HB 2048 — An Act establishing the Pennsylvania Civic Information Consortium; providing for administrative, fiscal or logistical services and governance and duties of the Pennsylvania Civic Information Consortium, for grantmaking priorities, for editorial independence, for public access and transparency and for long-term funding strategy.

PRINTER'S NO.    2623

                   THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                       HOUSE BILL
                       No. 2048
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY RABB, SHUSTERMAN, WAXMAN, KHAN, RIVERA, FREEMAN,
        K.HARRIS, HOWARD AND SANCHEZ, NOVEMBER 18, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY,
        NOVEMBER 18, 2025


                                   AN ACT
 1   Establishing the Pennsylvania Civic Information Consortium;
 2      providing for governance and duties of the Pennsylvania Civic
 3      Information Consortium, for grantmaking priorities, for
 4      editorial independence, for public access and transparency
 5      and for long-term funding strategy.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8   Section 1.   Short title.
 9      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pennsylvania
10   Civic Information Consortium Act.
11   Section 2.   Declaration of purpose.
12      The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
13          (1)   The collapse of the local news industry in this
14      Commonwealth has created a civic emergency. After years of
15      corporate consolidation, hedge fund acquisition and newsroom
16      layoffs, many communities in this Commonwealth have become
17      news deserts, deprived of the public-interest journalism they
18      once relied on.
19          (2)   This is not merely a media industry crisis. Research
 1      shows that robust local journalism correlates with improved
 2      government performance, higher civic engagement and stronger
 3      community trust.
 4          (3)    The private market alone no longer meets the
 5      public's need for locally rooted civic information.
 6          (4)    To restore a healthy civic information ecosystem, a
 7      new public framework is needed to support, invest in and
 8      protect local journalism that serves all Pennsylvanians.
 9          (5)    The purpose of this act is to create an independent,
10      nonpartisan, publicly funded nonprofit corporation, the
11      Pennsylvania Civic Information Consortium.
12          (6)    The Pennsylvania Civic Information Consortium will
13      administer a competitive grant program supporting local
14      journalism and civic information projects throughout this
15      Commonwealth, with special emphasis on underserved
16      populations and community-driven media models.
17   Section 3.    Definitions.
18      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
19   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
20   context clearly indicates otherwise:
21      "Board."    The board of directors of the Pennsylvania Civic
22   Information Consortium.
23      "Consortium."    The Pennsylvania Civic Information Consortium
24   established under section 4(a).
25      "Eligible entity."     A nonprofit organization, institution of
26   higher education, library, community media outlet or other
27   organization that demonstrates the ability to carry out a civic
28   information or local journalism project in this Commonwealth.
29      "Funded project."    A civic information or local journalism
30   initiative that receives financial support through a grant

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 1   awarded by the consortium under this act.
 2      "Metrics."   Objective performance measures used to evaluate
 3   the reach, quality and civic impact of funded projects.
 4      "Pilot program."   The initial two-year to three-year
 5   implementation phase of the consortium during which the
 6   consortium demonstrates proof of concept, establishes
 7   administrative capacity, develops and tests grantmaking
 8   procedures and gathers data to inform the transition to a long-
 9   term funding model for the consortium.
10      "Underserved community."   A community that lacks adequate
11   access to reliable civic information or local news, including
12   rural, low-income, minority, immigrant and limited-English
13   proficient populations.
14   Section 4.   Establishment of consortium.
15      (a)   Establishment.--The Pennsylvania Civic Information
16   Consortium is established as an independent, nonpartisan,
17   nonprofit organization to support and strengthen civic
18   information and local journalism across this Commonwealth.
19      (b)   Incorporation.--The consortium shall be incorporated as
20   a nonprofit corporation under 15 Pa.C.S. Pt. II Subpt. C
21   (relating to nonprofit corporations).
22      (c)   Public mission.--The consortium shall operate
23   exclusively to carry out the public purposes of this act. The
24   consortium shall be considered a public instrumentality for the
25   purposes of grantmaking, accountability and public access.
26      (d)   Administrative housing.--The consortium may enter into
27   an agreement with the State Library System, an institution
28   within the State System of Higher Education or another public
29   institution to provide administrative services, including
30   payroll, procurement, human resources and information

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 1   technology. An agreement under this subsection may not affect
 2   the consortium's status as an independent, nonpartisan,
 3   nonprofit organization, its governance or its grantmaking
 4   authority. The consortium's employees, funds and records shall
 5   remain separate. A host institution may not direct or influence
 6   grant decisions or the content of a funded project.
 7   Section 5.    Duties of consortium.
 8      The consortium shall have the following duties:
 9          (1)    Award competitive grants to eligible entities for
10      projects that expand access to local news and civic
11      information, with priority given to underserved communities.
12          (2)    Promote editorial independence and noninterference
13      in the content of a funded project.
14          (3)    Support a diversity of media models, including
15      nonprofit, for-profit, legacy, digital, ethnic and community-
16      based outlets.
17          (4)    Establish formal and informal partnerships with
18      State agencies and commissions, the State Library System,
19      institutions of higher education, municipal governments,
20      school districts and other civic bodies to expand public
21      access and civic participation.
22          (5)    Design and execute a pilot program.
23          (6)    Develop a long-term funding plan, including options
24      such as a capitalized public trust and a dedicated fee on
25      ultra-large digital advertising firms, exempting community
26      outlets.
27          (7)    Establish measurable metrics and reporting
28      requirements for each grant recipient.
29          (8)    Provide technical support to eligible entities
30      seeking to build capacity or replicate successful models.

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 1            (9)    Publish and submit an annual report to the Governor
 2      and the General Assembly on grants awarded, funds disbursed,
 3      geographic distribution, project outcomes, performance
 4      against metrics and public input received.
 5            (10)    Convene public summits and hearings across regions
 6      of this Commonwealth to solicit input on the consortium.
 7            (11)    Administer training programs for journalists,
 8      community media producers and students to build local
 9      capacity for civic information gathering and distribution.
10            (12)    Research the relationship between local journalism,
11      democratic governance and civic engagement.
12            (13)    Hold at least one annual public meeting in each of
13      the northern, central and southern regions of this
14      Commonwealth to solicit input on community needs, performance
15      of grant recipients and future priorities of the consortium.
16            (14)    Establish and periodically review objective
17      criteria to identify underserved communities for the purposes
18      of awarding grants. The criteria may include measures of
19      access to local news and civic information, population
20      demographics, income levels and linguistic diversity, and
21      shall guide the consortium's grantmaking policies and
22      priorities.
23   Section 6.      Governance of consortium.
24      (a)   Board composition.--The consortium shall be governed by
25   a board consisting of 15 members, including all of the
26   following:
27            (1)    Representatives from journalism programs and media
28      organizations.
29            (2)    Individuals with experience in civic engagement,
30      community development or public policy.

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 1          (3)   Representatives from the State Library System or
 2    public library associations.
 3          (4)   Individuals with expertise in nonprofit management,
 4    grant administration or financial oversight.
 5          (5)   Representatives of underserved communities.
 6          (6)   A representative of an ethnic or community media
 7    outlet.
 8          (7)   A legal expert with experience in First Amendment or
 9    media law.
10          (8)   At least two persons affiliated with a public
11    institution of higher education operating in this
12    Commonwealth.
13    (b)   Appointment.--
14          (1)   Initial members of the board shall be appointed as
15    follows:
16                (i)    The Governor shall appoint one member.
17                (ii)    The President pro tempore of the Senate and the
18          Minority Leader of the Senate shall each appoint one
19          member.
20                (iii)    The Speaker of the House of Representatives
21          and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives
22          shall each appoint one member.
23                (iv)    The Chancellor of the State System of Higher
24          Education, in consultation with the State Librarian,
25          shall jointly appoint one member.
26                (v)    The six members appointed under subparagraphs
27          (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) shall, by a public, merit-based
28          process consistent with the bylaws, appoint the remaining
29          nine members necessary to reach the board size under
30          subsection (a). Appointees under subparagraphs (i), (ii),

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 1             (iii) and (iv) may not constitute a majority of the
 2             board.
 3             (2)   Initial and subsequent appointments shall reflect
 4      the expertise and perspectives listed under subsection (a).
 5             (3)   Initial appointments shall be made within 60 days of
 6      the effective date of this paragraph.
 7      (c)    Subsequent appointments.--After the initial board is
 8   seated, vacancies shall be filled through a public, merit-based
 9   process consistent with the bylaws to maintain the expertise and
10   perspectives required under subsection (a) and to preserve the
11   restriction in subsection (b)(1)(v) that appointees under
12   subsection (b)(1)(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) may not constitute a
13   majority of the board. The board shall consist of 15 members at
14   all times.
15      (d)    Conflicts and diversity in bylaws.--The bylaws shall
16   ensure geographic, demographic and political diversity and shall
17   include standards to prevent conflicts of interest. The bylaws
18   shall contain safeguards to prevent dominance by a single
19   political party or interest group. A single political party or
20   interest group may not constitute a majority of the board's
21   appointees, and the appointees under subsection (b)(1)(i), (ii),
22   (iii) and (iv) may not constitute a majority of the board.
23      (e)    Board duties.--The board shall have the following
24   duties:
25             (1)   Adopt bylaws and operational procedures.
26             (2)   Appoint and oversee an executive director.
27             (3)   Establish application guidelines and evaluation
28      criteria.
29             (4)   Approve grants, budgets and financial reports.
30             (5)   Ensure that all funded projects are subject to

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 1      metrics and public accountability.
 2            (6)   Hold regular public meetings, including one annual
 3      public meeting in each of the northern, central and southern
 4      regions of this Commonwealth.
 5            (7)   Oversee independent evaluations of grant outcomes
 6      and fiscal audits.
 7   Section 7.     Grantmaking priorities.
 8      In awarding grants, the consortium shall prioritize proposals
 9   that meet the following criteria:
10            (1)   Fill gaps in civic information or local journalism
11      in underserved communities.
12            (2)   Support the development of public-interest
13      journalism and civic media infrastructure.
14            (3)   Foster collaboration between media outlets,
15      libraries, educational institutions and community
16      organizations.
17            (4)   Increase civic participation and government
18      accountability.
19            (5)   Promote equity and inclusion in newsroom practices,
20      content and staffing.
21            (6)   Include community engagement in project design and
22      implementation.
23            (7)   Offer replicable or scalable models that can expand
24      impact Statewide.
25   Section 8.     Editorial independence.
26      (a)   Protection of independence.--Grant recipients shall
27   retain full editorial control. The consortium may not interfere
28   in the editorial content of a funded project.
29      (b)   Commonwealth neutrality.--An officer or agent of the
30   Commonwealth may not attempt to influence the editorial

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 1   decisions of a grant recipient.
 2   Section 9.     Public access and transparency.
 3      (a)   Records.--The consortium shall maintain public records
 4   of its operations, including grant awards, applications, meeting
 5   minutes and annual reports, accessible under the act of February
 6   14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law.
 7      (b)   Website.--The consortium shall maintain a publicly
 8   accessible Internet website containing all of the following:
 9            (1)   A searchable database of funded projects.
10            (2)   Application procedures and deadlines.
11            (3)   Reports and evaluations.
12            (4)   Schedules of meetings and public hearings.
13            (5)   Contact information and opportunities for public
14      feedback.
15   Section 10.     Long-term funding strategy.
16      (a)   Transition from pilot.--Following the completion of the
17   pilot program, the consortium shall submit to the Governor and
18   the General Assembly a plan for long-term funding.
19      (b)   Plan contents.--The plan may include all of the
20   following:
21            (1)   Dedicated fees or levies and other sustainable
22      revenue strategies identified by the consortium.
23            (2)   Creation of a capitalized public trust to provide
24      ongoing financial support.
25            (3)   Recommendations for additional legislative or
26      budgetary actions.
27   Section 11.     Effective date.
28      This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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