Rebuild Local News Supports Kansas Bill to Boost Small Business Advertising
HB2276 provides a tax credit for small businesses advertising with local news, easing costs and sustaining community journalism
On February 27, 2025, Policy Manager Lori Henson testified before the Kansas State House Tax Committee in support of HB2276:
Dear Chairman Adam Smith and Members of the Committee,
My name is Lori Henson and I work on advertising policy solutions for local news at the nonpartisan nonprofit Rebuild Local News. I am here to voice our support for HB2276, which provides a tax credit to small business owners who advertise with local news outlets.
The benefit to Kansas small business owners is reason enough to support this bill. But the support it provides small businesses also benefits the communities they serve in other ways. Specifically, it will help local news survive which will mean better information for the residents of the community.
We know from extensive research that communities with strong local news have stronger economies and more engaged communities. Communities with strong local news and the oversight it provides have higher voting rates, more competitive elections, better bond ratings, and lower taxes overall. This bill is a win-win for small businesses and for local news.
Local advertising also increases sales, which ends up leading to more sales tax revenue in municipal budgets.
Although the primary purpose is to help small businesses, the indirect support it provides local news is good for communities too. And it’s doing it in a way that involves not government officials making decisions about media; the decisions about who to advertise with resides with the small businesses.
The bill incentivizes local news to build strong ties to local small businesses, which ultimately benefits the broader community. For the many economic benefits this bill would provide, we encourage you to support its passage.
