After highlighting the Senator’s service as a member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee, both of which have jurisdiction over a range of issues of high importance to the Guild, Thomas asked the members of the Leadership Council in attendance to introduce themselves. During the impromptu introductions, several members spoke passionately about how issues like runaway production, media consolidation and intellectual property rights are impacting their work.

Senator Smith took the opportunity during his remarks to address the issues raised by those present. In response to members’ concerns about runaway production, the Senator said, “Your industry is an American industry. Your industry needs to stay an American industry. If you choose to go abroad and do something elsewhere, I celebrate your choice. But you shouldn’t have to go elsewhere. We should create the kind of environment so that it is your choice whether to do it here or abroad.”

The discussion concluded by touching on the complicated nature of several important issues that are still being debated in Washington and elsewhere. Repeating his support for copyright protections which he stated publicly at an April 22 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on “The Future of the Internet,” he said, “When it comes to the age in which we now live, diversity of media ownership, net neutrality, the digital age, all of these things affect what you do and what you get paid for what you do. We [in Congress] have got some revisions to make to help you protect your work.”

Senator Smith was first elected to the Senate in 1996. This was Senator Smith’s first visit to the DGA. It was the 55th such meeting hosted by the DGA PAC Leadership Council.