Tech bills of the week: Updated AI innovation; expanding cybersecurity for SNAP; and more
Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., reintroduced their Future of AI Innovation Act on Thursday, a bill that seeks to establish uniform standards for AI research and development, as well as promote innovation in the private sector.
Initially introduced in 2024, the measure aims to support U.S. leadership in AI through multiple vehicles, including public-private partnerships, codification of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Standards and Innovation within the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, increased interagency coordination and international coalitions to further promulgate unifying AI standards and metrics.
“This legislation brings together private sector and government experts to develop voluntary standards for AI, create new assessment tools, and conduct testing that will ensure the United States leads in AI-driven innovation and competitiveness for decades to come,” Cantwell said in the press release. “The NIST Center for AI Standards and Innovation, testbeds at our national labs, and grand challenge prizes will accelerate new advancements while helping companies and consumers better use AI in a safe and secure manner.”
A spokesperson for Young said that the big difference between the two versions of the bill is that the 2026 version reflects priorities outlined in President Trump’s AI Action Plan, as well as the Commerce Department’s pro-innovation rebranding of CAISI.
Cybersecurity for SNAP
Reps. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced a bill Tuesday to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to ensure Electronic Benefit Transfer cards operate with cybersecurity and digital services regulations when used. An equivalent measure was introduced in the Senate, by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Bill Cassidy, R-La., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Thursday.
The credit card industry has rolled out chip-enabled and tap-to-pay capabilities for cards over the last decade that aim to prevent criminals from siphoning funds or digitally cloning victims’ cards. But current regulations do not set the same standard for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Adding chip technology to the EBT cards used to deliver nutrition benefits would greatly reduce the problem. Congress already told USDA to update its regulations to require states to implement new card security measures, but the agency has yet to do so.
In the meantime, USDA’s watchdog recently estimated that the failure to update cards is causing $555 million in losses to fraudsters.
AI cyber-physical testbeds in national labs
The resident commissioner of Puerto Rico, Rep. Pablo Jose Hernández, introduced a bill Wednesday to establish a grant program that provides awards to U.S. national laboratories and higher education institutions to develop secure artificial intelligence cyber-physical testbeds that would simulate grid-scale cyberattacks.
The proposal was referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Enhancing oversight of veterans’ tech education
Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., introduced legislation on Feb. 23 designed to strengthen a popular veterans’ tech training program by providing more transparency about the effort’s academic impact.
The Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses — or VET TEC — program was extended in a package of veterans’ legislation that was signed into law in January 2025. The initiative has provided roughly 4,000 veterans annually with financial support to enroll in technology-focused education training courses with approved providers.
According to Walkinshaw’s office, the proposal would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs “to publicly report employment outcomes, standardize how job outcomes are calculated to ensure accuracy, prevent inflated reporting tied to training providers, expand reporting on full-time, part-time, and self-employment outcomes, and strengthen participant feedback and program improvement.”
The bill comes after Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., introduced a separate VET TEC-focused measure last month that would add artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to the education opportunities available to veterans through the program.
Bringing back Direct File
And finally, 160 Democrats are backing a bill to bring back the IRS’s Direct File service, which allowed taxpayers to file online directly with the government. The service was first piloted under the Biden administration, but the Trump administration ended the program, which many Republicans opposed, and is re-committing to its partnership with tax prep companies, called Free File, to provide free options for taxpayers.
Three tech bills clear House committee
Multiple tech-focused bills advanced through committee this week. On Feb. 25, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee passed the ACERO Act, the Small Business Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act, and the ASCEND Act. They are all slated to arrive on the House floor for a vote out of the lower chamber.
The ACERO Act augments NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations project to support better aerial wildfire detection and response with advanced aircraft and fast data-sharing. The bill also creates more interagency coordination at the federal, state and local levels to improve wildfire management and avoid duplicative efforts.
The Small Business AI Advancement Act directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to dispense resources specific to small businesses regarding the procurement and incorporation of AI into business operations. These may include technical standards, best practices, benchmarks, methodologies, procedures, or processes for the understanding, adoption, or integration of artificial intelligence.
Lastly, the Accessing Satellite Capabilities to Enable New Discoveries — or ASCEND — Act focuses on collecting new, advanced data from satellites to advance Earth sciences within the administration.
“From improving aerial wildfire response with advanced aircraft and real-time data, to helping small businesses harness the power of artificial intelligence, to strengthening NASA’s partnership with the commercial space sector through expanded satellite data acquisition, these bills align cutting-edge technology with practical national needs,” Committee Chairman Brian Babin, R-Texas, said in a press release.
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