SSB 5400
In CommitteeSenate
Local news journalism
Supporting local news journalism.
This status may be delayed. See Action History below for the latest updates.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill creates a grant program to support local and ethnic news organizations in Washington by funding journalist salaries covering civic affairs in underserved communities. It funds the program through a new 1.22% surcharge on certain large tech companies, with $20 million annually dedicated to the program starting in 2026.
- Establishes the Washington local news journalism corps program within the Washington state department of commerce, which provides grants to local news organizations to support employment of journalists covering civic affairs in underserved communities.
- Sets eligibility requirements: news organizations must employ at least three journalists in Washington per quarter in the four quarters before applying—or, if they employ only two, they may qualify if they’ve employed two per quarter for eight prior quarters.
- Grants are calculated proportionally based on hours worked by journalists, as reported to the Employment Security Department.
- Defines key terms like ‘news journalist’, ‘eligible publisher’, ‘eligible broadcaster’, and ‘qualifying publication’, including digital outlets that meet standards for original local reporting, editorial oversight, and transparency.
- Imposes a 1.22% workforce education investment surcharge on select advanced computing businesses (e.g., large tech firms with over $25 billion in global revenue), capped at $15 million annually.
- Directs $20 million per year from the surcharge revenue (starting July 1, 2026) to fund the journalism corps program, with remaining funds supporting higher education and workforce programs.
Who is affected
- Local news organizations and journalists — Local news organizations—including newspapers, digital outlets, and ethnic media—that meet eligibility requirements (e.g., employing at least three journalists in Washington per quarter, or two journalists over eight quarters) can apply for grants to help pay journalist salaries covering civic affairs in underserved communities.
- Residents of underserved communities — Residents of underserved communities benefit from increased local news coverage of civic issues, improving public awareness, government accountability, and community cohesion.
- Select advanced computing businesses (e.g., large tech firms) — Large tech companies (specifically, members of affiliated groups with over $25 billion in worldwide revenue engaged in advanced computing) will pay an additional 1.22% surcharge on certain business activities in Washington, up to a cap of $15 million per year.
- Higher education institutions and students — The state’s higher education system may receive additional funding from remaining revenues in the workforce education investment account, supporting student aid, workforce development, and operations.
Pro/Con Analysis
Stronger case for benefits
Potential Benefits (5)
By funding journalists to cover civic affairs in underserved communities, the bill directly strengthens local accountability ecosystems—helping residents track government decisions, expose corruption, and participate meaningfully in civic life—thereby improving democratic resilience and reducing information vacuums linked to crime and disinvestment.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 2(2); Sec. 1(3), (5), (7)The program prioritizes ethnic and community-based media, which historically provide culturally grounded civic education and language-accessible reporting—directly supporting civic literacy, intercultural understanding, and equitable access to public information for non-English-dominant populations.
EducationPeopleRef: Sec. 2(1), (3), (5); Sec. 1(5), (6)The grant formula—based on hours reported to ESD—directly supports journalist employment and retention, helping stabilize a sector that has lost 44% of newsroom staff since 2010, especially benefiting small and mid-sized local outlets that cannot compete with national outlets on salary.
Business & EmploymentPeopleRef: Sec. 5(1), (2), (4); Sec. 1(4)The 1.22% surcharge on large tech firms (with >$25B global revenue) is capped at $15M annually, meaning the cost burden is highly concentrated on a small number of very wealthy entities—while generating $20M/year for public-interest journalism, a net public benefit that outweighs the modest revenue loss to the state.
FinancialPeopleRef: Sec. 7(1)(a), (f)(vi)Remaining surcharge revenue supports higher education and workforce programs, creating a secondary public benefit—though modest in scale—by expanding access to training and student aid, which benefits working-class and first-generation students.
Local GovernmentPeopleRef: Sec. 6(2)(b); Sec. 1(8)
Potential Concerns (4)
The program’s eligibility criteria favor nonprofit news organizations (e.g., 501(c)(3) status), which may exclude for-profit ethnic media and small digital outlets that lack nonprofit status—despite their critical role in underserved communities—thereby limiting access to support for many existing local outlets.
Business & EmploymentPeopleRef: Sec. 5(6)(vii)(B)The requirement of employing at least three journalists per quarter (or two for eight quarters) may exclude very small or emerging outlets—especially ethnic or community-based ones—that operate with leaner staff, even if they serve high-need communities effectively.
Business & EmploymentLean peopleRef: Sec. 2(3)(b)The $20 million annual appropriation for the journalism corps is fixed and does not adjust for inflation or increased demand, potentially reducing real-world impact over time and creating budget rigidity that limits responsiveness to shifting community needs.
Local GovernmentPeopleRef: Sec. 6(2)(a)The definition of “eligible broadcaster” requires a transparent process for reporting errors or complaints, but lacks enforcement mechanisms or penalties for noncompliance—potentially allowing some outlets to meet the letter but not the spirit of transparency standards.
Rights & LibertiesLean peopleRef: Sec. 5(1)(d)
Who Is Most Affected
Local and ethnic news organizations that meet the eligibility thresholds (e.g., 3+ journalists/quarter) will gain access to salary support, helping stabilize operations and expand coverage of civic issues in underserved areas. However, smaller or newer outlets may be excluded due to staffing requirements.
Residents of underserved communities—including low-income, immigrant, and communities of color—will benefit from increased local civic reporting in their languages and contexts, improving access to public information and government accountability. This effect is likely to be strongly positive, especially where news deserts exist.
Large tech firms with >$25B global revenue and operations in Washington will pay up to $15M/year in surcharges. While this is a cost, it is a small fraction of their Washington revenue and aligns with broader societal expectations for tech platforms to support public infrastructure like local news.
Higher education institutions may receive additional funding from surplus surcharge revenue, supporting student aid and workforce development. However, because the $20M journalism fund is fixed and prioritized, the spill-over benefit is modest and uncertain.
State and local governments benefit indirectly from improved civic engagement and accountability, reducing misinformation-driven conflict and increasing public trust in institutions. However, the state must administer the program and may face modest administrative costs not fully offset by the surcharge.