Attorney General Charity Clark today led a coalition of 40 attorneys general in a bipartisan letter to Congress voicing opposition to a budget amendment that prohibits states from enforcing artificial intelligence (AI) laws. The sweeping and dangerous U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee amendment to the budget reconciliation bill imposes a 10-year prohibition on states from enforcing any state law or regulation addressing AI and automated decision-making systems. If enacted, the amendment would strip away essential state protections without replacing them with a viable federal regulatory framework and silence state leaders who are best positioned to respond.
Without responsible oversight, unregulated AI presents real, immediate dangers ranging from explicit material and election interference to deception, exploitation, and harassment against consumers. In the absence of federal partnership, state legislatures and attorneys general have continued to be at the forefront of ensuring AI is not abused and that consumers are protected.
“AI is a new frontier for consumer protection,” said Attorney General Clark. “With this emerging technology, we need to make sure that elections are protected, consumers are safe from scams, and that our data privacy is preserved. I am proud to lead this bipartisan effort, joined by attorneys general from across the country, and to support the work of legislative leaders in protecting Americans.”
As the letter to Congress emphasizes, state laws and regulations “have been developed over years through careful consideration and extensive stakeholder input from consumers, industry, and advocates. And, in the years ahead, additional matters—many unforeseeable today given the rapidly evolving nature of this technology—are likely to arise.”
Any effort to prohibit states from enacting and enforcing laws aimed at regulating AI and protecting consumers will leave AI entirely unregulated at any level and Americans completely exposed to its known harms and evolving, real-world risks—ultimately leading to dangerous consequences for the American people. In their letter, the bipartisan coalition of attorneys general respectfully urge Congress to reject the AI moratorium added to the budget reconciliation bill.
Attorney General Clark led this coalition along with the attorneys general of Colorado, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. They are joined in this letter by the attorneys general of American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
A copy of today’s letter can be found here.
Contact: Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171