Parliamentarian requests AI moratorium rewrite

The Senate parliamentarian is asking the Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) to rework his 10-year moratorium on enforcing state artificial intelligence laws, according to Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA). Cruz’s communications director Macarena Martinez said, “Out of respect, we are not going to comment on private consultations with the Parliamentarian,” and added, “The Democrats would be wise not to use this process to wishcast in public.” At issue is the scope of funding that will be conditioned on states complying with a 10-year pause on enforcing their AI laws. Chairman Cruz has said enforcing the moratorium would be required for states to tap into a new $500 million fund for building out AI infrastructure. The parliamentarian approved that language, a narrowed version of an earlier proposal to tie the moratorium to the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Democrats have argued that the latest moratorium would still affect all $42 billion. The AI moratorium has divided Republicans. A group of GOP senators—including Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri and others—sent a letter to Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) urging the removal of the moratorium language.