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Governor vetoes news advertising bill.Wes Moore (D), left, speaks at the airport extension ribbon cutting in St.Mary's County earlier this year while Commissioner President Randy Guy (R) looks on.With the General Assembly coming to a close last month, Moore is signing or vetoing bills that passed the Senate and the House.One of his vetoes rejects a bill related to local news organization advertising.Despite overwhelming support from the state Senate and House of Delegates, a bill related to local news advertising will not be signed into law.On May 22, Gov.Wes Moore (D) vetoed Senate Bill 459, which would have required Maryland’s state agencies to spend 50% of their advertising budget with the state’s local news organizations.In a letter to State Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore city), Moore explained his decision to veto the bill, citing the uptick in digital advertising as well as paywalls and high subscription costs.“A mandate directing state advertising funds to outlets whose contents are accessible only to paying subscribers does not serve the state’s interest in reaching the broadest possible audience,” Moore said in the letter.“Marylanders who do not subscribe to a given outlet will not see the state’s message regardless of how much the state spends to place it there.” Southern Maryland News asked Ammar Moussa, Moore's senior press secretary and director of media strategy, for a statement or interview.Moussa declined the request and said the veto letter spoke for itself.The MDDC Press Association announced the veto in a May 22 email newsletter, stating, “This is a stunning blow to Maryland’s news organizations, including print, digital, broadcast and radio outlets and displays a lack of knowledge about the advertising placement capabilities of Maryland’s local news.” “It was disappointing to see the governor’s decision to veto the bill,” said Orestes Baez, regional president of Adams MultiMedia, which includes Southern Maryland News.“Saying ‘yes’ would have benefited both Maryland and the local media business.” The Senate was unanimous in its approval of the bill on April 13, which was the last day of this year’s 90-day General Assembly session, while the House’s third reading passed 129-7.All seven members of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, including chair Del.Matt Morgan (R-St.Mary’s) and Del.Mark Fisher (R-Calvert), voted against the bill.“It gets back to management of the government,” Morgan told Southern Maryland News last month.“Mandates in general … we don’t vote for them.” In the past, MDDC supported legislation focused on reporter issues and local media organizations, but revenue problems prevented the bills from moving forward, MDDC executive director Rebecca Snyder told Southern Maryland News last month.Moore cited expense concerns in his letter, stating, “If enacted, Senate Bill 459 would force the state into an untenable choice: increase its overall advertising budget to maintain current levels of reach and effectiveness or reduce its advertising reach to remain within existing budget constraints.It’s my assessment that neither outcome serves the public interest.”