This bill creates the Washington local news journalism corps program within an unnamed state "department" and authorizes the director to make grants to eligible publishers and broadcasters to support employment of news journalists who cover local or regional civic affairs in underserved communities. It adds new sections to chapter 43.330 RCW, defines terms (eligible publisher, eligible broadcaster, eligible news journalism provider, qualifying publication, and news journalist), sets employment thresholds for applicants (generally at least three journalists employed in Washington per quarter in the prior four quarters, with a two-journalist exception if the provider employed two journalists per quarter in the prior eight quarters), requires grant amounts be proportional to hours reported to the Employment Security Department, requires progress and final reporting at least once per biennium, permits data sharing among the administering department, the Employment Security Department, and the Department of Revenue, and gives the administering department rulemaking authority for implementation. It also reenacts and amends RCW 43.79.195 to establish a workforce education investment account and directs specified surcharges to be deposited into that account, including a requirement that beginning July 1, 2026, $20,000,000 from the account be used each fiscal year to support the journalism corps program. The bill also reenacts and amends RCW 82.04.299 to impose a workforce education investment surcharge on "select advanced computing businesses" — defined by activity and an affiliated-group worldwide revenue threshold of more than $25 billion — at a rate of 1.22% of gross income subject to RCW 82.04.290(2), with an annual combined cap of $15,000,000 for all members of an affiliated group. The surcharge must be reported and paid quarterly, with returns due by the last day of the month following the reporting period; the Department (unnamed) may audit, require disclosure of affiliated-group membership, and assess a penalty equal to 50% of the total surcharge for the calendar year if an affiliated group intentionally failed to comply with disclosure requirements (this penalty replaces the evasion penalty under RCW 82.32.090(7)). Revenues from the surcharge are deposited into the workforce education investment account. Important contextual details are missing from the provided text: the specific department that will administer the journalism program and the tax reporting authority is not identified, the exact grant formula proportional to hours is not specified, section 7 ends mid-sentence in the provided excerpts, and the full text of sections 1 through 5 added to chapter 43.330 RCW is not included.

If enacted, the state would set up a new grant program to pay for hiring and keeping local reporters in underserved Washington communities with a guaranteed funding stream of $20 million each fiscal year starting July 1, 2026. That money would flow to eligible publishers and broadcasters only if they meet defined staffing and editorial standards, and grants would be tied to the reported hours worked by qualified reporters; recipients would also have to file periodic progress and final reports. Exactly how awards are calculated and which state agency runs the program are not specified in the facts provided, so some operational details and eligibility disclosures remain unclear. To fund the account, very large “select advanced computing” businesses (affiliated groups with over $25 billion worldwide in the prior year) would pay a new quarterly surcharge on certain taxable activities, increasing their tax costs subject to an annual cap per affiliated group and clear disclosure and audit requirements; failure to fully disclose affiliated members can trigger a steep penalty equal to 50% of the surcharge for the year. The Employment Security Department, Department of Revenue and the administering department would take on new data-sharing, reporting, audit, and rulemaking responsibilities to implement the program and surcharge.