Ahead of the Illinois General Assembly’s hearing on the proposed Journalism Preservation Act, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has submitted a coalition letter opposing SB 3591.

The CCIA, alongside 11 civil society and industry associations, voiced concerns regarding the bill's constitutionality. The letter highlighted potential violations of the First Amendment and conflicts with the Supremacy Clause. Furthermore, SB 3591 is said to impose a link tax and interfere with interstate commerce by taxing links to out-of-state content.

For over 25 years, the Computer & Communications Industry Association has advocated for policies that support online access to information.

CCIA State Director Khara Boender stated: “Illinois’ Journalism Preservation Act would establish a tax on the most basic tenets of free information sharing on the internet. Local publications depend on links being shared on search engines and social media and the bill’s vague language would both provide financial incentives for clickbait as well as provide funding to large out-of-state publications and media conglomerates. We urge lawmakers to resist advancing a proposal that will not only fail to achieve its goal but would have serious negative consequences.”