Washington (July 1, 2025) – Overnight, the U.S. Senate voted 99-1 in favor of an amendment co-sponsored by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R–Tenn.) to strip a ten-year moratorium on state AI regulations from the Republican budget reconciliation bill.

“Early this morning, the Senate overwhelmingly voted to reject a dangerous provision to block states from regulating artificial intelligence, including protecting kids online. This 99-1 vote sent a clear message that Congress will not sell out our kids and local communities in order to pad the pockets of Big Tech billionaires. I am proud to have partnered with Ranking Member Cantwell and Senator Blackburn on an amendment to strip this dangerous language, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to develop responsible guardrails for AI,” said Senator Markey.

For weeks, Senator Markey raised alarms over the provision which would have forced states to make an impossible choice between enforcing AI consumer protections or accepting federal BEAD funding to expand broadband access. Despite several revisions by its author and misleading assurances about its true impact, state officials from across the country, including 17 Republican Governors and 40 state Attorneys General, as well conservative and liberal organizations – from the Heritage Foundation to the Center for American Progress – rallied against the harmful proposal.

On June 30, Senator Markey introduced an amendment with Senator Cantwell to strip the entire provision prior to introducing the same amendment with Senator Cantwell and Senator Blackburn on July 1. On June 10, Senator Markey announced his plans to file an amendment to the Senate reconciliation bill to block Republicans’ attempt to prevent states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) for the next 10 years. On June 4, Senator Markey convened a virtual roundtable with advocates to discuss the impacts this ban would have on communities across the country. On June 3, Senator Markey delivered remarks on the Senate floor opposing the provision in the House-passed reconciliation bill that would prevent states from regulating AI for the next ten years.

Senator Markey is the author of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Civil Rights Act, the most comprehensive AI civil rights legislation introduced in Congress. The legislation would put strict guardrails on companies’ use of algorithms for consequential decisions, ensure algorithms are tested before and after deployment, help eliminate and prevent bias, and renew Americans’ faith in the accuracy and fairness of complex algorithms.

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