PILLAR Act
Summary, written by a model from the CRS summary
Extends the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program through FY2035 and expands it to cover operational technology and systems that use AI. It also limits what grant funds can buy, has GAO review AI adoption across the grants, and requires CISA to do outreach to local governments.
Model-rated AI relevance 35%: AI is named in the grant scope and the GAO review, but the bill is mainly about cybersecurity grants. (claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026)
Sponsored by
Andrew OglesRepublicanTNData as of: bills Oct 22, 2026 · votes Oct 21, 2026 · statements Oct 19, 2026. What changed
Progress
Introduced
Sep 2, 2025
Reported by committee
Sep 3, 2025
Passed House
Nov 17, 2025
Passed Senate
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Became law
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Latest action · November 18, 2025
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Recorded votes
Floor votes carry every member's position; committee tallies carry totals only.
What members said
Releases that cite this bill first, then releases on the same topics.
Jacobs argues Congress should pursue both AI innovation and safety guardrails, addressing societal, model, deployer, and impact-level risks rather than prioritizing speed over safety.
Source ↗Gottheimer touted bipartisan AI bills balancing innovation leadership with safeguards like pre-deployment testing and human control over AI agents.
Source ↗Ricketts supports strengthening American AI innovation and export controls on chips to China while backing 'commonsense guardrails' for safety without stifling innovation.
Source ↗Blunt Rochester describes meetings with AI experts and OpenAI leadership to discuss national security threats and recent AI safety issues, without stating a specific policy position.
Source ↗Kelly advocates legislation requiring human oversight and accountability for military AI, ensuring servicemembers can operate when AI systems fail.
Source ↗Barrett introduced legislation creating a Cabinet-level federal office to oversee AI and emerging technology threats and ensure strong guardrails.
Source ↗Gooden asked DNI Clayton to assess U.S. AI defenses against foreign adversaries and identify where congressional legislative action is needed.
Source ↗Schiff called for sensible regulation and 'constructive oversight' of AI, including making industry pay for its energy use, while competing with China.
Source ↗Bill data read 2026-10-22T14:48:01.167Z