Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont Senate Bill S0084 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED S.84
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6	6	S.84 1
7	7	Introduced by Senators Perchlik, Chittenden, Clarkson, Hardy, Harrison, 2
8	8	Watson, Westman and White 3
9	9	Referred to Committee on 4
10	10	Date: 5
11	11	Subject: Public property and supplies; Department of Buildings and General 6
12	12	Services; contracting; advertising; media; news organizations; radio; 7
13	13	television 8
14	14	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require that 9
15	15	the State expend a minimum of 80 percent of the total annual value of its 10
16	16	contracting for print, digital, radio, and television advertising services on local 11
17	17	organizations. 12
18	18	An act relating to State contracting standards for advertising 13
19	19	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 14
20	20	Sec. 1. 29 V.S.A. § 902(a) is amended to read: 15
21	21	(a) The Commissioner of Buildings and General Services shall contract for 16
22	22	and make all purchases, including all fuel, supplies, materials, and equipment, 17
23	23	for all departments, offices, institutions, and other agencies of the State and 18
24	24	counties. However, he or she the Commissioner may delegate authority to 19
25	25	those governmental agencies to purchase directly individually approved types 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.84
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30	30	and classes of items when the interests of the State are best served thereby, 1
31	31	provided that any such delegated authority shall be subject to the same 2
32	32	limitations set forth in subsections 910(a)–(c) of this subchapter as apply to the 3
33	33	Commissioner. He or she The Commissioner shall also contract for and 4
34	34	purchase materials for the repair and for the construction and equipment of 5
35	35	new buildings to be erected by the State, unless otherwise provided. He or she 6
36	36	The Commissioner may purchase such supplies, materials, and equipment as 7
37	37	are requisitioned by the supervisors of the natural resources conservation 8
38	38	districts. He or she The Commissioner may also cooperate with and advise 9
39	39	officials of any political subdivision of the State or any institution of higher 10
40	40	education chartered in Vermont and accredited or holding a certificate of 11
41	41	approval from the State Board of Education in their purchase of any of the 12
42	42	supplies, materials, and equipment needed by the political subdivision or 13
43	43	institution of higher education, and may act as the agent of the political 14
44	44	subdivision at the request of the authorized officials or agent thereof in the 15
45	45	purchase of supplies, materials, and equipment. 16
46	46	Sec. 2. 29 V.S.A. § 910 is added to read: 17
47	47	§ 910. STATE CONTRACTS FOR ADVERTISING 18
48	48	(a) When contracting for print or digital advertising services for the State or 19
49	49	its agencies, departments, instrumentalities, or institutions, the Commissioner 20
50	50	of Buildings and General Services shall contract with local news organizations 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.84
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55	55	for not less than 80 percent of the total annual value of the print or digital 1
56	56	advertising services. 2
57	57	(b) When contracting for radio or television advertising services for the 3
58	58	State or its agencies, departments, instrumentalities, or institutions, the 4
59	59	Commissioner of Buildings and General Services shall contract with local 5
60	60	broadcast organizations for not less than 80 percent of the total annual value of 6
61	61	the radio or television advertising services. 7
62	62	(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the 8
63	63	Commissioner of Buildings and General Services may exclude from the total 9
64	64	annual value of advertising services any advertisement focused on tourism. 10
65	65	(d) The Commissioner of Buildings and General Services shall maintain a 11
66	66	list of local news organizations and local broadcast organizations. 12
67	67	(e) As used in this section: 13
68	68	(1) “Local broadcast organization” means an organization licensed to 14
69	69	broadcast in the State by the Federal Communications Commission. 15
70	70	(2) “Local news organization” means an organization that: 16
71	71	(A) engages professionals to create, edit, produce, and distribute 17
72	72	original content concerning matters of public interest through reporting 18
73	73	activities; 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.84
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78	78	(B) employs a full-time employee who dedicates at least 30 hours a 1
79	79	week to providing coverage of an area of the State for dissemination to the 2
80	80	local or State community and lives within 50 miles of the coverage area; 3
81	81	(C)(i) has published at least one print publication per month over the 4
82	82	previous 12 months and either holds a valid U. S. Postal Service periodical 5
83	83	permit or dedicates at least 25 percent of its content to local news; or 6
84	84	(ii) on average over the previous 12 months, has published online 7
85	85	at least one piece per week about the local or State community and has at least 8
86	86	33 percent of its online audience in Vermont; 9
87	87	(D) has disclosed in its print publication or on its website its 10
88	88	beneficial ownership or, in the case of a nonprofit entity, its board of directors; 11
89	89	(E) in the case of an organization that is exempt from taxation under 12
90	90	26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3), declares as its stated mission in its filings with the 13
91	91	Internal Revenue Service the coverage of local or State news; and 14
92	92	(F) over the previous calendar year did not receive more than 15
93	93	50 percent of its gross receipts from political action committees, other entities 16
94	94	described in 26 U.S.C. § 527, or from organizations exempt from taxation 17
95	95	under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(4), (c)(5), or (c)(6). 18 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.84
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100	100	Sec. 3. 29 V.S.A. § 911 is added to read: 1
101	101	§ 911. CONTRACTS FOR ADVERTISING; REPORTING 2
102	102	Annually, on or before June 30, the Commissioner of Buildings and General 3
103	103	Services shall submit to the General Assembly a report summarizing any 4
104	104	advertising services purchased by the State and its agencies, departments, 5
105	105	instrumentalities, or institutions during the preceding fiscal year, including a 6
106	106	summary of the amounts spent by entity on advertising services and where 7
107	107	those funds were spent. 8
108	108	Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE 9
109	109	This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 10