HR 5090, the HONOR Act, amends military law to make it a punishable offense for service members to knowingly share intimate images or AI-generated forgeries of others without consent. It specifically targets nonconsensual distribution of images showing genitals, pubic areas, or sexual conduct (including AI-altered images), whether the person was a minor or not, if done to cause harm or without consent. The bill defines key terms like "intimate visual depiction" and "digital forgery," while exempting lawful law enforcement activities and medical/legal disclosures. This directly affects all U.S. military personnel under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, imposing penalties through court-martial for violations.
S 1378, the TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act, directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop and use artificial intelligence (AI) weather models to improve forecasting accuracy for extreme weather, wildfires, and related hazards. The bill requires NOAA to create public datasets for AI training, test AI-based global and regional weather models, and share operational AI models and associated data with the public at no cost (subject to security safeguards). It mandates continued support for traditional weather observation systems and numerical models while exploring AI applications for wildfire risk mitigation, emergency preparedness, and data assimilation. The legislation authorizes $311 million for fiscal year 2026 and $76 million annually through 2030 for these initiatives, with reports to Congress on implementation progress and security risks.
This bill establishes the United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative to accelerate joint development and integration of defense technologies between the two countries. It directs the U.S. Secretary of Defense, with Israel’s agreement, to identify Israeli-origin technologies for rapid adoption into U.S. military systems, focusing on areas like counter-drone systems, missile defense (including "Golden Dome for America"), AI, cyber defense, and directed energy. The initiative requires annual congressional reporting on progress, partnerships with industry, and technology transitions, while authorizing $150 million annually for fiscal years 2027-2029. It aims to strengthen bilateral defense innovation and streamline the use of Israeli technologies within U.S. military programs.
HR 5360, the AWARE Act, requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create and publish public educational resources about AI chatbot safety within 180 days of the bill becoming law. These resources will specifically help parents, educators, and minors (under age 18) understand safe AI chatbot use, including how to identify risks, privacy practices, and supervision strategies. The FTC must model these materials after its existing Youville program. The bill defines "AI chatbot" as consumer-facing interactive AI systems but does not regulate or restrict chatbot development or use.
The Governing for the People Act (HR 7007) includes several key policy changes: it extends film and television production tax deductions through 2030 with increased dollar limits ($30 million for most productions, $40 million for certain areas), creates grants for AI literacy programs targeting marginalized communities, and requires health insurers to cover annual lung cancer screenings without cost-sharing for eligible individuals aged 50-80 at increased risk. The bill also establishes new provisions to prevent fraud against veterans' benefits by making it a crime to defraud individuals of such benefits and modifies House of Representatives conduct rules to prohibit certain sexual relationships between members and employees. These changes directly affect film producers, AI education providers, health insurers, veterans, and House members.
The Facial Recognition Act of 2025 regulates law enforcement use of facial recognition technology by requiring court orders for most searches of reference photo databases, with limited exceptions for emergencies or specific situations like identifying victims or those in AMBER alerts. The bill mandates annual accuracy and bias testing of facial recognition systems by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, requires removal of photos from arrest databases for certain individuals (like minors or those not charged), and establishes detailed reporting requirements for all facial recognition use. It prohibits using facial recognition for immigration enforcement or to track people's constitutional rights, and creates civil remedies for violations. The bill applies to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, with potential funding reductions for states that fail to comply with its requirements.
HR 6624, the Biological Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2025, requires export licenses for digital files representing human- or AI-designed synthetic DNA or RNA sequences when sent to foreign entities linked to countries designated as national security concerns (like China). It directly affects biotechnology companies and researchers exporting such digital sequence data, mandating licenses for these specific exports within one year of the law's enactment. The key mechanism is a new license requirement under export controls, targeting digital files that could reveal sensitive biotechnology research. This policy change aims to prevent foreign adversaries from accessing U.S. biotech intellectual property through synthetic biology data exports.
This bill requires that public comments on federal land management rules (administered by the Bureau of Land Management) must come only from U.S. citizens, replacing the previous standard. It mandates that agencies implement CAPTCHA systems to prevent artificial intelligence from submitting comments, explicitly stating this is to deter AI-driven public involvement. The changes apply to rulemaking under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, affecting how the public can participate in decisions about national public lands. The bill does not alter land management policies but modifies the process for gathering public input.
HR 3807, the FAST Act, authorizes the Department of Defense to purchase artificial intelligence-related software and data using flexible, subscription-based models (like "software as a service" or "data as a service") instead of traditional one-time purchases. It allows the DoD to use existing funding for these acquisitions and requires new regulations to govern how such procurements are managed and overseen. The bill directly affects the DoD’s AI development efforts by changing procurement rules to enable faster access to modern technology. Key provisions include permitting cloud-based data/software delivery, modifying existing software, and requiring oversight rules for AI system acquisitions.
This bill (HR 5332) mandates a federal review of liquid cooling technologies for data centers, requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess their research needs, costs, benefits, and market adoption within 90 days. The study will evaluate how liquid cooling compares to air cooling for efficiency, safety, and heat reuse, including waste heat capture for secondary uses. It directly affects federal agencies operating data centers (like the Department of Energy) by informing future infrastructure decisions. The GAO report and subsequent Department of Energy assessment will guide potential policy but do not fund or require adoption of liquid cooling.
