State Attorneys General Urge Congress Not To Block AI Laws

• A bipartisan coalition of 36 state attorneys general has sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them not to adopt proposals that would block or preempt state laws regulating artificial intelligence. They warn that stripping states of this authority would create serious risks for residents, especially given the absence of comprehensive federal AI regulation so far.​

What the attorneys general are asking

• The letter urges Congress to reject language under consideration for the National Defense Authorization Act or similar bills that would broadly preempt or ban state AI laws. The officials argue that states must remain free to enforce existing consumer protection, privacy, and civil rights laws and to pass new AI-specific safeguards as harms emerge.​

Why they oppose a federal ban on state AI laws

• The attorneys general say AI brings benefits but also serious dangers, citing issues like AI-generated scams and deepfakes, harmful chatbot interactions with children, discrimination in automated decision systems, and risks to public health and safety. They contend that preventing states from acting while no strong federal protections are in place could lead to “disastrous consequences” for communities.​

Key political and industry context

• The push from the attorneys general comes as some lawmakers and the Trump administration explore ways to bar or limit state AI regulations, including tying such provisions to major legislation like the defense funding bill. Major tech firms and investors have been lobbying for a single national AI standard instead of a patchwork of differing state rules, but Congress has not yet passed comprehensive AI legislation.​

Role of states in AI regulation

• Many states have already passed or proposed laws addressing AI-related risks, including data privacy rules, high‑risk automated decision‑making oversight, and protections for children online. The attorneys general argue that states are more agile than the federal government and that allowing “50‑state experimentation” will help identify effective approaches to managing rapidly evolving AI technologies.​

The bipartisan coalition currently includes 36 attorneys general from U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia.​

States and territories in the coalition

The attorneys general signing the letter are from:

• American Samoa

• Arizona

• California

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• District of Columbia

• Hawaii

• Idaho

• Illinois

• Indiana

• Kansas

• Louisiana

• Maine

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• Mississippi

• Nevada

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• New Mexico

• New York

• Northern Mariana Islands

• Ohio

• Oregon

• Pennsylvania

• Rhode Island

• South Carolina

• Tennessee

• Utah

• Vermont

• Virgin Islands

• Washington

• Wisconsin

All of these offices joined the November 2025 letter urging Congress not to preempt or ban state-level AI protections.​