The Best AI Bill Congress Hasn't Introduced Yet

Representatives Jay Obernolte, a California Republican, and Lori Trahan, a Massachusetts Democrat, released a 269-page discussion draft for the Great American AI Act. It's not yet a formal bill—discussion drafts are released to collect feedback before official introduction. The core proposal: states would be barred from enforcing their own AI laws for three years, while the federal government imposes transparency on large frontier AI developers through published safety frameworks, critical-incident reporting, and semi-annual audits. Per LessWrong, which examined all 269 pages, this is the best-drafted federal AI bill to date, though it contains significant flaws. One is the missing severability clause—if a court strikes down one section, the entire deal could collapse. Another is that violation penalties cap at a million dollars per day, which may be negligible for billion-dollar companies. The sponsors have opened a public inbox to collect technical corrections before the bill formally moves forward.

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