H.R. 6416: Local Television Service and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2018

115th Congress · introduced 2018-07-18 · Science, Technology, Communications · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2018-07-18 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Local Television Service and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2018

Plain summary

Local Television Service and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2018 This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission, upon the request of a very high frequency commercial television broadcast station that has relocated to an underserved state, to issue an order providing that the virtual major channel number of such station shall be considered to be the same as the radio frequency channel number of that station. The order shall apply to a station only if the licensee includes in the request a certification that such station will provide at least one hour daily of news, information, or public affairs programming focused on, or of general interest to, local audiences in the state to which the channel of such station has been reallocated. The order shall cease to apply if the licensee fails to initiate the programming within a 90-day period or fails to make the programming available to other television broadcast stations or through Internet streaming.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Local Television Service and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2018

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · 8 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Donald Norcross (D-NJ)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] reported raising $797,217 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr6416.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr6416 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115