HR 425

                                                  PRINTER'S NO.    2969
                THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
         HOUSE RESOLUTION
            No. 425
                                            Session of
                                              2026
INTRODUCED BY HADDOCK, CIRESI, PIELLI, HILL-EVANS, WAXMAN,
   RIVERA AND VENKAT, MARCH 5, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY,
   MARCH 9, 2026
                             A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the United States Congress to suspend any and all efforts
2    to pass Federal legislation that would impose a moratorium on
3    state-level artificial intelligence regulation; recognizing
4    the potential benefits along with the risks of misuse and
5    systemic harm of artificial intelligence; acknowledging the
6    importance of state regulation of such technologies; and
7    reaffirming the Pennsylvania General Assembly's sovereign
8    authority to legislate for the protection of Pennsylvanians.
9WHEREAS, Artificial Intelligence, or AI, technologies have
10 high potential for various economic sectors, including health
11 care, finance, manufacturing, telecommunications, information
12 technology, media, education, energy and legal services; and
13WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is a key state for the development of
14 AI, specifically in its academic programs and robotics research;
15 and
16WHEREAS, Responsible development and deployment of AI can
17 promote economic growth, improve government efficiency, reduce
18 human error, expand access to services and enhance the quality
19 of life for all Pennsylvanians; and
20WHEREAS, AI systems can also pose significant threats to
1 civil liberties, bias and discrimination, job displacement,
2 cybercrime, misinformation, environmental harms, intellectual
3 property theft and a lack of transparency in use for critical
4 decision-making contexts such as hiring, housing and health
5 care; and
6    WHEREAS, Several states, including Pennsylvania, have already
7 begun enacting legislation to address these harms and build
8 public trust through transparency, accountability and ethical
9 standards; and
10    WHEREAS, Pennsylvania, like other states, has already enacted
11 and enforced laws pertaining to deepfakes, nonconsensual
12 manipulated intimate material and AI-generated child sexual
13 abuse material; and
14    WHEREAS, Pennsylvania needs to be able to enact laws that
15 protect vulnerable Pennsylvanians from these ever-evolving
16 threats; and
17    WHEREAS, Provisions proposed for Federal laws, including the
18 legislation commonly referred to as the "Big Beautiful Bill" and
19 the annual National Defense Authorization Act, would have
20 preempted states and local governments from enacting or
21 enforcing laws regulating AI; and
22    WHEREAS, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order
23 on December 11, 2025, outlining his administration's intentions
24 to create a national policy framework for artificial
25 intelligence that includes efforts to create an AI litigation
26 task force, legally challenge state AI laws and restrict state
27 funding under the Broadband Equity and Access Deployment
28 Program; and
29    WHEREAS, This unprecedented Federal preemption undermines
30 Pennsylvania's ability to respond swiftly to emerging AI-related
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1 harms and violates the principle of cooperative federalism; and
2    WHEREAS, A one-size-fits-all national approach to AI
3 governance may fail to reflect the diverse needs, values and
4 priorities of states and local communities; and
5    WHEREAS, Among several states, including Pennsylvania, there
6 is bipartisan agreement that states must maintain their
7 sovereign right to create legislation and regulations on AI;
8 therefore be it
9    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
10 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the United States Congress to
11 suspend any and all efforts to pass Federal legislation that
12 would impose a moratorium on state-level artificial intelligence
13 regulation; recognize the potential benefits along with the
14 risks of misuse and systemic harm of artificial intelligence;
15 acknowledge the importance of state regulation of such
16 technologies; and reaffirm the Pennsylvania General Assembly's
17 sovereign authority to legislate for the protection of
18 Pennsylvanians; and be it further
19    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
20 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
21(1)   Affirm the sovereign right and constitutional
22    responsibility of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to
23    legislate in the interest of Pennsylvania residents,
24    including in matters related to AI and emerging technologies.
25(2)   Urge the United States Congress to withdraw, amend
26    or oppose any Federal legislation that imposes a blanket
27    moratorium on state or local regulation of AI.
28(3)   Urge President Trump and the United States Justice
29    Department to cease their threats to take legal action
30    against state laws on AI or withhold broadband funding for
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1  states that pass AI regulations.
2      (4)   Call upon Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation to
3  advocate for a regulatory framework that respects state
4  authority, promotes innovation and safeguards public welfare.
5      (5)   Direct the Chief Clerk of the House of
6  Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to
7  transmit a copy of this resolution to the Office of the White
8  House, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker
9  of the United States House of Representatives and each member
10  of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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