I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 726 
To prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of Federal 
funds to acquire radio content. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 30, 2017 
Mr. LAMBORN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio and 
the use of Federal funds to acquire radio content. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. PROHIBITION ON FEDERAL FUNDING OF NA-
TIONAL PUBLIC RADIO AND RADIO CONTENT 
ACQUISITION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—No Federal funds may be made 
available— 
(1) to an organization that is incorporated as of 
the date of the enactment of this Act for each of the 
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purposes described in subsection (c), or to any suc-
cessor organization; 
(2) for payment of dues to an organization de-
scribed in paragraph (1); or 
(3) for the acquisition of radio programs (in-
cluding programs to be distributed or disseminated 
over the Internet) by or for the use of a radio broad-
cast station that is a public broadcast station (as de-
fined in section 397(6) of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 397(6))). 
(b) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.— 
(1) OTHER
PURPOSES.—Paragraphs (2) and 
(3) of subsection (a) shall not be construed to pro-
hibit the making available of Federal funds to any 
entity, including an entity that engages in the pay-
ment described in such paragraph (2) or the acquisi-
tion described in such paragraph (3), for purposes 
other than such payment or acquisition. 
(2) RADIO CONTENT ACQUISITION BY BROAD-
CASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS OR DEFENSE MEDIA 
ACTIVITY.—Subsection (a)(3) shall not be construed 
to apply to the acquisition of radio programs by the 
Broadcasting Board of Governors or the Defense 
Media Activity. 
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(c) PURPOSES DESCRIBED.—The purposes described 
in this subsection are the following: 
(1) To propose, plan and develop, to acquire, 
purchase and lease, to prepare, produce and record, 
and to distribute, license and otherwise make avail-
able radio programs to be broadcast over non-
commercial educational radio broadcast stations, 
networks and systems. 
(2) To engage in research study activities with 
respect to noncommercial educational radio pro-
gramming and broadcasting. 
(3) To lease, purchase, acquire and own, to 
order, have, use and contract for, and to otherwise 
obtain, arrange for and provide technical equipment 
and facilities for the production, recording and dis-
tribution of radio programs for broadcast over non-
commercial educational radio stations, networks and 
systems. 
(4) To establish and maintain one or more serv-
ice or services for the production, duplication, pro-
motion and circulation of radio programs on tape, 
cassettes, records or any other means or mechanism 
suitable for noncommercial educational transmission 
and broadcast thereof. 
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(5) To cooperate and participate with foreign 
broadcasting systems and networks in all aspects of 
international radio programming and broadcasting. 
(6) To develop, prepare and publish informa-
tion, data, reports and other materials in support of 
or relating to noncommercial educational radio pro-
gramming and broadcasting. 
(7) To otherwise forward and advance the de-
velopment, production, distribution and use of non-
commercial educational radio programs, materials 
and services, and to assist and support noncommer-
cial educational radio broadcasting pursuant to the 
Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, as it may from 
time to time be amended. 
(d) FEDERAL FUNDS DEFINED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—In this section, the term 
‘‘Federal funds’’ means, with respect to receipt by a 
non-Federal entity from the Federal Government, 
the following: 
(A) Grants. 
(B) Loans. 
(C) Property. 
(D) Cooperative agreements. 
(E) Direct appropriations. 
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(2) GRANTS OR SUBGRANTS FROM NON-FED-
ERAL ENTITY.—Such term also includes grants or 
subgrants from Federal funds made available to a 
non-Federal entity. 
(e) CHANGES
TO
FUNDING
FORMULA.—Section 
396(k)(3)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 396(k)(3)(A)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and 
all that follows and inserting ‘‘fiscal year, such 
amounts shall be available for distribution among 
the licensees and permittees of public radio stations 
pursuant to paragraph (6)(B).’’; and 
(2) in clause (v)(II), by striking ‘‘clause (ii)(II) 
and (III)’’ and inserting ‘‘clause (iii)’’. 
(f) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 396 of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 396) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (g)(2)— 
(A) in the matter before clause (i) of sub-
paragraph (B), by inserting ‘‘(except for the ac-
quisition of radio programs)’’ after ‘‘public tele-
communications services’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 
‘‘(except for the acquisition of radio programs)’’ 
after ‘‘public telecommunications services’’; 
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(2) in subsection (k)— 
(A) in the 1st sentence of paragraph 
(3)(B)(i)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘and subparagraph 
(A)(iii)(II)’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘or radio’’; 
(B) in the 3rd sentence of paragraph 
(6)(B), by striking ‘‘paragraph (3)(A)(iii)(I)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘paragraph (3)(A)(iii)’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (7)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘(iii)(I)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(iii)’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘(except for the ac-
quisition of radio programming)’’ before 
the period at the end; and 
(3) in subsection (l)(4)— 
(A) in the matter before clause (i) of sub-
paragraph (B), by striking ‘‘(iii)(II)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘(iii)’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘sub-
section (k)(3)(A)(iii)(III)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
section (k)(3)(A)(iii)’’; and 
(C) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘sub-
section (k)(3)(A) (ii)(III) or (iii)(II)’’ and in-
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serting ‘‘subsection (k)(3)(A)(ii)(II) or sub-
section (k)(3)(A)(iii)’’. 
Æ 
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