Tonight, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to remove a ten-year moratorium on state AI regulations from the Republican budget reconciliation bill. The amendment was co-sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). The final vote was 99-1.
Senator Cantwell stated, "The Senate came together tonight to say that we can't just run over good state consumer protection laws." She emphasized the importance of allowing states to combat issues like robocalls and deepfakes while ensuring safety in autonomous vehicle laws. Cantwell also highlighted the need for a national framework on Artificial Intelligence that supports U.S. leadership while protecting consumers.
Concerns had been raised about a provision forcing states to choose between enforcing AI consumer protections or accepting federal BEAD funding for broadband expansion. State officials, including 17 Republican Governors and 40 Attorneys General, along with organizations from across the political spectrum, opposed this proposal.
On June 6, Commerce Secretary Lutnick issued guidance delaying state broadband deployment under the BEAD program. Sen. Cantwell criticized this as part of a "one-two punch" alongside the AI moratorium. Following this, she led efforts within her committee to address these concerns through letters and discussions with stakeholders.
By June 25, Sen. Cantwell expressed strong opposition to new language in the reconciliation bill linking $42 billion in BEAD funding to states' agreement not to enforce AI laws. Her office released statements from hundreds of organizations against the moratorium leading up to her introduction of an amendment with Sen. Edward Markey on June 30.
Ultimately, an amendment was introduced with Sen. Blackburn that successfully removed the provision from the bill.
