DGA LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

The Directors Guild of America maintains an engaged and effective presence in Washington, DC. The Guild works on behalf of its members to promote the economic and artistic rights of directors. On issues ranging from copyright and new technologies to building support for policies that increase the production of independent film and television programming in the United States to protecting the First Amendment freedoms of the artistic community, the DGA is in the forefront of efforts to bolster legal protections for American film artists and public appreciation of their craft.

In Washington, as a new President takes office and a new Congress convenes, the DGA will press for enactment of legislation to stem "runaway production" by providing for a wage-based tax credit for targeted U.S. productions. We will also work to ensure that any proposals emanating from the new Administration or introduced into the new Congress that affect electronic rights and Internet uses of motion pictures adequately address the legitimate interests of DGA members. Finally, while we will support voluntary efforts on the part of the industry to provide better information to parents about violent content in films, we will resist proposals by Congress and federal agencies to place impose mandatory rating and labeling systems on filmmakers.

In addition to the DGA work in Washington, the Guild actively works in Sacramento with the governor's office, the California Legislature and the California Film Commission. On the state level the DGA works to secure funds and programs that will address the problem of runaway production, insure the protection of DGA residuals, privacy legislation and other intellectual property issues, as well as targeted legislation with a particular economic impact such as a home-based business tax.

The Government Affairs office also works to increase the understanding of Guild concerns and the issues faced by DGA members by elected officials and top Administrators at the national, state, and local level. On an ongoing basis the Guild holds small meetings and larger receptions for DGA members with elected representatives and government officials.

For more information about the Directors Guild of America's legislative efforts contact Kathy Garmezy the DGA's Government Affairs Director at 310-289-5358.