An Update from the House

The House of Representatives had several bills introduced this week—Representative Parker Moore’s HB324 and HB325, along with Representative Ben Robbins’ HB327—that reflect a growing trend of state-level artificial intelligence regulation that creates new private rights of action, an approach BCA fundamentally opposes. As states across the country take differing approaches to AI policy, President Trump issued an executive order calling for a uniform, minimally burdensome national framework and directing the U.S. Department of Justice to challenge state AI laws that inhibit innovation or extend beyond state borders. The order also authorizes federal agencies to restrict certain discretionary funding, including broadband funds, for states that enact or enforce overly burdensome AI regulations.

The House approved Representative Rhett Marques’ HB181, which would establish new requirements for the reuse of dredged material from large coastal dredging projects, as well as HB78, sponsored by Representative Jeana Ross, creating guidelines for limited screen time for children in childcare facilities, certain pre-K programs, and kindergarten. Representative Terri Collins’ HB122 also received final passage. This bill would allow experienced math and science teachers in the Teacher Excellence and Accountability for Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) program to receive a contract offer of up to 5 years, rather than the required full 5-year contract, giving schools more flexibility. Representative Frances Holk-Jones’s HB300, which would require health benefit plans covering breast cancer screening or diagnostic imaging to do so without any cost-sharing, received a favorable report from the House Insurance Committee.