create a pathway for local newspapers to operate as nonprofits. They attributed the loss of local ad revenue to the shift in media consumption habits: "As consumers have turned to online platforms like Facebook and Google to read the news, advertisers have followed, taking away a vital source of revenue local publications need to maintain their staffing levels. Local news organizations do not get a cut of the financial benefit when their stories are shared online". The bill grants local news companies a 48-month safe harbor from anti-trust laws to negotiate with prominent online platforms for ad profits to address the shortage of journalists. In May 2019, DeSaulnier introduced the Bots Research Act (H.R. 2860), a bill to establish a task force of experts at the Federal Trade Commission to determine the impact of bots on social media, public discourse, and elections. As of October 2021, DeSaulnier had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time. Committee assignments Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee on National Security Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Subcommittee on Aviation Committee on Rules Caucuses Congressional Innovation and the Human Condition Caucus (Chair) Congressional Friends of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Caucus (Co-Chair) Congressional Cancer Survivors Caucus (Co-Chair) Congressional Caucus on Urban Regional Studies (Co-Chair) American Sikh Congressional Caucus Innovation and the Human Condition Caucus Congressional Progressive Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Out of Poverty Caucus Humanities Caucus Animal Protection Caucus Safe Climate Caucus Medicare for All Caucus Political positions Abortion DeSaulnier has a F rating from the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List for his abortion-related voting record. He opposed the overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it "an assault on the freedom of all women and an attack on equality." Electoral history Personal life A member of the Concord Chamber of Commerce and the Contra Costa Council, DeSaulnier lives in Concord, California, where he raised his two sons. He is an avid runner and has completed 23 marathons. In May 2016, DeSaulnier announced that he had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2015 and had undergone chemotherapy. While the cancer was described as incurable, DeSaulnier said he would still seek reelection. On March 13, 2020, DeSaulnier was hospitalized