Tech bills of the week: AI training tax breaks; modernizing agriculture with emerging tech, and more
Introduced on Friday, Feb. 13 by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., the AI Workforce Training Act would modify the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to support tax credits for companies providing AI training to employees equal to 30% of the qualified expense with a limit of $2,500 per employee
Eligible expenses are listed as accredited courses, workshops, certificate programs and in-house instruction covering areas like data literacy, machine learning fundamentals, prompt engineering, AI ethics education and more.
“AI is already changing how we work and that transformation will keep getting faster, and we can’t let the American worker get left behind,” said Gottheimer in a press release. “This bipartisan bill will help workers build critical AI skills, boost productivity, and strengthen our economy — all while keeping the United States at the front of the pack.”
In addition to the tax credit, the bill directs the secretaries of the departments of Labor, Treasury andCommerce to organize a public outreach campaign promoting the new tax credit.
Arming vulnerable workers with education
Bicameral legislation from Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., introduced Feb. 13 instructs leadership at the Department of Labor to oversee new partnerships to support pilot projects relating to workforce training needs, particularly for those at risk of becoming displaced from increased artificial intelligence adoption.
If signed into law, the Investing in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act of 2026 directs the Labor secretary to begin a competitive AI education grant awarding process to eligible applicants beginning in 2026. Each grant awarded is set to last for up to four years, and eligible participants would need to submit pilot project ideas centered around AI workforce training and how the materials will be disseminated to at-risk workers.
Following the completion of one of these new partnerships, grant recipients will need to summarize metrics with the Labor secretary including number of worker participants, upskilling results, new salary data and other outcomes.
“Nearly 50 percent of jobs in the United States could be at risk for automation, and we know those most vulnerable are already living on the margins. This is an opportunity to invest in a future-forward workforce, equipping individuals with the tools, resources, and education needed to thrive in our ever-evolving economy,” Warnock said in a press release.
The bill also seeks to amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to offer federal financial support to upskill at-risk workers, with the same goal of mitigating any potential large-scale displacement due to AI.
Modernizing Agriculture
Rep. Glen Thompson, R-Pa., introduced the 2026 farm bill on Feb. 13, which included several provisions to assess the potential impact of AI on the agriculture sector.
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 provides for select agricultural and other programs within the Agriculture Department up through fiscal year 2031. It also asks Agriculture leadership to work with the Federal Communications Commission and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to analyze the evolving technological demands of precision agriculture, including a specific focus on AI.
Other tech-centric provisions include the creation of a center of excellence that can specialize in research and education programming surrounding deploying digital agriculture, namely AI and remote sensing systems.
Other sections of the bill would create platforms for outfitting modern agriculture with emerging technologies, such as the Rural Development Mission Areas, a Rural Development Innovation Center and a pilot program helmed by the secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to test and develop new and innovative wildfire prevention, detection, communication and mitigation technologies.
The prioritized technologies within the pilot program include AI, quantum information — such as quantum sensing, computing and quantum-hybrid applications — and augmented reality, along with 5G private networks and device-to-device communications supporting nomadic mesh networks.
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