I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6913 
To protect local media, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2020 
Mr. RYAN (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. 
SUOZZI, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mrs. LURIA, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. CART-
WRIGHT, Mr. SOTO, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. CRIST, Mr. 
EVANS, Mr. COHEN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. JOHNSON of 
Texas, Mr. LEVIN of California, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Ms. KAPTUR, and 
Mr. KILMER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on 
Oversight and Reform, Small Business, Energy and Commerce, and Edu-
cation and Labor, 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 protect local media, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. REQUIREMENT TO ADVERTISE WITH LOCAL 
MEDIA. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each executive agency shall 
expend with local media— 
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(A) during the period that begins on the 
date of the enactment of this section and ends 
on December 31, 2020, 50 percent of the funds 
obligated by the agency for advertising activities 
and underwriting activities during such period; 
and 
(B) during any period that begins on or 
after January 1, 2021, 25 percent of the funds 
obligated by the agency for advertising activities 
and underwriting activities during the applica-
ble period. 
(2) LIMITATION.—Of the funds required to be 
expended under paragraph (1), at least 45 percent 
of such funds shall be expended equally between 
newspapers, television stations, and radio stations 
that are local media. 
(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Each executive agency shall— 
(1) expend the funds required to be expended 
under subsection (a) in a nonpartisan and nonideo-
logical manner; and 
(2) ensure that the funds are expended with 
local media on a geographically equitable basis. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, and each 
year thereafter, an executive agency shall submit a report 
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to Congress (and any committee of jurisdiction) on, with 
respect to the prior year, funds expended by the agency 
for advertising activities and underwriting activities, in-
cluding funds expended by the agency with local media 
in accordance with subsection (a). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘executive 
agency’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
102 of title 31, United States Code. 
(2) PUBLIC
BROADCAST
STATION.—The term 
‘‘public broadcast station’’ has the meaning given 
the term under section 397 of the Communications 
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 397). 
(3) UNDERWRITING ACTIVITY.—The term ‘‘un-
derwriting activity’’ means a payment by an execu-
tive agency to a public broadcast station, or to sup-
port the production of programming to be broadcast 
on such a station, in exchange for or with the expec-
tation of an announcement on the station receiving 
such payment or a station broadcasting such pro-
gramming that acknowledges the financial support 
by such agency of such station or programming. 
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SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE. 
(a) PAYCHECK
PROTECTION
PROGRAM.—Section 
7(a)(36)(D)(iv) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
636(a)(36)(D)(iv)) is amended— 
(1) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in subclause (III), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
clause: 
‘‘(IV) any business concern with 
not more than 500 employees that, as 
of the date on which the covered loan 
is disbursed, is assigned a North 
American Industry Classification Sys-
tem code of 511110, 515111, 515112, 
or 519130.’’. 
(b) ASSISTANCE.—The Commission shall supply local 
media who qualify for a loan under section 7(a)(36) of 
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(36)), or any 
other loan administered by the Small Business Adminis-
tration, any information as may be necessary to connect 
such local media with the Small Business Administration. 
SEC. 3. EMERGENCY JOBS FOR JOURNALISM TAX CREDIT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an employer which 
is a qualified local media company, there shall be allowed 
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as a credit against the tax imposed by section 3111(a) 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 for each calendar 
quarter an amount equal to 30 percent of the qualified 
first-year newsroom wages paid by such employer with re-
spect to such calendar quarter. 
(b) LIMITATIONS AND REFUNDABILITY.— 
(1) DOLLAR LIMITATION PER EMPLOYEE.—The 
aggregate credits allowed under subsection (a) (for 
all calendar quarters) shall not exceed $20,000 with 
respect to any employee. 
(2) CREDIT LIMITED TO CERTAIN EMPLOYMENT 
TAXES.—The credit allowed by subsection (a) with 
respect to any calendar quarter shall not exceed the 
tax imposed by section 3111(a) of such Code for 
such calendar quarter (reduced by any other credits 
enacted before the date of the enactment of this Act 
which are allowed against such tax for such quarter) 
on the wages paid with respect to the employment 
of all employees of the employer. 
(3) REFUNDABILITY OF EXCESS CREDIT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—If the amount of the 
credit under subsection (a) exceeds the limita-
tion of paragraph (2) for any calendar quarter, 
such excess shall be treated as an overpayment 
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that shall be refunded under sections 6402(a) 
and 6413(b) of such Code. 
(B) TREATMENT OF PAYMENTS.—For pur-
poses of section 1324 of title 31, United States 
Code, any amounts due to an employer under 
this paragraph shall be treated in the same 
manner as a refund due from a credit provision 
referred to in subsection (b)(2) of such section. 
(c) QUALIFIED FIRST-YEAR WAGES.—For purposes 
of this section, the term ‘‘qualified first-year wages’’ 
means, with respect to any employee, wages (as defined 
in section 51(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 
without regard to paragraph (4) thereof) attributable to 
service rendered as such an employee during the 1-year 
period beginning with the day the individual begins work 
for the employer, but only if such wages are for services 
provided in the news division of such employer, including 
service as a reporter, staff writer, news producer, or engi-
neer. 
(d) QUALIFIED LOCAL MEDIA COMPANY.—For pur-
poses of this section, the term ‘‘qualified local media com-
pany’’ means any employer which is local media. 
(e) CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS INELIGIBLE.— 
(1) RELATED INDIVIDUALS.—Rules similar to 
the rules of section 51(i)(1) of the Internal Revenue 
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Code of 1986 shall apply for purposes of this sec-
tion. 
(2) NONQUALIFYING REHIRES.—No wages shall 
be taken into account under subsection (a) with re-
spect to any employee if such individual had been 
employed by the employer at any time prior to the 
hiring date of such employee and after the date of 
the introduction of this Act. 
(f) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN OTHER RULES.—Ex-
cept as otherwise provided by the Secretary of the Treas-
ury (or the Secretary’s delegate), rules similar to the rules 
of subsections (j) and (k) of section 51 and section 52 
shall apply for purposes of this section. 
(g) SPECIAL RULES.— 
(1) DENIAL OF DOUBLE BENEFIT.—For pur-
poses of chapter 1 of such Code, the gross income 
of the employer, for the taxable year which includes 
the last day of any calendar quarter with respect to 
which a credit is allowed under this section, shall be 
increased by the amount of such credit. Any wages 
taken into account in determining the credit allowed 
under this section shall not be taken into account for 
purposes of determining any other credit allowed 
against any tax imposed under the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986. 
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(2) ELECTION NOT TO HAVE SECTION APPLY.— 
This section shall not apply with respect to any em-
ployer for any calendar quarter if such employer 
elects (at such time and in such manner as the Sec-
retary of the Treasury (or the Secretary’s delegate) 
may prescribe) not to have this section apply. 
(3) CERTAIN TERMS.—Any term used in this 
section which is also used in chapter 21 of such 
Code (and is not otherwise defined for purposes of 
this section) shall have the same meaning as when 
used in such chapter. 
(h) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treasury 
(or the Secretary’s delegate) shall prescribe such regula-
tions or other guidance as may be necessary to carry out 
the purposes of this section, including— 
(1) regulations or other guidance to prevent the 
avoidance of the purposes of the limitations under 
this section; 
(2) regulations or other guidance to minimize 
compliance and record-keeping burdens under this 
section; 
(3) regulations or other guidance providing for 
waiver of penalties for failure to deposit amounts in 
anticipation of the allowance of the credit allowed 
under this section; and 
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(4) regulations or other guidance for recap-
turing the benefit of credits determined under this 
section in cases where there is a subsequent adjust-
ment to the credit determined under subsection (a). 
(i) APPLICATION OF SECTION.—This section shall 
apply only to wages paid during calendar quarters ending 
after the date of the enactment of this Act and beginning 
before January 1, 2022. 
(j) TRANSFERS TO FEDERAL OLD-AGE AND SUR-
VIVORS INSURANCE TRUST FUND.—There are hereby ap-
propriated to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insur-
ance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance 
Trust Fund established under section 201 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401) amounts equal to the reduc-
tion in revenues to the Treasury by reason of this section 
(without regard to this subsection). Amounts appropriated 
by the preceding sentence shall be transferred from the 
general fund at such times and in such manner as to rep-
licate to the extent possible the transfers which would have 
occurred to such Trust Fund had this section not been 
enacted. 
SEC. 4. PUBLICATION OF WRITTEN NEWS ARTICLES AS TAX- 
EXEMPT PURPOSE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting ‘‘or for 
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the publication (including electronic publication) of writ-
ten news articles by an independent or community-based 
written news and electronic publication,’’ after ‘‘animals,’’. 
(b) INCOME FROM ADVERTISING NOT UNRELATED 
BUSINESS TAXABLE INCOME.—Section 512(a) of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(8) SPECIAL RULE APPLICABLE TO NEWS OR-
GANIZATIONS DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501(C)(3).—In 
the case of an independent or community-based writ-
ten news and electronic publication which is de-
scribed in section 501(c)(3) and exempt from tax 
under section 501(a), the term ‘unrelated business 
taxable income’ does not include any amount attrib-
utable to payments for advertisements in news publi-
cations.’’. 
(c) EXPEDITED APPLICATION.—Section 508 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(g) TIMING FOR APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS BY 
NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.—In the case of an independent 
or community-based written news and electronic publica-
tion which is described in section 501(c)(3), the Secretary 
shall approve or deny such organization for recognition of 
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501(c)(3) status not later than the date that is 12 months 
after notice is given under subsection (a).’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply with respect to taxable years begin-
ning after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE READY TO 
LEARN PROGRAM. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Corporation for 
Public Broadcasting should, to the extent possible under 
the agreement entered by the Corporation for Public 
Broadcasting and the Department of Education under sec-
tion 4643 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7293), provide programming to 
preschool, elementary, and secondary school children that 
promotes digital literacy during the period in which such 
children are unable to attend school due to the COVID– 
19 pandemic. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(2) LOCAL
MEDIA.—The term ‘‘local media’’ 
means a media vehicle (such as a newspaper, elec-
tronic publication, radio station, or television sta-
tion) that— 
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(A) primarily serves the communications 
needs of regional or local communities; and 
(B) focuses on localized issues and events. 
Æ 
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