The House has passed H.R. 8132, the “American Competitiveness of a More Productive Emerging Tech Economy (the American COMPETE) Act." It still needs to pass the Senate.
The bipartisan bill from Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), directs the Commerce Department and the Federal Trade Commission to report to Congress on "the state of AI [including how it could be used to 'address online harms'], quantum computing, blockchain and new and advanced materials."
It also requires a report on the state of the internet of things (IoT), including manufacturing.
Rodgers, ranking member of the Consumer Protection Subcommittee, joined with Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-Ore.) to say that the bill would help "ensure U.S. leadership in emerging technologies."
“The U.S. must lead in the development and deployment of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, blockchain, Internet of Things, and more to grow our economy, strengthen our national security, and advance U.S. leadership against bad actors like China," they said. "The bipartisan American COMPETE Act is an important step forward to helping us do just that." We thank our E&C Republican colleagues for provisions they authored in this bill, and our House colleagues for coming together in a bipartisan way today to ensure America leads in these technologies that define our future. We urge our colleagues in the Senate to take swift action on this important bill.”
House E&C Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman said the bill will ensure "the federal government has the information and data it needs to strengthen our economy and address emerging threats."
The bill passed out of a full committee markup Sept. 9.
