Republicans in the Senate have rewritten their party’s comprehensive tax measure in an effort to maintain a new rule that would bar states from regulating AI for ten years.
Senate Republicans put out a bill Thursday night that would prevent states from receiving federal funds for broadband projects if they govern artificial intelligence. This is different from a clause in the tax overhaul that was approved by the House that just prohibited any state regulation of AI, either present or future, for ten years.
Sen. Ted Cruz, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a statement announcing the amendments that these provisions reflect the mandate that the voters gave to President Trump and Congressional Republicans: to unleash America’s full economic potential and keep her secure from threats.
State lawmakers in both Democratic and Republican-led states have expressed their ire at the planned prohibition, and some digital safety advocates who are worried about how AI may evolve as the technology develops quickly have expressed concern. But prominent AI executives, such as Sam Altman of OpenAI, have argued to lawmakers that innovation will be hampered by a “patchwork” of state AI laws.
Republicans in the House are likewise uncomfortable with the clause. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., voted in favor of the House bill but later opposed the AI regulatory embargo. According to her, she hadn’t read that part of the bill.
We should be reducing federal power and preserving state power. Not the other way around,” Greene wrote on social media.
The modification was made by Senate Republicans in an effort to adhere to the special procedure that uses a simple majority vote to enact the tax bill. In order to be in compliance with those regulations, any clause must primarily address the federal budget rather than government policy. Republican leaders effectively contend that they would satisfy the Senate’s requirement for a majority vote by imposing requirements on states in order for them to obtain certain federal allocations, in this case, money for broadband internet infrastructure.
Cruz told reporters Thursday that he will present his case to a Senate lawmaker next week on why the updated ban complies with the regulations. The member of parliament advises the chamber on appropriate regulations and protocols. Both party senators have previously followed the lawmakers’ conclusions, even though they are not legally binding.
Although senators typically contend that Congress should be in charge of regulating AI, the two parties have not been able to reach an agreement that satisfies the differing concerns of Republicans and Democrats.
Significant modifications to the federal government’s commercial spectrum range auction process are also included in the GOP legislation. These new clauses broaden the spectrum available for commercial usage, a topic that has caused politicians to disagree on how to strike a compromise between security concerns and giving telecom companies access to additional frequencies for commercial wireless use.
Senators want to adopt the tax plan later this month, which includes the extension of 2017 rate cuts and other perks from President Donald Trump’s first term, as well as additional tax breaks and hefty social program cuts.
