IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 549 
Reaffirming the commitment to media diversity and pledging to work with 
media entities and diverse stakeholders to develop common ground solu-
tions to eliminate barriers to media diversity. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 
Mrs. DEMINGS (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Ms. MOORE, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, 
Mr. RUSH, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. CLARKE of 
New York, Ms. OMAR, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, 
Mr. PAYNE, Ms. WILD, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. 
JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. BEATTY, Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N of Puerto 
Rico, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. WATERS, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. CARSON of In-
diana, Mr. TONKO, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GONZALEZ of 
Texas, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. SHALALA, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CRIST, Mrs. WAT-
SON COLEMAN, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. BASS, Mr. 
DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. COHEN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. 
PALLONE, Mr. EVANS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. FUDGE, Mrs. MURPHY, Ms. GARCIA of 
Texas, Mr. ROUDA, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. LAWSON of Flor-
ida, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. LUJA´N, Mr. HIMES, Ms. MENG, Ms. 
TITUS, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, and 
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Reaffirming the commitment to media diversity and pledging 
to work with media entities and diverse stakeholders 
to develop common ground solutions to eliminate barriers 
to media diversity. 
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•HRES 549 IH 
Whereas the principle that an informed and engaged elec-
torate is critical to a vibrant democracy is deeply rooted 
in our laws of free speech and underpins the virtues on 
which we established our Constitution, ‘‘in Order to form 
a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic 
Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the 
general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to 
ourselves and our Posterity. . .’’; 
Whereas having independent, diverse, and local media that 
provide exposure to a broad range of viewpoints and the 
ability to contribute to the political debate is central to 
sustaining that informed engagement; 
Whereas it is in the public interest to encourage source, con-
tent, and audience diversity on our Nation’s shared tele-
communications and media platforms; 
Whereas the survival of small, independent, and diverse 
media outlets that serve diverse audiences and local 
media markets is essential to preserving local culture and 
building understanding on important community issues 
that impact the daily lives of residents; 
Whereas research by the American Society of News Editors, 
the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Pew 
Research Center, and others has documented the contin-
ued challenges of increasing diversity among all types of 
media entities; 
Whereas with increasing media experience and sophistication, 
it is even more important to have minority participation 
in local media to ensure a diverse range of information 
sources are available and different ideas and viewpoints 
are expressed to strengthen social cohesion among dif-
ferent communities; and 
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•HRES 549 IH 
Whereas the constriction in small, independent, and diverse 
media outlets and limited participation of diverse popu-
lations in media ownership and decisionmaking are com-
bining to negatively impact our goal of increasing local 
civic engagement and civic knowledge through increased 
voter participation, membership in civic groups, and 
knowledge of local political and civil information: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) reaffirms its commitment to diversity as a 
core tenet of the public interest standard in media 
policy; and 
(2) pledges to work with media entities and di-
verse stakeholders to develop common ground solu-
tions to eliminate barriers to media diversity. 
Æ 
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