The proposed bill aims to support local news journalism in Washington State by establishing a local news sustainability program within the Department of Revenue. This program will provide grants to eligible news journalism providers to support the employment of journalists covering civic affairs in underserved communities. The bill outlines specific eligibility requirements for applicants, including the need to employ a certain number of journalists and the criteria for what constitutes an eligible news journalism provider. Additionally, the bill creates a local journalism investment account to manage revenues generated from a new local journalism investment surcharge imposed on covered platforms, which are defined as social media platforms or search engines with significant gross income.

The legislation emphasizes the critical role of local journalism in maintaining a functioning democracy and addresses the decline in newspaper advertising and newsroom staff over the past decade. It recognizes the unique contributions of ethnic media and aims to ensure that diverse voices are represented in local news coverage. The bill also includes provisions for data sharing among relevant departments to facilitate the implementation of the program and allows the Department of Revenue to adopt rules for its execution. The local journalism investment surcharge will take effect on January 1, 2026, and is designed to generate funds specifically for supporting local news journalism initiatives.