Madison, WI – Led by Representative Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) and Representative Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls), a bipartisan group of 24 state representatives and 9 state senators is urging Congress to reject a proposed ten-year federal moratorium on state artificial intelligence (AI) legislation included in the House reconciliation package. In a joint letter delivered Thursday evening to U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin, lawmakers argue the measure would be an unprecedented federal overreach that violates the Tenth Amendment by preventing states from addressing rapidly evolving AI issues through their own laws.
The lawmakers’ call comes as The Hill reports the Senate Parliamentarian has requested a rewrite of the proposed AI provision, potentially signaling hurdles for its inclusion in the final package. The Wisconsin legislators’ letter highlights existing state laws regulating AI, including a ban on nonconsensual explicit AI-generated images, and warns the federal moratorium would freeze important efforts under consideration to regulate AI in elections, law enforcement, and employment, leaving states unable to protect residents or respond to technological change.
Senator Ron Johnson’s office issued a statement that he is “a firm NO on the AI moratorium provision.”
