FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Amendment Would Prohibit States from Enforcing Artificial Intelligence Regulations
BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Brown today joined a coalition of 40
attorneys general in a bipartisan letter to Congress voicing opposition to a sweeping and
dangerous U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee amendment to the budget
reconciliation bill that imposes a 10-year prohibition on states from enforcing any state law or
regulation addressing artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems.
“AI technology can create new jobs and opportunities for Maryland's economy, but without
proper guardrails, it can also undermine the integrity of our elections, threaten consumers’
privacy, and leave Marylanders vulnerable to convincing scams,” said Attorney General
Brown. “I’m joining this bipartisan coalition of attorneys general because we must preserve our
states' abilities to protect our residents while this powerful technology develops, especially when
federal safeguards don’t yet exist.”
AI promises to revolutionize America’s economy, spur achievement and innovation, and
improve lives across the country. However, the rise of such technology presents real, immediate
dangers ranging from explicit material and election interference to deception, exploitation, and
harassment against consumers. In the absence of federal leadership, state legislatures and
attorneys general have continued to be at the forefront of ensuring AI is not abused and that
consumers are protected. As the letter to Congress emphasizes, state laws and regulations “have
been developed over years through careful consideration and extensive stakeholder input from
consumers, industry, and advocates. And, in the years ahead, additional matters—many
unforeseeable today given the rapidly evolving nature of this technology—are likely to arise.”
If enacted, the amendment would strip away essential state protections without replacing them
with a viable federal regulatory framework and silence state leaders who are best positioned to
respond. Any effort to prohibit states from enacting and enforcing laws aimed at regulating AI
and protecting consumers will leave AI entirely unregulated at any level and Americans
completely exposed to its known harms and evolving, real-world risks—ultimately leading to
dangerous consequences for the American people. The bipartisan coalition of attorneys general
respectfully urges Congress to reject the AI legal enforcement moratorium added to the budget
reconciliation bill.
In signing the bipartisan letter to Congress, Attorney General Brown joins the attorneys general
of Colorado, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Vermont, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,
Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington,
and Wisconsin.
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