Bipartisan House Bill Seeks to Promote AI Development, Establish Safeguards

As Congress considers how to turn the Trump administration’s National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence into legislation, a new bipartisan bill aims to promote AI development at the federal level while putting some standards and safeguards in place.

On April 27, Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA) introduced the American Leadership in AI Act (H.R. 8516). The bill brings together more than 20 legislative proposals that stem from Lieu and Obernolte’s work leading the House’s Bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Task Force, which issued a report on guiding principles and recommendations for AI in December 2024.

“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 joint 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.”

Key provisions of the bill include:

• Advancing voluntary standards, testing frameworks, and AI evaluation tools.
• Directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology to identify and promote best practices for transparency, safety, security, and performance.
• Creating resources for small businesses to use AI, such as technical standards, benchmarks, and processes for integrating AI systems.
• Supporting collaboration across academia, industry, and government.
• Enhancing the government’s ability to track and respond to AI-related vulnerabilities.
• Strengthening the talent pipeline and promoting key sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, and cybersecurity.

Following its introduction, the bill was referred to the House committees on Science, Space, and Technology; Energy and Commerce; Agriculture; Oversight and Government Reform; Education and Workforce; Judiciary; and Ways and Means.