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Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Tech

In February, we:

• Continued active engagement with Congress to advance AI legislation in line with our Federal AI Legislative Roadmap. Our efforts last month included a positive meeting with House leadership and multiple media interviews. Check out this Inside AI Policy piece for SIIA coverage.
• Released a statement on the Anthropic and Department of War negotiations (prior to the President publicly weighing in on the situation). Our statement expressed concern with the threat to use the Defense Production Act and the "supply chain risk" label against a domestic firm. We received media coverage in these Politico and Inside AI Policy articles on our statement.
• Issued a statement supporting a congressional request (via a letter from House SST Chairman Babin and Rep. Obernolte), for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study on the existing landscape of federal and state AI laws. We received coverage in this Inside AI Policy article.
• Issued a press release endorsing the Future of AI Innovation Act (FAIIA), which was reintroduced in the Senate last month. SIIA was featured in the press release from the sponsors and received coverage in this FedScoop piece.
• Joined a coalition letter addressed to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick urging the Department of Commerce to preserve the core structure and principles of the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (RMF).  
• Briefed FISD’s Credit Rating Agency Constituency Group on the newly enacted RAISE Act in New York, the relationship between state and federal lawmaking, and the impact of AI laws and regulation on the credit rating agency sector. This is part of our ongoing work to reach companies across SIIA membership.
• Sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation strongly endorsing the bipartisan Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (S. 3639). The submission advocates for modernizing the regulatory framework by establishing statutory “shot clocks” that require the FCC to grant or deny new license applications within one year. 

Privacy, Data Policy, and Cybersecurity

In February, we:

• Published a new white paper, Engineering a Data Privacy Solution: How U.S. Policy Can Protect Consumers While Enabling AI Innovation, outlining an approach to U.S. privacy policy that pairs statutory consumer protections with technologically advanced compliance mechanisms. 
• Joined a coalition letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regarding proposed revisions to the Arrival and Departure Record (Form I-94) and the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). The letter calls on the agency to reconsider social media requirements for travelers abroad.
• Submitted comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on the draft Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Artificial Intelligence (NIST IR 8596). 

Youth Privacy and Safety & Education Technology

In February, we:

• Led a coalition with Americans for Prosperity and the Center for Democracy and Technology in a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders raising concerns about proposed mandatory age verification requirements for digital services.
• Joined the iRAISE coalition, an international, multi-stakeholder coalition to promote beneficial AI in child development through “practical, evidence-based guidelines to safeguard and promote children’s cognitive and socio-emotional well-being in the age of AI.
• Were featured in an Education Week article examining the national debate over education technology, privacy, and instructional quality. In the article, SIIA’s Sara Kloek highlighted the need for clarity on student data privacy.
• Spoke on a panel at a Public Interest Privacy Center event on transparency, trust, and student privacy.
• Spoke in a webinar addressing key K-12 legislative and regulatory issues shaping the B2B education market. 
• Participated in a convening at Arizona State University, co-hosted by the EdSAFE AI Alliance, “Future Proofing Human Flourishing: The Convergence of AI, Education, and Industry.” The event included academics, researchers, civil society groups, educators, and government officials with expertise in issues on education and workforce development. The overriding objective was to gather stakeholders to explore ways to advance AI tools in K-12 and higher education that are backed by learning science and evidence, with the ultimate goal of working with industry to develop benchmarks for AI development. SIIA will remain involved in this effort as it develops and will keep our membership apprised of opportunities for engagement.

Competition, Innovation, and Digital Trade

In February, we:

• Joined industry leaders in a message to House Ways and Means leadership calling for hearings to investigate non-tariff attacks targeted at U.S. technology companies. Read the full letter here.
• Moderated an ABA Antitrust Section panel on “Monopoly Broth: Clear Recipe or Mushy Theory?” The panelists included Renata Hesse, Co-Head of the Antitrust Practice at Sullivan & Cromwell and Chair of the ABA Antitrust Section; Professor John Mark Newman, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law; and Aviv Nevo, University of Pennsylvania.
• Sent a letter to the United States Trade Representative, encouraging the agency to facilitate the delivery of a demarche to the Government of Vietnam and the National Assembly of Vietnam, urging them against adopting key elements of a recently proposed amendment to Vietnam’s existing Competition Law.  
• Joined a multi-association letter, urging the Polish government not to advance a proposal that would impose a 3% DST on select sectors of the digital economy and applicable only to firms exceeding high global and in-country revenue thresholds.
• Published a blog warning that Germany’s "digital divergence" from international standards—marked by aggressive antitrust fines against Amazon and a renewed push by the Finance Minister to introduce digital services tax—threatens its standing as an innovation hub.
• Published a blog urging the Brazilian government and National Congress not to follow the EU’s lead and rush through a bill that in many ways resembles the Digital Markets Act.  

Intellectual Property

In February, we:

• Submitted comments to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), arguing that current USPTO policies are undermining the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing by effectively erecting non-tariff barriers to domestic innovation.
• Joined a broad industry coalition urging the withdrawal of the USPTO’s proposed rule changes that would significantly restrict access to validity challenges in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. 
• Joined a coalition representing the automotive, semiconductor, and technology sectors in sending a letter to Vice President Vance regarding the negative impact on manufacturing and national security risks of emerging USPTO practices. 

State Policy

In February, we engaged in the following states:

• Alabama: Submitted a letter to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey urging a veto of HB 161, legislation that would mandate age verification for digital services.

• Iowa: Submitted a letter to Iowa House Education Committee Chair Skyler Wheeler opposing HF 2685, legislation that would impose prescriptive instructional technology mandates, including a 60-minute daily screen time cap for grades K–5.

• Kansas: Sent letters to the leadership of the Senate Committee on Education on Kansas SB350, the Age Appropriate School Device Act. We are concerned the bill takes a one-size-fits-all approach to “screen time” that fails to distinguish between educator-guide learning and recreational use.

• Kansas: Submitted testimony to Kansas lawmakers expressing serious privacy and free speech concerns with SB 372, which would mandate age verification for a wide range of digital services.

• Missouri: Sent testimony to the leadership of the Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee on HB2230, which limits technology use in the classroom.

• Nebraska: Submitted a letter to the Nebraska Legislature’s Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee expressing concerns with LB1119, proposed amendments to Nebraska’s Age-appropriate Online Design Code Act (AADC).

• New Jersey: Submitted a letter to Assemblymember Andrea Katz outlining significant concerns with H.B. 4015, the New Jersey Kids Code Act. While supporting the goal of protecting children and teens online, SIIA cautioned that the bill’s current structure could undermine education technology innovation, create unintended privacy risks, and impose disproportionate burdens on small businesses.

• New Jersey: Sent a letter to the Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly recommending target revisions to their NCII takedown bill A3064.

• Oklahoma: Submitted a letter to Oklahoma lawmakers expressing strong concerns about H.B. 4358, legislation that would broadly limit student device use in early grades without distinguishing between recreational screen time and educator-guided digital learning.

• Oregon: Sent a letter to the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee in Oregon in opposition to HB1587. SIIA raised constitutional concerns and warned the bill could limit access to data relied upon for fraud prevention, identity theft protection, and enforcement of civil laws. 

• South Carolina: SIIA sent a veto request letter to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on HB3431, which creates the South Carolina Age Appropriate Code Design Act.

• Tennessee: Submitted a letter to Tennessee lawmakers expressing strong concerns about HB 2393, legislation that would broadly restrict student “screen time” in schools.

• Utah: Submitted a letter to Utah Senator Chris Wilson expressing concerns with HB 273 and its potential impact on local control and the effective integration of educational technology in schools.

• Vermont: Submitted a letter to Vermont House leadership outlining concerns with H.650, legislation regulating educational technology products. While affirming its commitment to student privacy and responsible ed tech use, SIIA emphasized that technology—when intentionally integrated—has been shown to significantly accelerate student achievement.

• Virginia: Sent a letter to Virginia Delegate Michelle Maldonado recommending targeted revisions to HB 635, the AI Chatbots Act.