Maryland Legislature Passes the Nation’s First State Advertising Set-Aside for Local Newsrooms

Maryland legislators passed unanimously, with strong bipartisan support, a law requiring that half of the state’s advertising dollars be directed to community news outlets, establishing the nation’s first statewide government advertising set-aside.

After advancing out of both chambers earlier in the session, the bill received its final Senate floor vote, 45–0, on April 13, with a dozen Republican yea votes. The bill is now headed to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk, where he has 30 days to act before it becomes law. It is slated to take effect on Oct. 1, 2026, potentially reinvesting millions in advertising revenue in local newsrooms serving Maryland communities.

The Local News for Maryland Communities Act of 2026 would also bring new transparency to the state’s advertising procurement process. It requires annual reporting of how much agencies spend on advertising and which outlets receive those placements. Without that visibility, the public has little way to know how much advertising stays in Maryland communities and how much flows to media giants like Google and Meta. The bill exempts advertising for tourism, job recruitment and economic development, as agencies often direct those advertisements out of state.

“This is a ‘buy local’ approach that encourages states to spend more taxpayer dollars with trusted community media rather than social media and national players,” said Lori Henson, policy manager at Rebuild Local News. “Without adding to the state budget, this policy brings advertising spending into the public view and ensures a meaningful share stays with the local news outlets that strengthen Maryland communities.”

The effort was led by Maryland news advocates including Rebecca Snyder, executive director of the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association; David Belew, director of development at Baltimore Public Media; and members of the Maryland-Delaware-DC Broadcasters Association. The MDDC Press Association’s membership includes daily and weekly newspapers, digital outlets and broadcast stations.

Rebuild Local News President Steven Waldman praised the leadership of the Maryland coalition in achieving the groundbreaking legislative victory.

“This wouldn’t have happened without the leadership of not only Del. Linda Foley and Sen. Jim Rosapepe, but also the indefatigable work of Rebecca Snyder and the MDDC Press Association, as well as Baltimore Public Media and local news outlets that made their voices heard,” Waldman said.

Identical companion bills were introduced in February by Del. Foley (HB0043) and Sen. Rosapepe (SB0459). “At a time when local news organizations are struggling to maintain operations, and keep reporters on the ground covering important issues, this bill would provide a much needed boost,” Del. Foley told the House Government, Labor, and Elections Committee on Feb. 10.

The legislation established a 50 percent advertising set-aside for eligible local news organizations across digital, print, and broadcast media, including both for-profit and nonprofit outlets. The measure advanced with notable bipartisan backing, including yea votes from Republican Minority Leader Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr., Minority Whip Sen. Justin Ready and ten additional GOP senators at the April 13 hearing.

A 2024 University of Maryland Local News Ecosystem Study found most news outlets in Maryland have budgets less than $250,000 a year, and a third have budgets less than $100,000 a year. The same study found 39 percent of the state’s news outlets were skeptical they could survive in two years without revenue growth.

Snyder said the statewide government advertising set-aside demonstrates a new way forward in strengthening community news.

“This legislation reflects a practical shift in how we support local news,” said Snyder. “It recognizes that local news is essential infrastructure for communities and treats it that way. By directing existing resources more intentionally, Maryland is strengthening the systems people rely on for timely, fact-based information. It also changes the conversation: sustainable support for local media can be built into everyday government operations.”

Belew was also instrumental in passing the legislation, noting that the bill is an important win for Marylanders who depend on local news.

“The passage of the Local News for Maryland Communities Act brings our state to the forefront of protecting high-quality journalism,” said Belew. “With the elimination of federal funding disrupting public media nationwide, efforts like this further integrate Baltimore Public Media and WYPR into our local economy and position us to expand our free, responsive services to Marylanders.”

It is not known exactly how much state advertising revenue will shift to community news under the new law, but Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency budgeted $18.9 million this fiscal year for advertising and marketing. The state’s Department of Health has budgeted $1.6 million for a single media campaign with the Maryland Cannabis Administration in the next fiscal year. Directing half of the state’s advertising budget to local outlets could generate millions in additional revenue.

A comparable measure in New York City – pioneered by the Center for Community Media at CUNY – redirected $72 million to community media over five years. As a result of this groundbreaking work, San Francisco and Chicago have instituted similar set-aside policies.

Rebuild Local News has since helped refine the approach and developed model laws for government advertising set-asides and transparency requirements, which it now advocates for across the country.

New Jersey could be the next state to pass a government advertising set-aside. Companion bills S3744, introduced by Sen. Andrew Zwicker and Sen. Angela McKnight, and A4677, introduced by Majority Leader Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, would allocate 30 percent of the state’s advertising budget to local news outlets.