AI R&D problem
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., launched a invoice on Feb. 9 that may ask the director of the National Science Foundation to spearhead award competitions for brand spanking new synthetic intelligence analysis and improvement.
The AI Grand Challenges Act of 2026 seeks to create a brand new program helmed by NSF to incentivize new analysis in AI fields, notably specializing in key coverage areas like nationwide safety, cybersecurity, well being, power, transportation, manufacturing, quantum computing, supplies science and more. The solely mandated problem in the measure would direct the head of the National Institutes of Health to participate in establishing a health-AI contest targeted on most cancers detection.
The National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee would assist NSF assemble and launch the program, which might then be managed by the General Services Administration via the area Challenges.gov. In holding with the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, judges for the contest could embody people from the non-public sector.
A companion House bill was launched the similar day by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. Prior to this week’s introduction, Booker proposed the same model of the invoice in 2024. Changes between the outdated and new variations of the invoice, shared with Nextgov/FCW, job the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee with serving to form the program, arrange a possible phased course of for the problem and add a brand new part allowing the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to work with related companies to determine and publish information units to be used by problem members.
Senate model of ePermit invoice
A bipartisan group of senators launched an initiative to assist modernize the federal allowing course of with the assist of cloud-based applied sciences.
The ePermit Act, introduced by Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., John Curtis, R-Utah, Cory Booker, D-N.J., Dave McCormick, R-Pa., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Steve Daines, R-Mont., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., builds off of ongoing efforts to replace federal environmental overview processing with superior know-how.
Specifically, the Council on Environmental Quality is tasked with growing, publishing and routinely updating the information requirements for the data gathered from conducting environmental evaluations. If the invoice passes, federal companies could be required to undertake information administration instruments to more simply entry environmental overview data.
With a companion bill in the House already handed, senators launched their model to assist the adoption and growth of digital instruments to facilitate environmental overview completion and subsequent allowing procedures.
“There is no reason critical permitting reviews should be delayed by outdated, bureaucratic systems,” stated Padilla in a press release. “Modernizing our systems through digital tools and standardizing permitting data collection across agencies will save money and time while preserving strong environmental standards and public input. E-permitting is a commonsense solution with bipartisan support, and I will keep working across the aisle to get it done.”
AI for small companies
Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., launched the Small Business Artificial Intelligence Training Act on Thursday.
The invoice asks the Commerce Department to associate with the Small Business Administration to create and disseminate AI coaching assets and instruments for small companies. In a press launch, Moran stated the measure intends to assist the skill of small companies in rural areas to undertake and profit from AI instruments.
“This legislation would help small businesses use AI to meet their needs, expand and innovate,” he stated. “Combining these tools with a trained workforce will help make certain the U.S. is utilizing AI to grow our economy and bolster businesses in Kansas and across the country.”
Other provisions in the invoice would leverage the Small Business Development Centers community to deploy these assets nationwide and have Commerce create grants for organizations seeking to develop coaching applications pursuant to the invoice, with a situation that 25% of grant funds go towards small companies positioned in rural or underserved areas.
Methane detection and response
House lawmakers launched a invoice on Feb. 10 that may apply superior applied sciences to enhance methane emission detection and mitigation.
The Methane Monitoring Science Act, launched by Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., instructs NASA to work with management at related federal companies to analysis present and future methane detection applied sciences and their efficacy in detecting fuel leaks.
The final result of this work might be a federal technique to assess and consider methods to enhance these strategies with information integration and sharing from different indicators to reply to larger-scale methane leaks.
“Identifying methane leaks is critical for the success of the American energy and methane mitigation industry,” said Beyer. “Innovative technologies are available to capture methane leakage, but a primary challenge is finding and tracking those leaks. Our legislation would coordinate monitoring systems and technologies to identify leaks more quickly and effectively than they can now.”
The invoice was submitted as an modification to the bigger NASA reauthorization invoice for this 12 months.
Protecting copyrighted materials utilized in AI fashions
Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and John Curtis, R-Utah, have teamed as much as introduce the Copyright Labeling and Ethical AI Reporting — or CLEAR — Act, a invoice that goals to assist the copyright and mental property rights of creators whose work is used to coach AI fashions.
Introduced on Feb. 10, the CLEAR Act would require AI builders to reveal the particular coaching supplies they use and file a discover with the Register of Copyrights previous to releasing a brand new generative AI mannequin that particulars all of the copyrighted materials utilized in coaching datasets.
The invoice would then require the Copyright Office to create a brand new public repository of notices, impose fines for corporations that fail to submit disclosures, and be certain that these apply retroactively to at present obtainable AI fashions, like ChatGPT and Claude.
“Congress must help encourage AI innovation, but not without transparency and accountability,” Curtis said. “The CLEAR Act strikes the right balance by protecting creators’ intellectual property while providing clear expectations for companies.”
Emerging tech for nuclear waste cleanup
On Wednesday, Sens. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., launched a invoice to modernize the nuclear waste cleanup course of as a method to additional assist the Department of Energy’s Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship.
The Combining Laboratory Expertise to Accelerate Novel Solutions for Minimizing Accumulated Radioactive Toxins — or CLEAN SMART — Act mainly seeks to codify the environmental administration and stewardship community inside Energy. In addition to providing more funding for the community, the invoice would leverage the nationwide laboratory equipment to help in growing new applied sciences to facilitate cleanup efforts.
$55 million could be allotted for the nuclear cleanup efforts for fiscal 12 months 2027 and annually thereafter. Network coordination and operation efforts would obtain a separate $3 million schedule for fiscal 12 months 2027 and thereafter, ought to the invoice be handed into legislation.
“Across the country, our National Labs — like Sandia and Los Alamos — are home to our brightest minds who drive innovation and scientific advancement,” said Luján. “As we continue to address our nation’s environmental legacy from the Manhattan Project and the Cold War, I’m proud to partner with Senator Scott to introduce the CLEAN SMART Act to leverage the expertise of our National Labs to speed up the cleanup process while saving taxpayers billions.”
Prohibiting adversarial tech tax breaks
Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, launched the Deterring Adversarial Access to Americans’ Data Act on Feb. 11, a invoice that may revoke tax incentives that inspire the utilization of know-how linked to overseas adversaries.
The invoice targets a spot inside the Internal Revenue Code to increase the Foreign Entity of Concern guidelines to use to pick out power incentives. The Deterring Adversarial Access to Americans’ Data Act would require corporations to remove relationships with overseas adversary-controlled know-how to be able to stay eligible for advantages like analysis tax credit and backed analysis and improvement bills.
“Taxpayer dollars should not subsidize business decisions that expose American data and supply chains to foreign adversaries,” Moran said. “Companies remain free to choose the technology they use, but eligibility for federal tax incentives is a privilege that should come with a responsibility to protect our economic and national security.”