On June 16, 2021, U.S. Representatives Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, and Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, introduced H.R. 3940, the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (LJSA) for the 117th Congress, a bipartisan bill that seeks to help local newspapers sustain financial viability through a series of three tax credits:

• A local newspaper subscription credit that incentives Americans to subscribe
• A local newspaper journalist compensation credit that provides publications the ability to hire
• A local newspaper and local media advertising credit that provides small businesses financial flexibility to spend on advertising in local newspapers and media

Five weeks later three senators, Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, introduced the bill to the U.S. Senate as co-sponsors. Today the bill has wide bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.

In this episode of “E&P Reports,” publisher Mike Blinder discusses LJSA with Alan Fisco, president of America’s Newspapers, Dean Ridings, CEO of America’s Newspapers, and Francis Wick, CEO of Wick Communications. They consider why the next few weeks are critical for all news publishers to lobby their local representatives to support the bill.

Access more infomration about the LJSA at: http://www.Newspapers.org/ljsa