The Broadcast VOICES Act was recently introduced in the Senate and sent to the Committee on Finance for review. It is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is waiting for the committee to take action. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
Senate
House
President
Law
Unlikely to pass
The bill currently lacks Republican cosponsors and faces a difficult path in a divided Congress where diversity-focused tax incentives are often a point of partisan disagreement.
Key Points
This bill aims to increase the number of radio and television stations owned by women and minorities. It brings back a program that gives tax breaks to people who sell their stations to individuals from these underrepresented groups.
Sellers can delay paying taxes on their profits if they sell a station to a woman or a person who has faced racial or ethnic bias. This makes it more financially attractive for current owners to sell to diverse buyers rather than large corporations.
The policy targets a major gap in media ownership. Currently, women own only about 5 percent of commercial TV stations, and minorities own less than 4 percent. The goal is to ensure that the people running local news and entertainment reflect the diversity of the country.
To prevent people from taking advantage of the system, the bill includes strict rules. The tax break only applies to sales worth $50 million or less, and the new owners must keep and run the station for at least two years.
The bill also creates a tax credit for companies that donate stations to charities. These charities must have a mission of training women and minorities on how to manage and operate broadcast businesses.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
2 milestones2 actions
Jun 18, 2025Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Jun 18, 2025
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
