[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3169 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3169
To establish the Future of Local News Committee to examine and report
on the role of local news gathering in sustaining democracy in the
United States and the factors contributing to the demise of local
journalism, and to propose policies and mechanisms that could
reinvigorate local news to meet the critical information needs of the
people of the United States in the 21st century.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 12, 2021
Mr. Veasey (for himself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and
in addition to the Committee on Small Business, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Future of Local News Committee to examine and report
on the role of local news gathering in sustaining democracy in the
United States and the factors contributing to the demise of local
journalism, and to propose policies and mechanisms that could
reinvigorate local news to meet the critical information needs of the
people of the United States in the 21st century.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Future of Local News Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds and declares the following:
(1) The United States of America was founded on the press
freedom principle enshrined in the First Amendment to the
Constitution, declaring that ``Congress shall make no law . . .
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . .''.
(2) Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens,
and an informed citizenry depends on accurate and unbiased news
reporting to inform the people's judgments.
(3) Thomas Jefferson famously and wisely wrote, ``[W]ere it
left to me to decide whether we should have a government
without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should
not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.''.
(4)(A) According to research by the University of North
Carolina School of Media and Journalism, Center for Innovation
and Sustainability in Local Media:
(i) The United States has lost more than 2,100
local print outlets since 2004.
(ii) More than 200 counties in the United States
have no newspaper at all, creating a news shortage for
the 3,200,000 residents of those counties.
(iii) Of the remaining counties, more than half, or
1,528, have only one newspaper, often a weekly
newspaper, to cover populations ranging from under
1,000 to more than 1,000,000 residents.
(iv) More than half of all United States newspapers
have changed owners in the past decade, and in 2018
just 25 companies owned two-thirds of all daily
newspapers.
(v) Of the surviving 6,700 newspapers in the United
States, at least 1,000 qualify as ``ghost newspapers'',
or newspapers ``whose reporting staffs are so
significantly reduced that they can no longer provide
much of the breaking news or public service journalism
that once informed readers about vital issues in their
communities''.
(vi) Rural counties are among the counties most
deeply impacted. More than 500 of the 2,100 newspapers
that have closed or merged since 2004 have been in
rural counties.
(B) According to the Pew Research Center, total newsroom
employment (meaning in newspapers, television, radio, and
digital) dropped by roughly 25 percent from 2008 to 2018, while
the plunge in newspaper newsrooms alone was much worse, at 47
percent.
(C) According to the program ``On the Media'' of WNYC
Studios, beat reporting, meaning the day-to-day coverage of a
particular field that allows a journalist to develop expertise
and cultivate sources, has been gutted.
(D) Freedom of Information Act requests submitted by local
newspapers to local, State, and Federal agencies fell by nearly
50 percent between 2005 and 2010, demonstrating a significant
drop in the extent to which reporters request government
records.
(E) According to the Pew Research Center, newspapers alone
lost more than $35,000,000,000 in advertising revenue between
2004 and 2018.
(F) A 2018 study by American Indian Media Today found that
the number of American Indian print media sources has shrunk
dramatically in recent years, from 700 media outlets in 1998 to
only 200 in 2018.
(5) According to the Native American Journalists
Association, Tribal news outlets are often dependent on Tribal
governments for funding, but most Tribal news outlets lack the
policy structure necessary to fully protect journalistic
independence.
(6) As a result, freedoms of speech and press among Tribal
nations are inconsistent, as Tribal media journalists report
experiencing punitive budgetary restrictions, censorship,
required prior approval of content, and workplace harassment in
pursuit of Tribal reporting.
(7) In its 2019 call-to-action report, ``Losing the News:
The Decimation of Local Journalism and the Search for
Solutions'', PEN America proposed ``a major reimagining of the
local news space, in which local reporting is re-conceptualized
as a public good'', calling on society and government to
urgently address the alarming demise of local journalism.
(8) Half a century ago, Congress perceived that the
commercial television industry would not on its own provide the
educational and public interest broadcasting that was
appropriate and necessary for the country, and, informed by an
independent report prepared by the Carnegie Commission on
Educational Television, saw fit to create the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting, which has since ensured that radio and
television include public interest educational and reporting
programs, using annually appropriated funds.
(9) In order to determine an appropriate course of action
to preserve and sustain local news across the United States,
including in all States, territories, insular communities, and
Tribal areas, it is desirable to establish a Federal advisory
committee on the future of local news to prepare a report that
would make recommendations to Congress.
SEC. 3. FUTURE OF LOCAL NEWS COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment.--There is established an advisory committee to
be known as the ``Future of Local News Committee'' (in this section
referred to as the ``Committee'').
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Committee is to--
(1) examine the state of local news and the ability of
local news to sustain democracy by meeting the critical
information needs of the people of the United States; and
(2) provide recommendations on mechanisms that the Federal
Government can create and effectively implement to support
production of professional, independent, and high-quality local
news to meet the needs of the public, which recommendations, in
addition to any other proposals deemed appropriate, may explore
the possible creation of a new national endowment for local
journalism, or the reform and expansion of the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting or another appropriate institution, to make
public funds a part of a multi-faceted approach to sustaining
local news.
(c) Membership.--
(1) Composition.--The Committee shall be composed of 13
members, of whom--
(A) 2 shall be appointed by the majority leader of
the Senate;
(B) 2 shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the Senate;
(C) 2 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives;
(D) 2 shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the House of Representatives;
(E) 2 shall be appointed by the Chairman of the
Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting;
(F) 2 shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the
National Endowment for the Humanities; and
(G) 1 shall be appointed by the Chief Executive
Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media.
(2) Criteria for service on the committee.--To the extent
practical, the Committee shall include members with relevant
expertise, such as individuals in the following positions:
(A) Print media news editor.
(B) Digital-native or digital-first news editor.
(C) Broadcast news editor.
(D) Local county editor or journalist of a news
outlet with circulation or readership of not more than
75,000.
(E) Print media journalist or editor for a news
outlet that serves national readership.
(F) Nonprofit news outlet journalist or editor.
(G) Broadcast news reporter who works for a local
broadcast outlet serving a single community or
geographic area.
(H) A research expert on the state of local news
and the phenomenon of the industry's revenue loss and
overall contraction during the last 10 or more years.
(I) Business leader in the media industry.
(J) Labor union leader in the media industry.
(K) Dean or professor at a university school of
journalism.
(L) Civil society representative from a nonpartisan
organization that examines the nature of the local news
crisis.
(M) Editor or other senior professional of a
regional ethnic media outlet serving communities in
which English is a second language.
(N) Editor or other senior professional of a Tribal
news outlet or a news outlet serving American Indian,
Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian communities.
(3) Diversity.--To the extent practical, the Committee
shall--
(A) include members from diverse regions of the
country and reflect the experience of rural, urban,
suburban, insular, and Tribal communities; and
(B) reflect the gender and racial diversity of the
United States.
(4) Designation of alternates.--If a member of the
Committee is unable to serve on the Committee for the duration
of the Committee, the official who had appointed the resigning
member shall appoint an alternate not later than 30 days after
the member withdraws or becomes unable to serve.
(5) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the Committee shall be
elected by the Committee from among the members by a majority
vote at the initial meeting.
(6) Term of membership.--Members of the Committee shall
serve until the date on which the Committee terminates under
subsection (h).
(7) Compensation.--Members of the Committee shall not be
compensated for membership on the Committee but may be allowed
reimbursement for travel and incidental expenses, including per
diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as persons
employed intermittently in the Government service are allowed
expenses under section 5703(b) of title 5, United States Code.
(d) Duties.--The duties of the Committee are as follows:
(1) To examine the implications for the democracy of the
United States of the disappearance of so many local newspapers,
digital news outlets, and broadcasting outlets--
(A) in every State and territory;
(B) in rural, urban, suburban, insular, and Tribal
communities, of the United States; and
(C) that serve Black communities and non-English-
speaking communities.
(2) To assess--
(A) the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on
the demise of the news industry; and
(B) whether the Paycheck Protection Program set
forth in section 7(a)(36) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 636(a)(36)) has had beneficial effects on local
news organizations.
(3) To assess the impact of the rules and policies of the
Federal Communications Commission on local news.
(4) To assess the effectiveness of existing Federal
statutes (including the Communications Act of 1934, the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the antitrust laws),
regulations, institutions (including the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting), and programs in supporting the production of
local news.
(5) To examine potential new mechanisms for public funding
for the production of local news to meet the critical
information needs of the people of the United States and
address systemic inequities in media coverage and
representation throughout the country.
(6) To consider issues of transparency and other
guardrails, such as editorial independence from government
actors and a distinct, independent legal and financial
structure for the funding institution, which must be addressed
if public funding is viewed in principle as one path forward to
support production of local news.
(e) Powers of the Committee.--
(1) Hearings.--The Committee may, for the purpose of
carrying out this section, hold hearings, sit and act at times
and places, take testimony, and receive evidence as the
Committee considers appropriate.
(2) Powers of members and agents.--Any member of the
Committee may, upon authorization by the Committee, take any
action that the Committee is authorized to take under this
section.
(3) Obtaining official data.--Subject to applicable privacy
laws and relevant regulations, the Committee may secure
directly from any department or agency of the United States
information and data necessary to enable it to carry out this
section. Upon written request of the chairperson of the
Committee, the head or acting representative of that department
or agency shall furnish the requested information to the
Committee not later than 30 days after receipt of the request.
(f) Operating Rules and Procedure.--
(1) Initial meeting.--The Committee shall meet not later
than 30 days after the date on which a majority of the members
of the Committee have been appointed.
(2) Meetings.--The Committee shall convene some of its
public meetings in various regions of the country.
(3) Voting.--Each member of the Committee shall have 1
vote.
(4) Recommendations.--The Committee shall adopt
recommendations only upon a majority vote.
(5) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Committee
shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may
hold meetings, gather information and evidence, and review
draft reports from staff.
(g) Staff.--
(1) Personnel.--The chairperson of the Committee may
appoint staff to inform, support, and enable members of the
Committee in the fulfillment of their responsibilities. An
individual serving on the staff of the Committee may not be a
local, State, or Federal elected official or be affiliated with
or employed by such an elected official during the duration of
the service of such individual on the staff of the Committee.
(2) Expert consultants.--As needed, the Committee may
commission intermittent research or other information from
experts and provide stipends for engagement consistent with
relevant statutes and regulations.
(h) Duration.--The Committee shall terminate 60 days after the date
on which the Committee presents the findings, conclusions, and
recommendations of the Committee at a public hearing described in
subsection (i)(3).
(i) Report.--
(1) Submission of report.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of the initial meeting of the Committee, the chairperson
of the Committee shall submit to Congress a comprehensive
report on the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the
Committee in furtherance of the purpose of the Committee under
subsection (b).
(2) Public access to report.--The report submitted to
Congress under paragraph (1) shall be publicly available online
for free.
(3) Hearing and implementation.--After the Committee
submits the report under paragraph (1), the appropriate
committees of Congress may hold hearings at which the Committee
may present the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of
the Committee as set forth in the report.
(j) Applicability of FACA.--Except as provided in subsection (h),
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the
Committee.
(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Committee $1,000,000 to carry out this section.
<all>