February 2009 Archives

Among other things, the hearing focused on the proposed merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which could combine the nation’s biggest concert promoter with the largest seller of tickets for live entertainment.  

“Both companies have stated that this merger will not raise ticket prices because the artist sets the ticket price,” said Johnson.  “It is one thing to claim that artists such as Bruce Springsteen or Barbara Streisand have the “star power” to exert control over ticket prices, but artists without that clout are not in a position to negotiate the price of their tickets.”

Although monumental efforts were made to include artists on the panel, none came forward.  

Live Nation’s CEO Michael Rapino and Ticketmaster Chief Irving Azoff argued in favor of the merger, while expert antitrust attorney Robert Doyle and Consumer Program Director Ed Mierzwinski of the U.S. Federation of Public Interest Research Groups argued against.

The Honorable Bill Pascrell Jr., a member of Congress (NJ-08), also testified in opposition to the merger.  

The Department of Justice is investigating the possible merger.

Johnson probed the issue in pointed, straight-forward questions, including inquiries into the possibility that Ticketmaster could continue inflating ticket prices on the secondary market. 

He brought attention to the recent Bruce Springsteen concert issue where many tickets were sold at far above face value through a secondary ticket outlet owned by Ticketmaster. 

“There is a risk that ticket prices will increase and consumers will be harmed by this merger,” said Johnson. “We are not here to gang up on a U.S. business that is doing its best to weather hard economic times, but we want to know how this will affect consumers.”   
 

“The package, which is a balance of tax cuts and investments, is an effort to help lift our sagging economy and put people back to work,” said Johnson, citing the loss of jobs as his biggest concern. 

Altogether, the plan combines $310 billion in investments for infrastructure, clean energy, transportation, healthcare and schools; $285 billion in tax cuts to individuals and businesses and $192 billion for benefit programs such as unemployment and food stamps.

For low-and-middle income workers it means a $400 payroll tax credit, $800 for couples filing jointly. For workers who lose their jobs, the plan extends middle-class families’ healthcare benefits for nine months. It also will expand the scope of the child tax credit and boost food stamp assistance by $20 billion. 

Under the plan, states would receive about $53.6 billion to avoid further budget cuts, and $40.6 billion would go to schools for construction, renovations and to prevent teacher layoffs. 

As passed, the Act will bring more than $1 billion in infrastructure spending to Georgia, including $931 million for highways and bridges, $136 million for transit, $66 million for clean water projects and $7 million for fixed-guideway modernization.

The plan will save or create about 3.5 million jobs – more than 105,000 in Georgia– and nearly 10,000 in the Fourth District. Locally, funds will be made available to maintain firefighters, police officers, sheriff deputies, teachers and construction workers’ jobs. 

While hopeful, Johnson cautioned that the plan would “not be a cure all” or “solve all our problems.”

“The economic problems weren’t created in a day, and they won’t be solved overnight,” said Johnson.  “But with unemployment in Georgia rising above 8 percent and climbing, I cannot sit idly by while as so many of my fellow Georgians struggle to pay bills, keep their homes or businesses and pay for college.”

For more information on this important legislation, log on to RECOVERY.GOV
 

President Barack Obama signed the bill into law this afternoon.

H.R. 2 will provide an additional $32.8 billion over four and a half years for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), known in Georgia as PeachCare.  In 2008, SCHIP provided health insurance for 7.1 million children nationwide.  H.R. 2 will expand SCHIP to cover an additional 4.1 million. PeachCare provides essential health insurance for nearly 300,000 Georgian children whose families do not qualify for Medicaid.

Georgia state officials confirm there are between 85,000 and 100,000 children in Georgia who qualify for PeachCare but have not received coverage due to budgetary constraints.  H.R. 2 will allow more uninsured children to join PeachCare and will ensure that those already enrolled do not lose coverage.

“Children’s healthcare has been one of my top priorities since I came to Washington,” said Congressman Johnson.  “With the passage of this bill, we bolster Georgia’s underfunded PeachCare program to ensure that children get the healthcare they need even amidst a deepening recession.”

Johnson, who serves in the House leadership as whip for Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, is an original cosponsor of the legislation.

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