Week of July 29, 2024
State of Play: Today kicks off a four-day sprint into August recess for the Senate, while the House bowed out early at the end of the last week after failing to pass several funding measures. The Senate, however, is zeroing in on tech in its final days of session, aiming to pass sweeping children’s online protection measures and hold a markup of several AI bills in the Senate Commerce Committee.
What to Watch:
President Biden and Members will head to Houston on Thursday for the memorial services for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
Two Senate Committees will hold a joint hearing Tuesday on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
President Biden issued today a long-awaited proposal to make sweeping changes for the U.S. Supreme Court, including calling on Congress to establish term limits and a code of ethics.
On Tap: While House hearings for this week have been postponed, we are tracking several Senate hearings and meetings including the Foreign Relations Committee hearing on strategic competition with China on Tuesday, as well as the Commerce Committee’s marathon markup. We are also anticipating the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to host a markup of numerous bills, including one aiming to regulate AI procurement. The Senate Appropriations Committee is holding a markup of several FY25 funding measures Thursday including Defense, FSGG, Energy and Water, and Labor and HHS.
Three Things to Watch In Tech:
Senate Commerce’s Marathon Tech Markup: The Senate Commerce is scheduled Wednesday to mark up over 30 bills, including several pertaining to AI. Notable legislation to be marked up includes the CREATE AI Act, which would codify the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR), as well as the TEST AI Act to establish testbeds for testing and evaluation of trusted AI systems to advance AI tools, capabilities, and workforce needs. Members will also consider the TAKE IT DOWN Act, that would make it unlawful for a person to knowingly publish or threaten to publish non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) on social media and other online platforms. It remains to be seen whether any or all of the bills slated for markup will be depending on any amendments that are introduced.
Senate Votes on Children’s Online Safety Bills: The Senate will vote Tuesday on packaged legislation that would bring big changes to the way internet companies approach children’s online safety. The package includes the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). KOSA would require covered platforms to implement default safety standards including restricted communications and restricted public access to personal data, as well as provide minors with the ability to opt-out of algorithmic recommendations and delete their account. COPPA 2.0 amends the Children and Teens Privacy Protection Act by prohibiting internet companies from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16 years old without their consent, as well as banning targeting advertising to children and teens. With the House already out of session, it would be September at the earliest they could consider the legislation, however, several House GOP Members have already voiced strong opposition to the measure over its first amendment restrictions.
Agencies Hit 270-Day AI Executive Order Milestones: July 26 marked the 270-day deadline for a variety of directives outlined in the AI executive order. The White House issued a fact sheet highlighting goals met by the deadline. While some deliverables, such as NIST’s additional frameworks to manage generative AI risks, have been published, several agencies are expected to publicly issue their deliverables in the coming week. The directives focus on a variety of issue areas including open weight models, patent eligibility of AI inventions, and AI model testing for national security. The next major deadline outlined in the EO is October 29.
What's Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
All House hearings and markups have been postponed until after the August recess
Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing to examine strategic competition with the PRC, focusing on assessing U.S. competitiveness beyond the Indo-Pacific - Tuesday, July 30 at 10:00 AM EST
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a markup to consider several pieces of legislation focused on AI - Wednesday, July 31 at 10:00 AM EST
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a markup - Wednesday, July 31
Senate Appropriations markup of Energy and Water Development, Defense, Labor and HHS, and FSGG funding measures - Thursday, August 1 at 9:30 AM EST
Tech Events
The Center for Strategic and International Studies - Virtual Discussion on "Standard Essential Patents: Global Regulation and Litigation" - Monday, July 29 at 12:30 PM
Energy Department - Virtual Meeting of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board to discuss a recommendation concerning powering AI and data center infrastructure - Tuesday, July 30 at 12:30 PM EST
The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies Environmental Law & Property Rights Practice Group - Virtual Discussion on "Crypto, Data Centers, and Climate" - Tuesday, July 30 at 3:30 PM EST
The Center for Strategic and International Studies - Virtual Discussion with NIST AI Director, Elizabeth Kelly, on "The U.S. Vision for Artificial Intelligence Safety" - Wednesday, July 31 at 10:00 AM EST
The National League of Cities - Virtual Discussion on "Protecting and Securing Elections" - Wednesday, July 31 at 1:00 PM EST
HP x Intel - Virtual Discussion on "Unlocking Artificial Intelligence's Possibilities in Federal Government" - Wednesday, July 31 at 2:00 PM EST
National Institute of Standards and Technology: National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee for AI - Panel on “AI and Just Transitions for American Workers” - Thursday, August 1 at 2:00 PM EST
Weekly Dose of Trivia: Hope Your Brakes Work… On August 2, 1873, the Clay Street Railroad began operation, making it the first cable car in San Francisco’s now famous cable car system.
