in the Senate by Blackburn, Tillis and Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and in your house by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). It’s supported by the Recording Academy, RIAA, SoundExchange and the American Federation of Musicians.

• Centerpiece Ticketing Act

  The Mitigating Automated Internet Networks (MAIN) for Event Ticketing Act, at first presented in 2023, intends to boost enforcement of President Obama’s Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act.

  This legislation would produce brand-new reporting and security requirements for online ticket sellers to fight automatic bots that leap the line ahead of human purchasers. Expenses were reestablished in the Senate in January 2025 and your house in April 2025. The proposed legislation has actually been authorized by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and your home Committee on Energy and Commerce, and it is now headed to the floorings of both chambers.

  The costs are sponsored in the Senate by Blackburn and Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and in your house by Harshbarger and Rep. Troy A. Carter Sr. (D-La.). They’ve gathered assistance from the Recording Academy, RIAA, Live Nation and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).

• TICKET Act

  The Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act was initially presented in 2023 with the objective of reforming the ticket-buying procedure for concertgoers. The proposed legislation would increase rates openness by needing occasion promoters to plainly and plainly show a ticket’s complete rate, consisting of charges and taxes, before checkout.

  The legislation passed your home in 2024 however passed away at the end of the 118th congressional term. Variations were reestablished in the Senate in January 2025 and your house in February 2025, and it passed your home once again in April 2025. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation authorized its costs the exact same month, and it’s now headed to the Senate flooring.

  The expenses were presented in the Senate by Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and in your home by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.). Advocates consist of the Recording Academy, Live Nation, Vivid Seats and StubHub.

  A previous variation of this list improperly mentioned that NIVA supports the TICKET Act. The mistake has actually been remedied.

• Safeguarding Outdoor Concerts Act

  First presented in 2021 and reintroduced once again two times in the years considering that, the Protecting Outdoor Concerts Act would develop an opportunity for the Federal Aviation Administration to limit the airspace around outside music celebrations and shows.

  Now, the law permits significant sporting occasions to use for these sorts of low-flying aircraft limitations, however organizers of music occasions can not do the very same. The costs was most just recently presented to your house in April 2025 by Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) and it’s been described your house Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

  Ruiz, whose district consists of California’s Coachella Valley, has actually pointed out security dangers from aircrafts flying too low around the Coachella and Stagecoach music celebrations. The proposed legislation has assistance from AEG, which places on both of those celebrations.

• TRAIN Act

  The Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks (TRAIN) Act, initially presented in the Senate in 2024, would develop a legal opportunity for artists and other developers to discover if their work was utilized to train a generative AI design without a license. Technically speaking, the costs would permit artists to subpoena AI designers for their training information through a procedure comparable to one that currently exists to fight web piracy.

  It stays an open concern whether AI business are lawfully needed to purchase licenses to train their designs on existing imaginative works. Many copyright suits over this problem are presently making their method through the courts, consisting of one by the significant record labels (though some claims have actually been settled through licensing handle AI music services Suno and Udio).

  The TRAIN Act was reestablished in the Senate in July 2025 by Blackburn and Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and presented for the very first time in your home in January 2026 by Dean and Moran. The costs, which is backed by the RIAA and the Recording Academy, has actually been described both chambers’ Judiciary Committees.

• CLEAR Act

  Another AI training-focused expense is the Copyright Labeling and Ethical AI Reporting (CLEAR) Act, which would need tech business to send openly readily available reports to the U.S. Copyright Office detailing all the secured works utilized in training information for generative AI designs. The legislation likewise recommends an enforcement system: civil fines for AI business that stop working to finish these disclosures.

  Schiff initially proposed this legislation, initially entitled the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, throughout his time in your house of Representatives in 2024. That very first costs passed away without action. Schiff then coordinated with Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) to reestablish the proposition, relabelled the CLEAR Act, in February 2026.

  The costs has actually gathered assistance from many music market groups, consisting of the RIAA, the Recording Academy, the NMPA and SoundExchange.

• Safeguard Working Musicians Act

  The Protect Working Musicians Act (PWMA) would enable independent artists to collaborate and jointly work out licenses with AI business and streaming platforms. In technical terms, the expense intends to accomplish this by excusing indie artists from antitrust examination over group bargaining. Comparable exemptions currently exist for Major League Baseball, in addition to for farmers and farming manufacturers.

  The PWMA was initially presented in 2021 with a concentrate on streaming royalties, then it was re-tooled in 2023 to deal with AI. The PWMA was when again presented in your house in May 2026 by Reps. Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Steve Cohen (D-Texas) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). It has actually been described your house Judiciary Committee.

  Advocates of the PWMA consist of the Recording Academy, NMPA, A2IM and Music Artists Coalition.

• AI Labeling Act

  The AI Labeling Act would need that AI-generated material, consisting of audio, consist of a watermark revealing using the innovation. The onus would be on AI business and social networks platforms to develop these tags. As the costs is presently composed, music streaming platforms are not consisted of.

  Variations of the costs were initially presented in both your home and Senate in 2023 however did stagnate forward. It was reestablished in the Senate in June 2026 by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), John Curtis (R-Utah), and Mark Warner (D-Va.). Music market fans consist of Music Creators North America, the Society of Composers and Lyricists and the Songwriters Guild of America.

• SAFEGUARD IP Act

  The Deterring Extraterritorial Foreign Exploitation of Networks Damaging Intellectual Property (DEFEND IP) Act proposes a brand-new technique for U.S. copyright holders to fight abroad digital piracy. Particularly, the legislation would offer U.S. judges the power to purchase the nation’s web service suppliers to obstruct foreign websites that host infringing music, videos or books.

  Both your home and Senate presented variations of the DEFEND IP Act for the very first time in September 2026, and the costs are now with both chambers’ judiciary committees. An earlier legal proposition to suppress foreign web piracy, referred to as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), stopped working in 2012 amidst strong reaction from the tech market.

  The legislation is sponsored in the Senate by Tillis, Coons, Blackburn and Schiff, and in your home by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Ben Cline (R-Va.). It’s been backed by the RIAA, Recording Academy and A2IM.