HB 1746 Missouri House · 2026 Regular Session

Establishes the "AI Nonsentience and Responsibility Act"

HB 1746 declares AI systems non-sentient entities under state law and assigns legal responsibility for their actions to humans. It prohibits AI from holding legal personhood, marriage rights, corporate roles, or owning property - requiring all assets and liability to remain with owners, developers, or users. The bill mandates owners to maintain oversight for AI systems impacting safety, holds developers liable only for design defects (not misuse), and prevents companies from evading accountability through shell entities. It applies to all AI developed after August 28, 2026, and requires prompt reporting of severe incidents involving AI.

Issues: ✓ Technology

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Dec 1, 2025 Last action Mar 30, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was expanded to include HB 1769 and significantly rewritten to align with federal definitions and modernize AI liability rules. The most critical change is the replacement of the 'Owner' definition with 'Deployer,' shifting legal responsibility to whoever controls or operates the AI system rather than just the one who bought it. The act now explicitly references federal standards for risk management and adds a grace period for organizations that adopt compliance plans before the law's effective date.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a single bill to cover two related bills (HB 1746 and HB 1769), and the applicability of liability rules shifted from 'Owners' to 'Deployers' to better reflect modern AI usage.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Owner' was removed and replaced with 'Deployer,' which covers anyone who creates, controls, or operates an AI system, ensuring liability falls on those with actual authority over the technology.

New definitions were added for 'End-user' and 'Person' to clarify that users do not control the AI and that AI systems are explicitly excluded from having legal personhood.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for oversight measures was updated to mandate adherence to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) AI Risk Management Framework or equivalent state standards.

Liability rules were refined to clarify that developers and deployers can be absolved of criminal wrongdoing or punitive damages if they followed proper oversight standards, even in cases of negligence.

TIMELINE

A transition period was added allowing developers or deployers who adopt a compliance policy and implementation plan before August 28, 2026, to delay full compliance requirements until March 1, 2027.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

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Key actions

Committee

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 9 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0

lower

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Mar 11, 2026

Committee

Referred: Rules - Administrative(H)

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 10 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

HCS Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Jan 8, 2026

Committee

Referred: Emerging Issues(H)

lower

Dec 1, 2025

Introduced

Prefiled (H)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor