diff --git a/backend/alembic/versions/0009_fix_news_articles_url_uniqueness.py b/backend/alembic/versions/0009_fix_news_articles_url_uniqueness.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4bc6001
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/alembic/versions/0009_fix_news_articles_url_uniqueness.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+"""fix news_articles url uniqueness to per-bill scope
+
+Previously url was globally unique, meaning the same article could only
+be stored for one bill. This changes it to (bill_id, url) unique so the
+same article can appear in multiple bills' news panels.
+
+Revision ID: 0009
+Revises: 0008
+Create Date: 2026-03-01
+"""
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+revision = "0009"
+down_revision = "0008"
+branch_labels = None
+depends_on = None
+
+
+def upgrade():
+    # Drop the old global unique constraint on url
+    op.drop_constraint("news_articles_url_key", "news_articles", type_="unique")
+    # Add per-bill unique constraint
+    op.create_unique_constraint("uq_news_articles_bill_url", "news_articles", ["bill_id", "url"])
+
+
+def downgrade():
+    op.drop_constraint("uq_news_articles_bill_url", "news_articles", type_="unique")
+    op.create_unique_constraint("news_articles_url_key", "news_articles", ["url"])
diff --git a/backend/app/api/bills.py b/backend/app/api/bills.py
index 6429732..acd9dd7 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/bills.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/bills.py
@@ -109,6 +109,15 @@ async def get_bill(bill_id: str, db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)):
         detail.latest_brief = bill.briefs[0]
     if bill.trend_scores:
         detail.latest_trend = bill.trend_scores[0]
+
+    # Trigger a background news refresh if no articles are stored yet
+    if not bill.news_articles:
+        try:
+            from app.workers.news_fetcher import fetch_news_for_bill
+            fetch_news_for_bill.delay(bill_id)
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+
     return detail
 
 
diff --git a/backend/app/models/news.py b/backend/app/models/news.py
index a770806..f7eae60 100644
--- a/backend/app/models/news.py
+++ b/backend/app/models/news.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from sqlalchemy import Column, Integer, String, Text, Float, DateTime, ForeignKey, Index
+from sqlalchemy import Column, Integer, String, Text, Float, DateTime, ForeignKey, Index, UniqueConstraint
 from sqlalchemy.orm import relationship
 from sqlalchemy.sql import func
 
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ class NewsArticle(Base):
     bill_id = Column(String, ForeignKey("bills.bill_id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=False)
     source = Column(String(200))
     headline = Column(Text)
-    url = Column(String, unique=True)
+    url = Column(String)
     published_at = Column(DateTime(timezone=True))
     relevance_score = Column(Float, default=0.0)
     created_at = Column(DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=func.now())
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ class NewsArticle(Base):
     bill = relationship("Bill", back_populates="news_articles")
 
     __table_args__ = (
+        UniqueConstraint("bill_id", "url", name="uq_news_articles_bill_url"),
         Index("ix_news_articles_bill_id", "bill_id"),
         Index("ix_news_articles_published_at", "published_at"),
     )
diff --git a/backend/app/workers/news_fetcher.py b/backend/app/workers/news_fetcher.py
index a8fce68..9b208d3 100644
--- a/backend/app/workers/news_fetcher.py
+++ b/backend/app/workers/news_fetcher.py
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ def fetch_news_for_bill(self, bill_id: str):
             url = article.get("url")
             if not url:
                 continue
-            # Idempotency: skip duplicate URLs
-            existing = db.query(NewsArticle).filter_by(url=url).first()
+            # Idempotency: skip duplicates per bill (same article can appear for multiple bills)
+            existing = db.query(NewsArticle).filter_by(bill_id=bill_id, url=url).first()
             if existing:
                 continue
             pub_at = None