Tech bills of the week: Boosting export controls; AI-focused workforce development; and more
A group of bipartisan senators introduced a companion bill to an earlier House measure that updates semiconductor export control laws to ensure that adversaries cannot purchase key pieces of technology and equipment for semiconductor manufacturing from either the U.S. or its allies.
The Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware Act, introduced on Wednesday, aims to harmonize export controls among the U.S. and its allies to ensure that critical technologies do not fall into the hands of adversarial nations, like China.
Introduced by Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Andy Kim, D-N.J., the MATCH Act is also cosponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. On the House side, companion legislation was introduced by Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash.
“Idaho and America are at the leading edge of semiconductor innovation. It is vital we maintain this position by strengthening our export controls and closing loopholes that our adversaries exploit to obtain critical technologies like semiconductor manufacturing equipment,” Risch said in a press release. “The MATCH Act will prevent adversaries from undermining the U.S. semiconductor industry and threatening our national security.”
The bill targets the essential, or “chokepoint,” inputs for semiconductor manufacturing as the main subject of the new export controls. If passed, it would prohibit the sale of these chokepoints from the U.S. and allies to countries of concern.
Prepping the U.S. workforce for AI
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., introduced a measure on Monday to reauthorize and update the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include new provisions that enhance the country’s workforce development in the AI era.
A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 hinges on facilitating access for adult learners to apprenticeships, sector partnerships and employer-led training, all housed within the Department of Labor.
The bill also allocates funding for upskilling workers through “individual training accounts,” hands-on learning and other employer-led and industry-centric initiatives.
“The workforce is evolving rapidly, and legislation designed over a decade ago is no longer meeting today’s demands,” Walberg said in a press release. “This bill modernizes a struggling and underutilized workforce development system, delivering reforms that strengthen participant outcomes and ensure greater accountability for taxpayer dollars. This is a win for employers, job seekers, and taxpayers alike.”
A second piece of legislation also seeks to update the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Introduced on Monday by Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., the amendment focuses on adding a “Workforce data quality initiative” to the larger 2014 law.
Expanding the timeframe for penalizing export control violations
A House measure introduced on Wednesday seeks to strengthen export control laws by extending the timeframe for addressing violations of U.S. law and clarifying that “a civil case is considered commenced when a charging letter is issued.”
The proposal — from Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., and Joaquin Castro, D-Texas — would increase the statute of limitations for export control violations from five years to 10 years “for both civil enforcement actions and criminal prosecutions.”
The legislation comes amid a recent bipartisan, bicameral push to enhance U.S. export controls so that adversarial nations, like China, cannot easily gain access to sensitive technologies or semiconductor manufacturing equipment made in America.
“As bad actors develop sophisticated tactics to get around U.S. export controls and put our national security at risk, it’s essential that U.S. authorities have the legal tools they need to fulfill their missions,” Mackenzie said in a statement. “This bipartisan bill updates our laws to match today’s challenges, giving law enforcement more time to investigate complex cases and enforce accountability for those undermining American interests.”
Making data centers pay for increasing energy demands
Democrats in the House and Senate introduced legislation on Thursday to place the onus of high electricity costs on data centers, rather than making surrounding residents shoulder the financial burden of high power demands.
The bill — introduced in the House by Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and in the upper chamber by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. — is in response to the growing electrical needs of data centers powering artificial intelligence technologies. While these centers underpin many of the emerging capabilities transforming public and private sectors, they require massive amounts of energy to operate, which can strain electrical grids and hike up bills.
The proposal, called the Power for the People Act, would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to require that data centers pay for local transmission upgrades that have previously been passed down to local communities, as well as create “a data center load queue” to help offset the electrical demands of the centers. The bill would also direct the Energy Department, as well as state regulatory authorities and nonregulated electric utilities, to work to create “data center rate classes” to assign appropriate costs to the centers.
“Families are already paying higher prices for everything from groceries to healthcare, to gas, to utilities — they shouldn’t be forced to also shoulder the costs for companies building data centers,” Tonko said in a statement. “Our Power for the People Act balances the need for data center development without pushing those costs onto consumers.”
Upgrading and expanding access to quantum research facilities
House lawmakers want to give researchers and scientists working within quantum information sciences and technologies the necessary tools to ensure the U.S. is leading in quantum-based systems.
Introduced on Thursday by Reps. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., and Jim Baird, R-Ind., the Quantum Instrumentation for Science and Engineering Act directs the National Science Foundation to award grants that fund shared research facilities and specialized equipment used by universities, startups and laboratories.
The bill seeks to amend the National Quantum Initiative Act –– which expired in 2023 –– to permit NSF to outfit qualifying research facilities and laboratories with the equipment and resources necessary to field QIST research and development.
It also seeks to expand access to said facilities and labs to better enable information sharing and hands-on learning experiences for students.
“Quantum science is among the world’s fastest-growing areas of research, and leading in quantum research carries significant implications for innovation, our economy, and our national security,” Baird said in the press release. “The U.S. has led the world in quantum science for years. By further investing in this research, this legislation will help ensure we maintain our global competitive advantage.”
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