Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act
Summary, written by a model from the CRS summary
Bars building or upgrading AI data centers until laws are enacted requiring federal prerelease review of AI products and protecting workers, and restricts exports of AI computing hardware to countries without comparable laws. It also sets conditions on data centers built after the moratorium ends, covering utility bills, environment, community approval, union jobs and subsidies, and requires Department of Energy reporting on data centers.
Model-rated AI relevance 98%: It directly regulates AI infrastructure, compute exports and AI safety review. (claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026)
Sponsored by
Bernard SandersIndependentVTData as of: bills Oct 22, 2026 · votes Oct 21, 2026 · statements Oct 19, 2026. What changed
Progress
Introduced
Mar 25, 2026
Reported by committee
—
Passed House
—
Passed Senate
—
Became law
—
Latest action · March 25, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
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 ↗Ocasio-Cortez and colleagues urge the FAA to pause its AI air traffic management tool until safety testing, oversight, and accountability questions are answered.
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 ↗Bill data read 2026-10-22T14:48:01.167Z