A bill that would help save newsroom jobs across the state of Washington will survive the Legislature’s cutoff on Friday.

But the fate of Senate Bill 5400 is less than clear as legislators are focused on closing budget gaps and wary of any new spending proposals.

“There’s not zero percent chance, but I would not put it in the category of more likely than not,” Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen told me on Tuesday.

The bill would add a surcharge on tech companies to fund a $20 million journalism grant program. Newspapers, broadcasters and digital outlets could receive perhaps $13,000 to $15,000 per newsroom employee through grants administered by the state Department of Commerce.

Since 2019 tech companies have paid a 0.25% surcharge on their business and occupation taxes to boost funding for higher education and student aid. It’s capped, so no companies pay more than $9 million.

Senate Bill 5400, introduced by Sen. Marko Liias, proposed raising the cap to $15 million and using the additional proceeds for journalism grants.

The bill advanced from the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on Feb. 14 after several amendments.

Most notably, the committee switched the funding to a new, 1.22% surcharge on social networks and search portals with gross income of more than $5 million. It also capped the collection at $6 million per company, so the maximum payment would be the same as originally proposed.

That switch particularly benefits Amazon, which doesn’t use others’ news stories on its platforms like search and social companies.

“In principle it makes sense since our goal is to focus on the folks that are benefiting from local news journalism, to narrow in more closely on them,” said Liias, an Edmonds Democrat.

A new fiscal note, based on the amended bill, does not estimate revenue from the new formula.

Liias told me he expects it will generate the same amount, based on his interactions with the Department of Revenue.

“In our request to Revenue we asked them to help us generate the same $20 million,” he told me Wednesday morning.

The bill is now in the Senate Ways & Means Committee where it appears unlikely to receive a hearing before Friday’s cutoff. The cutoff trims the list of bills under consideration.

But SB 5400 is exempt from the cutoff because it’s budget related, Pedersen, a Seattle Democrat, confirmed.

“The bill does not face cutoff because it affects state revenue so it will be in play, potentially, all the way to the end of session,” he said.

I initially saw the lack of a hearing in the Ways & Means Committee as a sign that the bill was losing momentum. It was also surprising because the chair, Sen. June Robinson, represents the Everett area hit hard by cutbacks at The Herald.

But Liias said it’s actually a “helpful sign” and shared details of his conversations with Robinson.

That committee has 75 or 100 bills it has to hear and move by Friday and forcing a hearing on the journalism bill, which doesn’t have that deadline, would have been counterproductive, he said.

“She just said we don’t have to move this Friday, we can work on this later,” he said. “She did not say no, which I think if I had forced her or pushed her, we might have gotten to a no.”

Liias said this also gives more time for people to contact legislators and urge them to pass SB 5400. Supportive responses so far from “everyday people” have been a big help, he said.

“There isn’t a lobbying group that can blast email us from their list,” he said. “The messages we’re getting are from Washingtonians who see the coverage and think it’s a good idea and are writing in more spontaneously and organically.”

Pedersen said legislators are concerned about democracy and see firsthand how many fewer reporters are covering government.

But during this legislative session, budget writers “are needing to make a pretty high wall against new stuff.”

Meanwhile, Washington’s news ecosystem continues shrinking.

Since SB 5400 was introduced in January, Whatcom County lost a newspaper as the locally owned Ferndale Record and Lynden Tribune merged into a single publication.

In the state’s opposite corner, The Times of Waitsburg announced it was ending print publication this month because of rising production costs. But it received a temporary reprieve after receiving donations to keep printing, and will convert to nonprofit status, The Lewiston Tribune reported on Feb. 21.

Washington is likely to see more newspaper closures, layoffs and print cuts before the Legislature reconvenes in 2026. Tariffs sought by President Donald Trump may increase the price of newsprint, much of which comes from Canada, by 25%.

Newsroom grants won’t halt rising costs or Trump’s press attacks.

But they would help small publishers stay afloat and employ journalists until conditions improve. They would also support retaining and adding journalists at other newsrooms, including online-only outlets and radio and TV stations.

“People need to just keep sharing their support and articulating why this is important,” Liias said, “and I think that’s what’s getting the Legislature to continue to consider this.”

To find your state senator and representatives, and send them a message, visit leg.wa.gov.

This is excerpted from the free, weekly Voices for a Free Press newsletter. Sign up to receive it at the Save the Free Press website, st.news/SavetheFreePress. Seattle Times’ Brier Dudley is the editor of the Free Press Initiative, which aims to inform the public about issues facing newspapers, local news coverage, and a free press. You can learn more about the Free Press Initiative, or sign up for a newsletter, at https://company.seattletimes.com/save-the-free-press/.