The Future of Local News Act of 2021 is a bill introduced into the United States Senate on May 13, 2021, by Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) with a companion bill introduced into the United States House of Representatives by Marc Veasey (D-Texas).[1] It was officially described as a reintroduction of the "Future of Local News Commission Act of 2020" (S.4772), which had been introduced September 30, 2020, by Schatz, Bennet, and Klobuchar;[2] the primary (and perhaps only) difference between the 2020 and 2021 bills were changing the word "Commission" to "Committee" and deleting it from the title. This group would be required "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." The majority and minority leaders of both chambers of Congress, and the Chairs of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for Humanities would each select two members, and the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media would select a thirteenth member. This study group would have a budget of a million dollars to produce a report within a year of their first meeting.
| Future of Local News Act | |
| Fullname: | 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. |
| Introduced In The: | 117th |
| Number Of Co-Sponsors: | 5 |
| Introducedin: | House |
| Leghisturl: | https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3169 |
| Introducedbill: | H.R.3169 |
| Introduceddate: | May 12, 2021 |
| Introducedby: | Ro Khanna (D–CA) |
| Committees: | United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce, United States House Committee on Small Business |
Maui Now and Inside Radio noted that this bill is designed to recommend responses to the problem of news deserts.[3] News & Tech said that Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) supports offering "about $2.3 billion worth of tax credits and grants for local newspapers and broadcasters as part of President Biden's infrastructure plan".[4]
The Poynter Institute said, "The bill has been endorsed by major journalism organizations including PEN America, the Society of Professional Journalists, Local Independent Online News Publishers and the NewsGuild."
| Congress | Short title | Bill number(s) | Date introduced | Sponsor(s) |
| Latest status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 117th Congress | Future of Local News Act of 2021. | H.R.3169 | May 12, 2021 | Ro Khanna(D-CA) | 5 | Referred to Committees of Jurisdiction. |
| S.1601 | May 12, 2021 | Brian Schatz(D-HI) | 2 | Referred to Committees of Jurisdiction. |