California lawmakers revive debate over bill requiring tech platforms to pay for news

Chicago Asian American leaders believe the Language Equity And Access Act will change — and save — lives. It awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature.

California lawmakers revive debate over bill requiring tech platforms to pay for news -0
California Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks wrote legislation that would force Big Tech companies to pay news outlets for use of their content. 
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

California lawmakers have revived legislation to charge online platforms for the news articles they publish, a proposal that stalled last year amid divisions within the journalism industry and intense opposition from Google and other tech companies.

New amendments published Monday to Assembly Bill 886 are meant to address concerns from small publishers and make the plan more similar to the way Canada charges platforms for distributing news content.

The bill, also known as the “California Journalism Preservation Act,” requires digital advertising giants to pay news outlets a fee when they sell advertising alongside news content. Publishers would have to use 70% of those funds to pay journalists in California.

The changes call for calculating payments based on the number of journalists a news outlet employs, similar to Canada’s model, rather than on how many impressions an article generates, as originally proposed. And they call for creating a fund that platforms pay into, which would distribute the money to news outlets. Google is paying $74 million annually into a fund for the news industry under the law that took effect last year in Canada.

“What we learned with the Canada version is that it’s possible, and that news is of value, it’s critical,” said Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland). “And that we should be doing everything we can to ensure that our publishers are compensated for the work that they’re providing.”

New amendments in Wicks’ bill also would give an additional boost to small publishers by making them eligible for funding beyond the per-journalist payout and allowing them more flexibility in how they spend the money they would receive under the program by dropping the portion they must spend paying journalists to 50%.

The bill is sponsored by the California News Publishers Assn., of which the Los Angeles Times is a member. Publishers argue that online search and social media platforms are harming the journalism business by gobbling up advertising revenue while publishing content they don’t pay for.

The changes to the bill mark a key development since the bill was put on pause last year in the face of massive opposition from Google and other companies. Google argued the legislation would upend its business model and wrote in an April blog post that the bill “undermines news in California.” The search giant flexed its muscle against the bill earlier this year by removing links to California news sites from its search results for some users.

Google did not respond to an email seeking comment on the latest changes to the bill.

But the amendments are unlikely to be the final modifications. Lawmakers often ramp up negotiations on difficult issues as they approach the end of the legislative session in August. The bill is scheduled for a hearing on June 25 in the Senate Judiciary Committee, its next big hurdle.

ADVERTISEMENT

State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Orange), who chairs that committee, said he expects further changes as negotiations continue. He said he would like to see the bill pass but wants to make sure it strikes the right balance between what the news industry needs and what the tech platforms can pay for.

“I believe that we could screw this up so that we make it so expensive that the platforms don’t carry [journalism] content,” Umberg said. “That would be catastrophic. So I don’t know where we hit that sweet spot.”

A separate bill seeking to aid the journalism industry would impose a new tax on Amazon, Meta and Google for the data they take from users and pump the money from this “data extraction mitigation fee” into news organizations by giving them a tax credit for employing full-time journalists.

As a tax measure, Senate Bill 1327 would require approval from two-thirds of the Legislature and presents a political challenge in an election year. Nonetheless, state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) said his bill is compatible with Wicks’ legislation, and he remains hopeful lawmakers can find a way to help the journalism industry.

“I continue to have many conversations with her and others about how we have to solve the problem,” Glazer said. “There’s lots of ways to try to go at it.”

Parliaments

UK introduces new law to protect seafarer employment rights
Parliaments

UK introduces new law to protect seafarer employment rights

According to Nautilus International, the Employment Rights Bill is expected to introduce new protections specifically devised for seafarers, toughening the laws around collective dismissal, and cementing seafarer wage protections in UK law. The Bill, being introduced to Parliament this week, will seek to outlaw fire and rehire by requiring employers to prove there is no reasonable financial alternative to letting staff go.

Canada approves new law to develop offshore wind on its Atlantic coast
Parliaments

Canada approves new law to develop offshore wind on its Atlantic coast

Canada’s Senate has approved a new law, named bill C-49, which is set to unlock the country’s offshore renewable energy potential in the provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, on Canada’s Atlantic coast. The bill, which includes the production of wind power as well as hydrogen, now awaits royal ascent.

California nurses applaud new law that provides transparency, improves equity in nursing education
Parliaments

California nurses applaud new law that provides transparency, improves equity in nursing education

California Nurses Association, the largest union of registered nurses in the state, applauds the signing of Senate Bill 1015 by Governor Gavin Newsom. Nurses say the new law, which was authored by Senator Dave Cortese and sponsored by CNA, is an essential step towards ensuring clinical placement opportunities for California’s future nurses, particularly for students attending public institutions like community colleges and state universities.

Seychelles' parliament adopts motion to make sign language official language
Parliaments

Seychelles' parliament adopts motion to make sign language official language

The National Assembly unanimously adopted a motion to designate Seychelles Deaf Language as an official national language, marking a significant milestone for the islands' hearing-impaired populationin. The motion was brought forward by Regina Esparon, the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) elected member for Glacis, on behalf of the Women's Parliamentary Caucus, coinciding with the Deaf Week 2024.

Ireland: New law to ban disposable vapes and restrict flavours
Parliaments

Ireland: New law to ban disposable vapes and restrict flavours

Disposable vapes will be banned and vape flavours and colours restricted under new legislation proposed by the government. The Department of Health yesterday published the general scheme of the proposed Nicotine Inhaling Products Bill, which will introduce further restrictions on nicotine inhaling products or vapes.

Brazil calls EU to suspend anti-deforestation law
Parliaments

Brazil calls EU to suspend anti-deforestation law

Brasília urges the European Commission to reconsider its anti-deforestation rules, which could potentially impact Brazil’s exports by almost US$15 billion. The European legislation passed in 2022 includes a ban on the import of products from areas deforested from 2022 onwards, even if deforestation is legal in those areas. 

UK parliament recognizes Bitcoin and digital assets as personal property
Parliaments

UK parliament recognizes Bitcoin and digital assets as personal property

The UK Parliament has introduced the Property (Digital Assets etc.) Bill today to officially and legally recognize Bitcoin $57,732.86, cryptocurrencies, and other digital assets as personal property. This new law will, for the first time, formally protect digital assets such as Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and carbon credits under English law, News.Az reports citing Cointurk news.