WA HB1836

Establishes the Washington Local News Journalism Corps Program within the Department of Commerce to provide grants supporting employment of journalists covering civic affairs in underserved communities

Eligible applicants must be news journalism providers (publishers or broadcasters) that employ at least 3 news journalists in Washington for 4 quarters prior to receiving a grant, or 2 journalists for 8 quarters

Grant amounts are proportional to hours worked by journalists as reported to the Employment Security Department

Allocates $20,000,000 annually beginning July 1, 2026 from the workforce education investment account to fund the program

Increases the annual cap on the workforce education investment surcharge paid by select advanced computing businesses (those with over $25 billion in global revenue) from $9 million to $15 million per affiliated group