Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1119 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1119
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1119
8	8	P2 5lr2471
9	9
10	10	By: Delegate Foley
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Procurement – Advertising – Local News Organizations 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of requiring a unit of State government to ensure that at least a certain 3
21	21	amount of the unit’s total dollar value of procurement contracts for print and digital 4
22	22	advertising is being made directly to local news organizations; and generally relating 5
23	23	to procurement contracts made to local news organizations. 6
24	24
25	25	BY adding to 7
26	26	Article – State Finance and Procurement 8
27	27	Section 14–419 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
32	32	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
33	33
34	34	Article – State Finance and Procurement 14
35	35
36	36	14–419. 15
37	37
38	38	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION , “LOCAL NEWS ORGANIZAT ION” MEANS AN 16
39	39	ENTITY THAT: 17
40	40
41	41	(I) ENGAGES PROFESSIONAL S TO CREATE , EDIT, PRODUCE, 18
42	42	AND DISTRIBUTE ORIGI NAL CONTENT CONCERNI NG MATTERS OF PUBLIC INTEREST 19
43	43	THROUGH REPORTING, CONDUCTING INTERVIEW S, OBSERVING CURRENT EV ENTS, 20
44	44	OR ANALYZING INFORMA TION; 21
45	45
46	46	(II) HAS AT LEAST ONE EMP LOYEE WHO: 22
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 1119
48	48
49	49
50	50	1. IS EMPLOYED FULL TIME; 1
51	51
52	52	2. IS DEDICATED TO PROV IDING COVERAGE OF EV ENTS 2
53	53	IN MARYLAND; AND 3
54	54
55	55	3. RESIDES IN MARYLAND OR WITHIN 50 MILES OF 4
56	56	MARYLAND; 5
57	57
58	58	(III) IN THE CASE OF A PRI NT PUBLICATION , HAS PUBLISHED AT 6
59	59	LEAST ONE PRINT PUBL ICATION PER MONTH OV ER THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS AND : 7
60	60
61	61	1. HOLDS A VALID U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PERIODICAL 8
62	62	PERMIT; OR 9
63	63
64	64	2. HAS AT LEAST 25% OF ITS CONTENT DEDIC ATED TO 10
65	65	LOCAL NEWS; 11
66	66
67	67	(IV) IN THE CASE OF AN EN TITY THAT PUBLISHES CONTE NT 12
68	68	ONLY IN DIGITAL FORM : 13
69	69
70	70	1. HAS PUBLISHED AT LEA ST ONE PIECE ABOUT E VENTS 14
71	71	IN MARYLAND PER WEEK OVE R THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS; AND 15
72	72
73	73	2. FOR WHICH AT LEAST 33% OF ITS AUDIENCE , 16
74	74	AVERAGED OVER A 12–MONTH PERIOD , IS LOCATED IN MARYLAND; 17
75	75
76	76	(V) HAS DISCLOSE D, IN ITS PRINT PUBLICA TION OR ON ITS 18
77	77	WEBSITE: 19
78	78
79	79	1. ITS BENEFICIAL OWNER S; OR 20
80	80
81	81	2. IN THE CASE OF A NO NPROFIT ENTITY, ITS BOARD OF 21
82	82	DIRECTORS; AND 22
83	83
84	84	(VI) IN THE CASE OF AN EN TITY THAT MAINTAINS TAX STATUS 23
85	85	UNDER § 501(C)(3) OF THE FEDERAL INTERNAL REVENUE CODE, HAS DECLARED 24
86	86	COVERAGE OF LOCAL OR STATE NEWS AS ITS STATED MISSIO N IN A FILING WITH THE 25
87	87	INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE. 26
88	88
89	89	(2) “LOCAL NEWS ORGANIZATI ON” DOES NOT INCLUDE AN ENTITY 27
90	90	THAT RECEIVES MORE T HAN 50% OF ITS GROSS RECEIPT S FROM: 28
91	91	HOUSE BILL 1119 3
92	92
93	93
94	94	(I) A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION DESCRIBED IN 26 U.S.C. § 527; 1
95	95	OR 2
96	96
97	97	(II) ANY ORGANIZATION THA T MAINTAINS STATUS U NDER 26 3
98	98	U.S.C. § 501(C)(4), (5), OR (6). 4
99	99
100	100	(B) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY PROCURE MENT CONTRACT FOR 5
101	101	PRINT OR DIGITAL ADV ERTISING TO BE PUBLI SHED OR BROADCAST OUTSIDE 6
102	102	MARYLAND FOR THE PURP OSES OF: 7
103	103
104	104	(1) PROMOTING TOURISM TO THE STATE; OR 8
105	105
106	106	(2) EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT . 9
107	107
108	108	(C) A UNIT SHALL STRUCTURE PROCUREMEN T PROCEDURES TO ACHI EVE 10
109	109	AN OVERALL GOAL OF 50% OF THE UNIT’S TOTAL DOLLAR VALUE OF PROCUREMENT 11
110	110	CONTRACTS FOR PRINT OR DIGITAL ADVERTISI NG BEING MADE DIRECTLY TO LOC AL 12
111	111	NEWS ORGANIZATIONS . 13
112	112
113	113	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 14
114	114	October 1, 2025. 15