II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4772 

To establish the Future of Local News Commission 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 30 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 29), 2020 

Mr. SCHATZ (for himself, Mr. BENNET, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To establish the Future of Local News Commission 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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Future of Local News 

3 Commission Act of 2020’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

5 Congress finds and declares the following: 

6 (1) The United States of America was founded 

7 on the press freedom principle enshrined in the First 

8 Amendment to the Constitution, declaring that 

9 ‘‘Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the 

10 freedom of speech, or of the press . . . .’’. 

11 (2) Democracy demands wisdom and vision in 

12 its citizens, and an informed citizenry depends on 

13 accurate and unbiased news reporting to inform the 

14 people’s judgments. 

15 (3) Thomas Jefferson famously and wisely 

16 wrote, ‘‘[W]ere it left to me to decide whether we 

17 should have a government without newspapers or 

18 newspapers without a government, I should not hesi19 tate a moment to prefer the latter.’’. 

20 (4)(A) According to research by the University 

21 of North Carolina School of Media and Journalism, 

22 Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local 

23 Media: 

24 (i) The United States has lost more than 

25 2,100 local print outlets since 2004. 


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1 (ii) More than 200 counties in the United 

2 States have no newspaper at all, creating a 

3 news shortage for the 3,200,000 residents of 

4 those counties. 

5 (iii) Of the remaining counties, more than 

6 half, or 1,528, have only one newspaper, often 

7 a weekly newspaper, to cover populations rang8 ing from under 1,000 to more than 1,000,000 

9 residents. 

10 (iv) More than half of all United States 

11 newspapers have changed owners in the past 

12 decade, and in 2018 just 25 companies owned 

13 two-thirds of all daily newspapers. 

14 (v) Of the surviving 6,700 newspapers in 

15 the United States, at least 1,000 qualify as 

16 ‘‘ghost newspapers’’, or newspapers ‘‘whose re17 porting staffs are so significantly reduced that 

18 they can no longer provide much of the break19 ing news or public service journalism that once 

20 informed readers about vital issues in their 

21 communities’’. 

22 (vi) Rural counties are among the counties 

23 most deeply impacted. More than 500 of the 

24 2,100 newspapers that have closed or merged 

25 since 2004 have been in rural counties. 


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1 (B) According to the Pew Research Center, 

2 total newsroom employment (meaning in news3 papers, television, radio, and digital) dropped by 

4 roughly 25 percent from 2008 to 2018, while the 

5 plunge in newspaper newsrooms alone was much 

6 worse, at 47 percent. 

7 (C) According to the program ‘‘On the Media’’ 

8 of WNYC Studios, beat reporting, meaning the day9 to-day coverage of a particular field that allows a 

10 journalist to develop expertise and cultivate sources, 

11 has been gutted. 

12 (D) Freedom of Information Act requests sub13 mitted by local newspapers to local, State, and Fed14 eral agencies fell by nearly 50 percent between 2005 

15 and 2010, demonstrating a significant drop in the 

16 extent to which reporters request government 

17 records. 

18 (E) According to the Pew Research Center, 

19 newspapers alone lost more than $35,000,000,000 in 

20 advertising revenue between 2004 and 2018. 

21 (F) A 2018 study by American Indian Media 

22 Today found that the number of American Indian 

23 print media sources has shrunk dramatically in re24 cent years, from 700 media outlets in 1998 to only 

25 200 in 2018. 


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1 (5) According to the Native American Journal2 ists Association, Tribal news outlets are often de3 pendent on Tribal governments for funding, but 

4 most Tribal news outlets lack the policy structure 

5 necessary to fully protect journalistic independence. 

6 (6) As a result, freedoms of speech and press 

7 among Tribal nations are inconsistent, as Tribal 

8 media journalists report experiencing punitive budg9 etary restrictions, censorship, required prior ap10 proval of content, and workplace harassment in pur11 suit of Tribal reporting. 

12 (7) In its 2019 call-to-action report, ‘‘Losing 

13 the News: The Decimation of Local Journalism and 

14 the Search for Solutions’’, PEN America proposed 

15 ‘‘a major reimagining of the local news space, in 

16 which local reporting is re-conceptualized as a public 

17 good’’, calling on society and government to urgently 

18 address the alarming demise of local journalism. 

19 (8) Half a century ago, Congress perceived that 

20 the commercial television industry would not on its 

21 own provide the educational and public interest 

22 broadcasting that was appropriate and necessary for 

23 the country, and, informed by an independent report 

24 prepared by the Carnegie Commission on Edu25 cational Television, saw fit to create the Corporation 


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1 for Public Broadcasting, which has since ensured 

2 that radio and television include public interest edu3 cational and reporting programs, using annually ap4 propriated funds. 

5 (9) In order to determine an appropriate course 

6 of action to preserve and sustain local news across 

7 the United States, including in all States, territories, 

8 insular communities, and Tribal areas, it is desirable 

9 to establish a Federal advisory commission on the 

10 future of local news to prepare a report that would 

11 make recommendations to Congress. 

12 SEC. 3. FUTURE OF LOCAL NEWS COMMISSION. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a com14 mission to be known as the ‘‘Future of Local News Com15 mission’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Commis16 sion’’). 

17 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Commission is 

18 to— 

19 (1) examine the state of local news and the 

20 ability of local news to sustain democracy by meet21 ing the critical information needs of the people of 

22 the United States; and 

23 (2) provide recommendations on mechanisms 

24 that the Federal Government can create and effec25 tively implement to support production of profesVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:50 Oct 21, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4772.IS S4772

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1 sional, independent, and high-quality local news to 

2 meet the needs of the public, which recommenda3 tions, in addition to any other proposals deemed ap4 propriate, may explore the possible creation of a new 

5 national endowment for local journalism, or the re6 form and expansion of the Corporation for Public 

7 Broadcasting or another appropriate institution, to 

8 make public funds a part of a multi-faceted ap9 proach to sustaining local news. 

10 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

11 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 

12 composed of 13 members, of whom— 

13 (A) 2 shall be appointed by the majority 

14 leader of the Senate; 

15 (B) 2 shall be appointed by the minority 

16 leader of the Senate; 

17 (C) 2 shall be appointed by the Speaker of 

18 the House of Representatives; 

19 (D) 2 shall be appointed by the minority 

20 leader of the House of Representatives; 

21 (E) 2 shall be appointed by the Chairman 

22 of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for 

23 Public Broadcasting; 


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1 (F) 2 shall be appointed by the Chair2 person of the National Endowment for the Hu3 manities; and 

4 (G) 1 shall be appointed by the Chief Ex5 ecutive Officer of the United States Agency for 

6 Global Media. 

7 (2) CRITERIA FOR SERVICE ON THE COMMIS8 SION.—To the extent practical, the Commission shall 

9 include members with relevant expertise, such as in10 dividuals in the following positions: 

11 (A) Print media news editor. 

12 (B) Digital-native or digital-first news edi13 tor. 

14 (C) Broadcast news editor. 

15 (D) Local county editor or journalist of a 

16 news outlet with circulation or readership of not 

17 more than 75,000. 

18 (E) Print media journalist or editor for a 

19 news outlet that serves national readership. 

20 (F) Nonprofit news outlet journalist or edi21 tor. 

22 (G) Broadcast news reporter who works 

23 for a local broadcast outlet serving a single 

24 community or geographic area. 


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1 (H) A research expert on the state of local 

2 news and the phenomenon of the industry’s rev3 enue loss and overall contraction during the last 

4 10 or more years. 

5 (I) Business leader in the media industry. 

6 (J) Labor union leader in the media indus7 try. 

8 (K) Dean or professor at a university 

9 school of journalism. 

10 (L) Civil society representative from a non11 partisan organization that examines the nature 

12 of the local news crisis. 

13 (M) Editor or other senior professional of 

14 a regional ethnic media outlet serving commu15 nities in which English is a second language. 

16 (N) Editor or other senior professional of 

17 a Tribal news outlet or a news outlet serving 

18 American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Ha19 waiian communities. 

20 (3) DIVERSITY.—To the extent practical, the 

21 Commission shall— 

22 (A) include members from diverse regions 

23 of the country and reflect the experience of 

24 rural, urban, suburban, insular, and Tribal 

25 communities; and 


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1 (B) reflect the gender and racial diversity 

2 of the United States. 

3 (4) DESIGNATION OF ALTERNATES.—If a mem4 ber of the Commission is unable to serve on the 

5 Commission for the duration of the Commission, the 

6 official who had appointed the resigning commis7 sioner shall appoint an alternate not later than 30 

8 days after the member withdraws or becomes unable 

9 to serve. 

10 (5) CHAIRPERSON.—The chairperson of the 

11 Commission shall be elected by the Commission from 

12 among the members by a majority vote at the initial 

13 meeting. 

14 (6) TERM OF MEMBERSHIP.—Members of the 

15 Commission shall serve until the date on which the 

16 Commission terminates under subsection (h). 

17 (7) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Commis18 sion shall not be compensated for membership on 

19 the Commission but may be allowed reimbursement 

20 for travel and incidental expenses, including per 

21 diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as 

22 persons employed intermittently in the Government 

23 service are allowed expenses under section 5703(b) 

24 of title 5, United States Code. 


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1 (d) DUTIES.—The duties of the Commission are as 

2 follows: 

3 (1) To examine the implications for the democ4 racy of the United States of the disappearance of so 

5 many local newspapers, digital news outlets, and 

6 broadcasting outlets— 

7 (A) in every State and territory; 

8 (B) in rural, urban, suburban, insular, and 

9 Tribal communities, of the United States; and 

10 (C) that serve Black communities and non11 English-speaking communities. 

12 (2) To assess— 

13 (A) the impact the coronavirus pandemic 

14 has had on the demise of the news industry; 

15 and 

16 (B) whether the Paycheck Protection Pro17 gram set forth in section 7(a)(36) of the Small 

18 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(36)) has had 

19 beneficial effects on local news organizations. 

20 (3) To assess the effectiveness of existing Fed21 eral statutes (including the Internal Revenue Code 

22 of 1986 and the antitrust laws), regulations, institu23 tions (including the Corporation for Public Broad24 casting), and programs in supporting the production 

25 of local news. 


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1 (4) To examine potential new mechanisms for 

2 public funding for the production of local news to 

3 meet the critical information needs of the people of 

4 the United States and address systemic inequities in 

5 media coverage and representation throughout the 

6 country. 

7 (5) To consider issues of transparency and 

8 other guardrails, such as editorial independence 

9 from government actors and a distinct, independent 

10 legal and financial structure for the funding institu11 tion, which must be addressed if public funding is 

12 viewed in principle as one path forward to support 

13 production of local news. 

14 (e) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.— 

15 (1) HEARINGS.—The Commission may, for the 

16 purpose of carrying out this section, hold hearings, 

17 sit and act at times and places, take testimony, and 

18 receive evidence as the Commission considers appro19 priate. 

20 (2) POWERS OF MEMBERS AND AGENTS.—Any 

21 member of the Commission may, upon authorization 

22 by the Commission, take any action that the Com23 mission is authorized to take under this section. 

24 (3) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—Subject to ap25 plicable privacy laws and relevant regulations, the 


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1 Commission may secure directly from any depart2 ment or agency of the United States information 

3 and data necessary to enable it to carry out this sec4 tion. Upon written request of the chairperson of the 

5 Commission, the head or acting representative of 

6 that department or agency shall furnish the re7 quested information to the Commission not later 

8 than 30 days after receipt of the request. 

9 (f) OPERATING RULES AND PROCEDURE.— 

10 (1) INITIAL MEETING.—The Commission shall 

11 meet not later than 30 days after the date on which 

12 a majority of the members of the Commission have 

13 been appointed. 

14 (2) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall convene 

15 some of its public meetings in various regions of the 

16 country. 

17 (3) VOTING.—Each member of the Commission 

18 shall have 1 vote. 

19 (4) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Commission 

20 shall adopt recommendations only upon a majority 

21 vote. 

22 (5) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of 

23 the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a 

24 lesser number of members may hold meetings, gathVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:50 Oct 21, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4772.IS S4772

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1 er information and evidence, and review draft re2 ports from staff. 

3 (g) STAFF.— 

4 (1) PERSONNEL.—The chairperson of the Com5 mission may appoint staff to inform, support, and 

6 enable commissioners in the fulfillment of their re7 sponsibilities. A staff member may not be a local, 

8 State, or Federal elected official or be affiliated with 

9 or employed by such an elected official during the 

10 duration of the Commission. 

11 (2) EXPERT CONSULTANTS.—As needed, the 

12 Commission may commission intermittent research 

13 or other information from experts and provide sti14 pends for engagement consistent with relevant stat15 utes and regulations. 

16 (h) DURATION.—The Commission shall terminate 60 

17 days after the date on which the Commission presents the 

18 findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the Com19 mission at the public hearing described in subsection 

20 (i)(3). 

21 (i) REPORT.— 

22 (1) SUBMITTAL OF REPORT.—Not later than 1 

23 year after the date of the initial meeting of the Com24 mission, the chairperson of the Commission shall 

25 submit to Congress a comprehensive report on the 


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1 findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the 

2 Commission in furtherance of the purpose of the 

3 Commission under subsection (b). 

4 (2) PUBLIC ACCESS TO REPORT.—The report 

5 submitted to Congress under paragraph (1) shall be 

6 publicly available online for free. 

7 (3) HEARING AND IMPLEMENTATION.—After 

8 the Commission submits the report under paragraph 

9 (1), the appropriate committees of Congress may 

10 hold hearings at which the Commission may present 

11 the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of 

12 the Commission as laid out in the report. 

13 (j) APPLICABILITY OF FACA.—Except as provided in 

14 subsection (h), the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

15 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the Commission. 

16 (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated to the Commission 

18 $1,000,000 to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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