SB0459 — Procurement - Advertising - Maryland News Organizations (Local News for Maryland Communities Act of 2026)
Last action — Committee Report (House of Origin) — Favorable with Amendments
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1Introduced
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2In Committee
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3Passed Senate
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4Passed House of Delegates
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 02, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.
Odds of enactment
Low chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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Introduced
Current position in the legislative process.
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8 sponsors
1 primary, 7 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (8 D).
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 3 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
Summary
Requiring units of State government to ensure that at least 50% of the unit's total dollar value of procurement contracts for advertising is being made directly to Maryland news organizations; requiring units of State Government to prioritize the use of Maryland news organizations that have a primary mission of reporting on and serving underserved communities; and authorizing a unit of State government to consult with a third-party non-profit organization to prepare and maintain a list of eligible local news organizations.
Bill Text
We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.
Read SB0459 on the official Maryland source →Action History
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Committee Report (House of Origin) — Favorable with Amendments
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First Reading (Opposite House)
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Third Reading (House of Origin) — Passed
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Second Reading (House of Origin) — Passed with Amendments
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Hearing (Primary, House of Origin)
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First Reading (House of Origin)
Sponsors
- Senator Jim Rosapepe · Primary
- Senator Malcolm Augustine · Cosponsor
- Senator Guy Guzzone · Cosponsor
- Senator Shelly Hettleman · Cosponsor
- Senator Nancy J. King · Cosponsor
- Senator Karen Lewis Young · Cosponsor
- Senator Cory V. McCray · Cosponsor
- Senator Craig J. Zucker · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 7 co-sponsors · 180 not signed on · 6 voted No
Sponsors (1)
- Senator Jim Rosapepe Democrat
Co-sponsors (7)
- Senator Malcolm Augustine Democrat
- Senator Guy Guzzone Democrat
- Senator Shelly Hettleman Democrat
- Senator Nancy J. King Democrat
- Senator Karen Lewis Young Democrat
- Senator Cory V. McCray Democrat
- Senator Craig J. Zucker Democrat
Not signed on (180)
180 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 180 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Democrat | 93 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 25 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 129 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 91% | 5% | 0% | 4% |
How each member voted (141)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Democrat | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 45 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 96% | 0% | 0% | 4% |
How each member voted (47)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | 26 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Unaffiliated | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 42 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 89% | 0% | 0% | 11% |
How each member voted (47)
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB0459 do?
- Requiring units of State government to ensure that at least 50% of the unit's total dollar value of procurement contracts for advertising is being made directly to Maryland news organizations; requiring units of State Government to prioritize the use of Maryland news organizations that have a primary mission of reporting on and serving underserved communities; and authorizing a unit of State government to consult with a third-party non-profit organization to prepare and maintain a list of eligible local news organizations.
- Who sponsors SB0459?
- SB0459 is sponsored by Senator Jim Rosapepe (Democrat), Senator Malcolm Augustine (Democrat), Senator Guy Guzzone (Democrat), Senator Shelly Hettleman (Democrat), Senator Nancy J. King (Democrat), Senator Karen Lewis Young (Democrat), Senator Cory V. McCray (Democrat), and Senator Craig J. Zucker (Democrat).
- What is the current status of SB0459?
- This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 02, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
- Where can I track SB0459?
- Track SB0459 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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Last checked for changes 1 day ago · updated continuously
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