Lieu, Obernolte Roll Out Legislative Package to Shape US AI Policy

A legislative package introduced to the House Monday afternoon includes over 20 bipartisan proposals to advance recommendations made by the Bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force.  

The American Leadership in AI Act, introduced by Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., who both served as co-chairs of the task force, aims to bridge partisan divides and build on the task force’s 66 key findings and 89 recommendations. 

The Bipartisan AI Task Force included 24 members of Congress from 20 House committees to explore challenges and opportunities presented by AI. That work culminated in a report, which broke down its findings and recommendations across 14 areas to serve as a roadmap for future AI-related legislative efforts in Congress. 

“The American Leadership in AI Act builds on the strong bipartisan foundation already laid by our colleagues, incorporating and advancing bipartisan legislation previously introduced by Members across the House,” Lieu and Obernolte said in a statement. 

“By unifying these efforts, this package reflects the thoughtful, consensus-driven work already underway and translates it into a cohesive strategy to strengthen U.S. leadership in AI. At a time of deep political division, this package demonstrates that serious, forward-looking policymaking is still possible,” they continued. 

The more than 20 legislative proposals included the larger legislative package focus on AI standards, innovation, governance, workforce development, and public safety.  

Some aim to ramp up efforts to measure and evaluate AI systems through improved testing frameworks and expanded leadership in global standards-setting, tasking the National Institute of Standards and Technology to promote best practices. 

Other proposals invest in research infrastructure and cross-sector collaboration to accelerate innovation, while modernizing federal AI governance, procurement, and security to better track risks and standardize oversight.  

Workforce initiatives included in the package aim to expand AI education, strengthen the talent pipeline, and study labor market impacts. The package also targets rising threats, including tougher safeguards against AI-enabled crime and deepfakes. 

No comprehensive pieces of AI-related regulatory legislation have been passed at the federal level. However, Congress has introduced well over 150 AI-related bills over the past few years.