# Plain Language Summary: 21st Century Federal Writers' Project Act

This bill creates a new government program that would pay unemployed and underemployed workers to write about and photograph American life today. The Department of Labor would hand out grants to organizations like nonprofits, news outlets, libraries, and journalism groups, which would then hire these workers to document stories, experiences, and conditions across the country. The idea is inspired by a similar program from the 1930s Great Depression that employed thousands of writers and photographers to create guides and record oral histories—work that became historically important and helped launch the careers of famous authors like Ralph Ellison and Zora Neale Hurston.

The bill addresses two current problems: many people are struggling to find full-time work, and local news organizations are disappearing at an alarming rate. According to the bill, over 360 newspapers closed between 2019 and 2022, and about 7 percent of American counties now have no local news outlet at all. By funding this project, the government would create jobs for writers, journalists, photographers, and researchers while also ensuring that stories about modern American life get documented and preserved for the future.

Organizations that receive grants would hire workers to create written pieces, photographs, and other materials capturing what life is like in their communities right now. The government would collect all these works and store them at the Library of Congress so anyone can access them online or in print. The bill sets aside $60 million in funding and requires the program to prioritize hiring people with journalism or writing experience, while also making sure the work gets done in different parts of the country—both cities and rural areas, including tribal lands.