Local Newspaper Support Bill Dies in Richmond

A local journalism support bill introduced in the Virginia State Legislature this session by State Del. Alfonso Lopez has died. HB 1217 would have provided up to $5 million annually in income tax credits to news organizations that employ local journalists and up to $10 million annually in income tax credits to businesses that advertise with these outlets.


The Lopez bill died by failing to pass out of a finance subcommittee meeting, with six Republicans voting against and three Democrats voting for. Lopez says he will continue pushing the measure in future sessions until he can get it passed.


The bill would encourage ad revenue in local papers, which pays the salaries of local journalists, according to Lopez. It’s also good for democracy, he said, as areas without local coverage tend to have more government and small business corruption and see lower local election turnout.


Lopez, whose district covers the Seven Corners/Cullmore District adjacent the City of Falls Church, modeled his bill on the federal Local Journalism Sustainability Act (LJSA), included in President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act. It came from the Rebuild Local News coalition, coordinated by Steve Waldman, the founder of Report for America, a nonprofit that places journalists in local newsrooms.


While new media forms — including online-only and nonprofit outlets — have risen from the ashes of defunct papers, they’re not ubiquitous enough to counteract the decline triggered by ad revenue losses and exacerbated by hedge fund acquisitions, according to Waldman.


A bright spot for newspapers from this year’s legislative session in Richmond: they still benefit exclusively from state legal notice laws that require ads in a print newspaper of general circulation.

Recent News

House Democrats Seek Immediate Termination of DOGE's Unauthorized Use of AI Systems, Call Out Security Risks and Potential Criminal Liability

House Democrats Seek Immediate Termination of DOGE's Unauthorized Use of AI Systems, Call Out Security Risks and Potential Criminal Liability

April 17, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Mike Levin (D-CA), and Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) were joined by 45 additional…
Our Man In Arlington 4-17-2025

Our Man In Arlington 4-17-2025

National Volunteer Week runs from April 20 to April 26 this year, which provides an opportunity to celebrate the importance of the role of volunteers in our community. Let me highlight one story, which seems simple on its face: it starts…
Beyer Warns of Trump Policy Impacts on Region, U.S. & World

Beyer Warns of Trump Policy Impacts on Region, U.S. & World

U.S. Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr., came before the group that he was president of 45 years ago as a…
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
On Key

Stories that may interest you

Our Man In Arlington 4-17-2025

National Volunteer Week runs from April 20 to April 26 this year, which provides an opportunity to celebrate the importance of the role of volunteers in our community. Let me highlight one story, which seems simple on its face: it starts with a high school student who volunteered with a reading

A Penny for Your Thoughts 4-17-2025

Donald Trump finally told the truth! In one of his rambling “lectures” – you know, the kind where he starts out focused on the topic and ends up terming Joe

Support Local News!

For Information on Advertising:

Legitimate news organizations need grass roots support like never before, and that includes your Falls Church News-Press. For more than 33 years, your News-Press has kept its readers informed and enlightened. We can’t continue without the support of our readers. This means YOU! Please step up in these challenging times to support the news source you are reading right now!