I 

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. 

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 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

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 committee on the fu10 ture of local news to prepare a report that would 

11 make recommendations to Congress. 

12 SEC. 3. FUTURE OF LOCAL NEWS COMMITTEE. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an advi14 sory committee to be known as the ‘‘Future of Local News 

15 Committee’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Com16 mittee’’). 

17 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Committee 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 03:22 Jun 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3169.IH H3169

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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 Committee 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 COM8 MITTEE.—To the extent practical, the Committee 

9 shall include members with relevant expertise, such 

10 as individuals 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 Committee 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 Committee is unable to serve on the Com5 mittee for the duration of the Committee, the official 

6 who had appointed the resigning member shall ap7 point an alternate not later than 30 days after the 

8 member withdraws or becomes unable to serve. 

9 (5) CHAIRPERSON.—The chairperson of the 

10 Committee shall be elected by the Committee from 

11 among the members by a majority vote at the initial 

12 meeting. 

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

14 Committee shall serve until the date on which the 

15 Committee terminates under subsection (h). 

16 (7) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Com17 mittee shall not be compensated for membership on 

18 the Committee but may be allowed reimbursement 

19 for travel and incidental expenses, including per 

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

21 persons employed intermittently in the Government 

22 service are allowed expenses under section 5703(b) 

23 of title 5, United States Code. 

24 (d) DUTIES.—The duties of the Committee are as fol25 lows: 


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1 (1) To examine the implications for the democ2 racy of the United States of the disappearance of so 

3 many local newspapers, digital news outlets, and 

4 broadcasting outlets— 

5 (A) in every State and territory; 

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

7 Tribal communities, of the United States; and 

8 (C) that serve Black communities and non9 English-speaking communities. 

10 (2) To assess— 

11 (A) the impact the coronavirus pandemic 

12 has had on the demise of the news industry; 

13 and 

14 (B) whether the Paycheck Protection Pro15 gram set forth in section 7(a)(36) of the Small 

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

17 beneficial effects on local news organizations. 

18 (3) To assess the impact of the rules and poli19 cies of the Federal Communications Commission on 

20 local news. 

21 (4) To assess the effectiveness of existing Fed22 eral statutes (including the Communications Act of 

23 1934, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the 

24 antitrust laws), regulations, institutions (including 


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1 the Corporation for Public Broadcasting), and pro2 grams in supporting the production of local news. 

3 (5) To examine potential new mechanisms for 

4 public funding for the production of local news to 

5 meet the critical information needs of the people of 

6 the United States and address systemic inequities in 

7 media coverage and representation throughout the 

8 country. 

9 (6) To consider issues of transparency and 

10 other guardrails, such as editorial independence 

11 from government actors and a distinct, independent 

12 legal and financial structure for the funding institu13 tion, which must be addressed if public funding is 

14 viewed in principle as one path forward to support 

15 production of local news. 

16 (e) POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE.— 

17 (1) HEARINGS.—The Committee may, for the 

18 purpose of carrying out this section, hold hearings, 

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

20 receive evidence as the Committee considers appro21 priate. 

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

23 member of the Committee may, upon authorization 

24 by the Committee, take any action that the Com25 mittee is authorized to take under this section. 


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1 (3) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—Subject to ap2 plicable privacy laws and relevant regulations, the 

3 Committee may secure directly from any department 

4 or agency of the United States information and data 

5 necessary to enable it to carry out this section. Upon 

6 written request of the chairperson of the Committee, 

7 the head or acting representative of that department 

8 or agency shall furnish the requested information to 

9 the Committee not later than 30 days after receipt 

10 of the request. 

11 (f) OPERATING RULES AND PROCEDURE.— 

12 (1) INITIAL MEETING.—The Committee shall 

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

14 a majority of the members of the Committee have 

15 been appointed. 

16 (2) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall convene 

17 some of its public meetings in various regions of the 

18 country. 

19 (3) VOTING.—Each member of the Committee 

20 shall have 1 vote. 

21 (4) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Committee shall 

22 adopt recommendations only upon a majority vote. 

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

24 the Committee shall constitute a quorum, but a less25 er number of members may hold meetings, gather 


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1 information and evidence, and review draft reports 

2 from staff. 

3 (g) STAFF.— 

4 (1) PERSONNEL.—The chairperson of the Com5 mittee may appoint staff to inform, support, and en6 able members of the Committee in the fulfillment of 

7 their responsibilities. An individual serving on the 

8 staff of the Committee may not be a local, State, or 

9 Federal elected official or be affiliated with or em10 ployed by such an elected official during the dura11 tion of the service of such individual on the staff of 

12 the Committee. 

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

14 Committee may commission intermittent research or 

15 other information from experts and provide stipends 

16 for engagement consistent with relevant statutes and 

17 regulations. 

18 (h) DURATION.—The Committee shall terminate 60 

19 days after the date on which the Committee presents the 

20 findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the Com21 mittee at a public hearing described in subsection (i)(3). 

22 (i) REPORT.— 

23 (1) SUBMISSION OF REPORT.—Not later than 1 

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1 mit to Congress a comprehensive report on the find2 ings, conclusions, and recommendations of the Com3 mittee in furtherance of the purpose of the Com4 mittee under subsection (b). 

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

6 submitted to Congress under paragraph (1) shall be 

7 publicly available online for free. 

8 (3) HEARING AND IMPLEMENTATION.—After 

9 the Committee submits the report under paragraph 

10 (1), the appropriate committees of Congress may 

11 hold hearings at which the Committee may present 

12 the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of 

13 the Committee as set forth in the report. 

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

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

16 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the Committee. 

17 (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 are authorized to be appropriated to the Committee 

19 $1,000,000 to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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