Assemblymember Wicks, Senator Umberg Reach Agreement for Two-Year Bill (AB 886)

SACRAMENTO – On Friday, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) and Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) announced that AB 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), will become a two-year bill. In lieu of its scheduled July 11 hearing, the bill will move forward next year from its current point in the process: Senate Judiciary Committee. 

With large bills like AB 886, taking advantage of the first year of a two year session allows lawmakers to further develop their bills and ensure they succeed through the final hurdles of the legislative process. Rather than start from scratch, these bills pick up the following year at the point they left off the year prior.

“I’ve agreed to make AB 886 a two-year bill In order to ensure the strongest legislation possible – because getting this policy right is more important than getting it quick,” said Assemblymember Wicks. “My priority is making sure this bill does exactly, and only, what it intends: to support our free press and the democracy sustained by it, to make sure publications get paid what they are owed, and to hold our nation’s largest and wealthiest tech companies accountable for repurposing content that’s not theirs.

“The work doesn’t stop – our coalition and its momentum continue to grow, with new support ranging from ethnic media to consumer protection organizations,” Wicks continued. “I look forward to working with Senator Umberg to make this a first-in-the-nation bill, and continue to welcome all stakeholders to the table – including Big Tech – to help us get this policy exactly right.”

In the interim, Senator Umberg will hold an informational hearing during the Fall of 2023 to further explore issues AB 886 is trying to tackle, and look at successful legislation in other countries to better craft the California solution. 

“Assemblymember Wicks and I have agreed to schedule Assembly Bill 886 for a vote in committee in 2024, preceded by an informational hearing this Fall,” said Senator Umberg. “This interim hearing underscores my commitment to protecting journalism, California journalists, and the access to a free and vibrant press that is essential to our democracy.  My greatest concern is that we enact legislation that is fair, and that the benefits in this bill flow specifically to support local journalists – and in turn, all Californians. I look forward to working with Assemblymember Wicks and my colleagues to help save this foundation of our democracy.”
 

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