PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

H.R. 6913: To protect local media, and for other purposes.

Before you vote › Federal bills

H.R. 6913: To protect local media, and for other purposes.

116th Congress · introduced 2020-05-15 · Taxation · Latest: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Reform, Small Business, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2020-05-15 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Ryan, Tim [D-OH-13] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Reform, Small Business, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

To protect local media, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

This bill requires a federal executive agency to expend 50% of funds obligated by such agency for the advertising and underwriting activities of local media for the period beginning on the enactment of this bill, and ending on December 31, 2020. It also requires such agencies to expend 25% of such funds for the period beginning on or after January 1, 2021. At least 45% of agency advertising and underwriting activities funding must be expended equally between newspapers, television stations, and radio stations that are local media. The bill (1) expands the payroll protection program to newspaper, radio, and Internet publishing businesses with not more than 500 employees; (2) allows a payroll tax credit for 30% of first-year newsroom wages paid by a local media company; and (3) treats the publication (including electronic publication) of written news articles by an independent or community-based publication as a tax-exempt purpose. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting must provide programming to preschool, elementary, and secondary school children that promotes digital literacy during the period that such children cannot attend school due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.

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

To protect local media, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Ryan, Tim [D-OH-13] · 21 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Darren Soto (D-FL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Mike Levin (D-CA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

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 (2)
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).
Obligation
A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-hr6913 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116