Full Text of SB3592 103rd General Assembly
SB3592enr 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SB3592 Enrolled | | LRB103 38956 SPS 69093 b |
|
| 1 | | AN ACT concerning journalism. | 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | 3 | | represented in the General Assembly: | 4 | | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 | | Strengthening Community Media Act. | 6 | | Section 5. Findings. | 7 | | (a) Illinois benefits from robust local news services that | 8 | | provide trusted and essential information to the community | 9 | | that limits corruption, encourages citizen participation, | 10 | | helps combat misinformation, and mitigates community and | 11 | | individual alienation. | 12 | | (b) Local news in Illinois and throughout the country is | 13 | | struggling with newspaper advertising dropping 82% nationally | 14 | | since 2000, contributing to a 57% drop in the number of | 15 | | reporters at newspapers and thousands of closures. | 16 | | (c) Local news outlets are trusted sources of information | 17 | | for communities throughout Illinois and advertising spending | 18 | | with these outlets carries a substantial benefit for the | 19 | | effective dissemination of important government information to | 20 | | the communities it serves. | 21 | | (d) Government initiatives to increase spending on local | 22 | | news advertising has been manifestly successful in both | 23 | | supporting local news outlets and improving the information |
| | | SB3592 Enrolled | - 2 - | LRB103 38956 SPS 69093 b |
|
| 1 | | diet of communities in several major cities. | 2 | | (e) Illinois can and will implement such an initiative | 3 | | while preserving the editorial independence of local news | 4 | | outlets selling advertising space under this Act, and | 5 | | recognizes that any diversion of advertising spending that has | 6 | | the effect or appearance of an attempt to influence the | 7 | | editorial content of a local news organization violates the | 8 | | federal and State guarantees of freedom of the press and | 9 | | freedom of speech. | 10 | | Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act: | 11 | | "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic | 12 | | Opportunity. | 13 | | "Local news organization" means an entity that: | 14 | | (1) engages professionals to create, edit, produce, | 15 | | and distribute original content concerning matters of | 16 | | public interest, through reporting activities, including | 17 | | conducting interviews, observing current events, or | 18 | | analyzing documents or other information; | 19 | | (2) has at least one employee employed full-time for | 20 | | 30 hours a week or more dedicated to providing coverage of | 21 | | Illinois or local Illinois community news and living | 22 | | within 50 miles of the coverage area, who gathers, | 23 | | prepares, collects, photographs, writes, edits, reports, | 24 | | or publishes original local or State community news for | 25 | | dissemination to the local or State community; |
| | | SB3592 Enrolled | - 3 - | LRB103 38956 SPS 69093 b |
|
| 1 | | (3) in the case of print publications, has published | 2 | | at least one print publication per month over the previous | 3 | | 12 months, and either holds a valid United States Postal | 4 | | Service periodical permit or has at least 25% of its | 5 | | content dedicated to local news; | 6 | | (4) in the case of digital-only entities, has | 7 | | published one piece about the community per week over the | 8 | | previous 12 months and has at least 33% of its digital | 9 | | audience in Illinois, averaged over a 12-month period; | 10 | | (5) in the case of hybrid entities that that have both | 11 | | print and digital outlets, meets the requirements in | 12 | | either paragraph (3) or (4) of this definition; | 13 | | (6) has disclosed in its print publication or on its | 14 | | website its beneficial ownership or, in the case of a | 15 | | not-for-profit entity, its board of directors; | 16 | | (7) in the case of an entity that maintains tax status | 17 | | under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue | 18 | | Code, has declared the coverage of local or State news as | 19 | | the stated mission in its filings with the Internal | 20 | | Revenue Service; and | 21 | | (8) has not received more than 50% of its gross | 22 | | receipts for the previous year from political action | 23 | | committees or other entities described in Section 527 of | 24 | | the federal Internal Revenue Code, or from an organization | 25 | | that maintains Section 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(6) status under | 26 | | the federal Internal Revenue Code. |
| | | SB3592 Enrolled | - 4 - | LRB103 38956 SPS 69093 b |
|
| 1 | | Section 15. Notice of sale of a local news organization. A | 2 | | local news organization shall not be sold to a company without | 3 | | giving written notice 120 days before the sales occurs to the | 4 | | following: | 5 | | (1) affected employees and representatives of affected | 6 | | employees; | 7 | | (2) the Department and the county government in which | 8 | | the local news organization is located; and | 9 | | (3) any in-State nonprofit organization in the | 10 | | business of buying local news organizations. | 11 | | Section 90. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | 12 | | amended by adding Section 65.125 as follows: | 13 | | (110 ILCS 947/65.125 new) | 14 | | Sec. 65.125. Journalism Student Scholarship Program. | 15 | | (a) As used in this Section, "local news organization" has | 16 | | the meaning given to that term in the Strengthening Community | 17 | | Media Act. | 18 | | (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois | 19 | | students to pursue careers in journalism, especially in | 20 | | underserved areas of the State, and to provide those students | 21 | | with financial assistance to increase the likelihood that they | 22 | | will complete their full academic commitment and elect to | 23 | | remain in Illinois to pursue a career in journalism, subject |
| | | SB3592 Enrolled | - 5 - | LRB103 38956 SPS 69093 b |
|
| 1 | | to appropriation, not sooner than the 2025-2026 academic year, | 2 | | the Commission shall implement and administer the Journalism | 3 | | Student Scholarship Program. The Commission shall annually | 4 | | award scholarships to persons preparing to work in Illinois, | 5 | | with preference given to those preparing to work in | 6 | | underserved areas. These scholarships shall be awarded to | 7 | | individuals who make application to the Commission and agree | 8 | | to sign an agreement under which the recipient pledges that, | 9 | | within the 2-year period following the termination of the | 10 | | academic program for which the recipient was awarded a | 11 | | scholarship, the recipient shall: | 12 | | (1) begin working in journalism in this State for a | 13 | | period of not less than 2 years; | 14 | | (2) fulfill this obligation at local news | 15 | | organization; and | 16 | | (3) upon request of the Commission, provide the | 17 | | Commission with evidence that the recipient is fulfilling | 18 | | or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching agreement | 19 | | provided for in this subsection. | 20 | | (c) An eligible student is a student who meets the | 21 | | following qualifications: | 22 | | (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or | 23 | | eligible noncitizen of the United States; | 24 | | (2) is a high school graduate or a person who has | 25 | | received an Illinois high school diploma; | 26 | | (3) is enrolled or accepted, on at least a half-time |
| | | SB3592 Enrolled | - 6 - | LRB103 38956 SPS 69093 b |
|
| 1 | | basis, at an institution of higher learning; and | 2 | | (4) is pursuing a postsecondary course of study | 3 | | leading to a career in journalism or a similar field. | 4 | | (d) Each scholarship shall be used by the recipient for | 5 | | the payment of tuition and fees at an institution of higher | 6 | | learning. | 7 | | (e) The Commission shall administer the Program and shall | 8 | | adopt all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with | 9 | | this Section for its effective implementation. |
|