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ChampionedMedia and Local Journalism

Enact the Saving Local News Act to let local news organizations qualify as tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organizations so nonprofit local journalism can be sustained.

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ChampionedFact-checker reviewConfidence: 90%

Independently re-verified. DeSaulnier is the lead author and sponsor of the Saving Local News Act (H.R. 6068, 117th Congress), which amends IRC Section 501(c)(3) so local news publication qualifies as a tax-exempt function. Two independent reputable secondary sources corroborate the core facts: the Columbia Journalism Review states the bill 'was introduced by DeSaulnier last week, would amend existing nonprofit legislation to make it easier for news organizations to achieve nonprofit status,' and the Pleasanton Weekly reports DeSaulnier's office announced the introduction of the Saving Local News Act on November 29 (2021), amending Section 501(c)(3) to include news publication and excluding advertising revenue from unrelated business taxable income. Congress.gov and the House press page block automated fetches (HTTP 403) but the bill and sponsorship are the authoritative, real record confirmed by both secondaries. He actively LED and drove the effort (introduced it, first authored earlier as H.R. 3126 in 2019, reintroduced in the 118th Congress) far beyond a single supporting vote, but the bill was referred to House Ways and Means and never enacted — hence CHAMPIONED (+0.75), not FULL. This label is applied under the same nonpartisan standard any lead sponsor of an unpassed bill matching their promise would receive.

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