Bill Text: IL SB3592 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: Creates the Strengthening Community Media Act. Provides that a local news organization shall not be sold to a company without giving written notice 120 days before the sales occurs to specified individuals and organizations. Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Creates the Journalism Student Scholarship Program. Provides that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall award scholarships to students who will work at a local news organization in the State for a period of not less than 2 years.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-08-09 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-1021 [SB3592 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-SB3592-Chaptered.html
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| Public Act 103-1021 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning journalism.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||
represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||
Strengthening Community Media Act.
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Section 5. Findings. | ||||
(a) Illinois benefits from robust local news services that | ||||
provide trusted and essential information to the community | ||||
that limits corruption, encourages citizen participation, | ||||
helps combat misinformation, and mitigates community and | ||||
individual alienation. | ||||
(b) Local news in Illinois and throughout the country is | ||||
struggling with newspaper advertising dropping 82% nationally | ||||
since 2000, contributing to a 57% drop in the number of | ||||
reporters at newspapers and thousands of closures. | ||||
(c) Local news outlets are trusted sources of information | ||||
for communities throughout Illinois and advertising spending | ||||
with these outlets carries a substantial benefit for the | ||||
effective dissemination of important government information to | ||||
the communities it serves. | ||||
(d) Government initiatives to increase spending on local | ||||
news advertising has been manifestly successful in both | ||||
supporting local news outlets and improving the information | ||||
diet of communities in several major cities. | ||
(e) Illinois can and will implement such an initiative | ||
while preserving the editorial independence of local news | ||
outlets selling advertising space under this Act, and | ||
recognizes that any diversion of advertising spending that has | ||
the effect or appearance of an attempt to influence the | ||
editorial content of a local news organization violates the | ||
federal and State guarantees of freedom of the press and | ||
freedom of speech.
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Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act: | ||
"Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic | ||
Opportunity. | ||
"Local news organization" means an entity that: | ||
(1) engages professionals to create, edit, produce, | ||
and distribute original content concerning matters of | ||
public interest, through reporting activities, including | ||
conducting interviews, observing current events, or | ||
analyzing documents or other information; | ||
(2) has at least one employee employed full-time for | ||
30 hours a week or more dedicated to providing coverage of | ||
Illinois or local Illinois community news and living | ||
within 50 miles of the coverage area, who gathers, | ||
prepares, collects, photographs, writes, edits, reports, | ||
or publishes original local or State community news for | ||
dissemination to the local or State community; | ||
(3) in the case of print publications, has published | ||
at least one print publication per month over the previous | ||
12 months, and either holds a valid United States Postal | ||
Service periodical permit or has at least 25% of its | ||
content dedicated to local news; | ||
(4) in the case of digital-only entities, has | ||
published one piece about the community per week over the | ||
previous 12 months and has at least 33% of its digital | ||
audience in Illinois, averaged over a 12-month period; | ||
(5) in the case of hybrid entities that that have both | ||
print and digital outlets, meets the requirements in | ||
either paragraph (3) or (4) of this definition; | ||
(6) has disclosed in its print publication or on its | ||
website its beneficial ownership or, in the case of a | ||
not-for-profit entity, its board of directors; | ||
(7) in the case of an entity that maintains tax status | ||
under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue | ||
Code, has declared the coverage of local or State news as | ||
the stated mission in its filings with the Internal | ||
Revenue Service; and | ||
(8) has not received more than 50% of its gross | ||
receipts for the previous year from political action | ||
committees or other entities described in Section 527 of | ||
the federal Internal Revenue Code, or from an organization | ||
that maintains Section 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(6) status under | ||
the federal Internal Revenue Code.
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Section 15. Notice of sale of a local news organization. A | ||
local news organization shall not be sold to a company without | ||
giving written notice 120 days before the sales occurs to the | ||
following: | ||
(1) affected employees and representatives of affected | ||
employees; | ||
(2) the Department and the county government in which | ||
the local news organization is located; and | ||
(3) any in-State nonprofit organization in the | ||
business of buying local news organizations.
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Section 90. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||
amended by adding Section 65.125 as follows:
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