SB 5400 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Supporting local news journalism.

SB 5400 establishes a Washington state grant program to support local news journalism by funding news organizations that employ journalists covering community issues. Eligible applicants - including newspapers and digital platforms meeting specific criteria - must employ at least two to three journalists per quarter (with flexibility for smaller operations) to qualify for grants proportional to journalist hours worked. The program targets underserved communities, aiming to counter declining newsroom staff and advertising revenue by directly supporting journalist employment. Grants require reporting on progress and usage, with the Department of Commerce administering the program based on defined eligibility standards for "news journalists" and "qualifying publications."

Issues: ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Feb 5, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered and its title updated to reflect a 'Substitute Bill' with a revised effective date. The core program name changed from 'local news journalism corps' to 'local news sustainability program,' and eligibility rules were expanded to include eligible newspaper publishers who are exempt from the standard requirement of employing three journalists. The funding mechanism was renamed from a 'workforce education investment account' to a 'local journalism investment account.' The surcharge on digital platforms was delayed from April 2020 to April 2026, and the annual cap on the surcharge was reduced from nine million to six million dollars. The definition of the taxed entity was narrowed from 'advanced computing businesses' to specifically 'covered platforms' (social media and search engines) with significant gross income.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a broad 'advanced computing' tax to a targeted tax on large social media and search engine platforms, and the program now explicitly includes newspaper publishers as eligible grant recipients.

TIMELINE

The effective date for the new surcharge on digital platforms was moved from April 1, 2020, to April 1, 2026.

FISCAL

The annual maximum surcharge amount was reduced from $9,000,000 to $6,000,000.

The account name was changed from 'workforce education investment account' to 'local journalism investment account,' and its purpose was restricted to only the journalism program.

DEFINITION

The tax base was narrowed from 'select advanced computing businesses' to specifically 'covered platforms,' defined as social media platforms and search engines with gross income over $5 million.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible newspaper publishers are now exempt from the requirement to employ at least three news journalists to qualify for grants.

REQUIREMENT

The program name was changed from 'Washington local news journalism corps program' to 'Washington local news sustainability program.'

TECHNICAL

The bill was renumbered from S-0693.3 to S-1565.1 and updated to reflect Senate Labor & Commerce sponsorship.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Mar 18, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.

upper

Feb 18, 2025

Committee

Referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 18, 2025

Committee

And refer to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 18, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 8:00 AM.

upper

Feb 7, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 8:00 AM.

upper

Jan 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM.

upper

1 primary · 12 co-sponsors