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Session Is Out for the Summer: Tech Policy Wrap Up
Most states recently wrapped up their legislative work for 2026, and interested stakeholders are making sense of new laws, looking at enactment dates, and watching governors and their pens. In fact, only eight states are still considering legislation. In this week’s edition, we cover over 50 pieces of technology legislation across 19 states.
State Policy Action
AZ: It has not yet been a week since Arizona’s State Legislature concluded its business. As the dust settles, three new AI-specific laws passed by state legislators await the Governor’s signature, adding to the tech agenda of state legislators. Earlier in the year, state legislators passed a bill (HB 2665) that expands the crime of manslaughter to include prompting a minor to commit suicide through social media, text messaging, and other online platforms.
The Governor still needs to make decisions on the following bills:
The bill (HB 2133) adds new verification requirements for sexual material content published online, including requiring consent from depicted individuals even if the content was AI-generated.
The bill (HB 2311) requires AI chatbot disclosures, additional safety measures for minor users, and guardrails for sexually explicit AI-generated content.
The bill (HB 4005) requires the state department of education to develop a curriculum for teaching the moral, ethical, and educational uses of AI. Schools in Arizona must start teaching the curriculum during the 2027-2028 school year to students in grades 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12.
CA: State legislators in California are working through their AI and tech proposals. One fast-moving bill (AB 2023) to watch focuses on companion chatbot interactions with minors, adding new requirements for these products, such as an annual risk assessment for children's safety and an accompanying audit.
CO: Colorado’s General Assembly closed its business last month, and the Governor’s pen has been busy.
In May, the Governor signed the following bills:
One new law (HB 1058) focuses on compensation for minors who are featured in digital content.
Another law, HB 1139, allows the use of AI to determine health care coverage with specific guardrails.
The Governor signed HB 1195, which allows the use of AI in psychotherapy for administrative tasks and requires a licensed medical professional to administer services alongside tech tools.
The Governor also signed HB 1263, which focused on AI chatbots and consumers.
Technology bills that received disapproval include:
The Governor vetoed HB 1255, which would have required social media platforms to report specific content to law enforcement within 24 hours. The Governor noted his veto was because the new law is duplicative of a similar law that he recently signed (SB 11), which requires social media companies to respond to a warrant within 72 hours.
The Governor vetoed HB 1286, which would have required commercial truck drivers to be present when using automated driving systems.
CT: The Connecticut General Assembly closed its business in May. The Governor recently signed SB 483, which creates a new crime for digitally forging another individual's likeness for monetary gain. The Governor also approved HB 5222, which creates a pilot program within the Department of Consumer Protection to test the use of independent verification programs to assess AI systems for potential harms.
HI: The Hawaii State Legislature passed HB 1753, which is awaiting the Governor’s signature. If the proposal becomes law, social media platforms would be required to allow users to permanently delete their data. Two other AI bills passed by state legislators are also awaiting the Governor's approval. The first (HB 2137) prohibits the use of deepfakes to cause harm, for fraud, or in advertisements. The second (SB 3001) requires disclosures when interacting with AI and prohibits content related to suicide ideation. Additional requirements are targeted at minor account users.
IA: In May, the Governor signed two new technology-related bills. One new law (SB 2417) requires disclosures when interacting with an AI chatbot and prohibits AI from providing mental health care, among other requirements. The second new law (HB 2635) allows for the use of AI in healthcare utilization review, but should not be the sole factor in determining benefits.
IL: State legislators passed several tech bills that are awaiting the Governor's signature. One proposal (SB 315) requires large frontier AI developers to create and implement an AI framework that addresses catastrophic risk, cybersecurity, and transparency. The proposal also requires third-party audits and provides whistleblower protections. Another pending proposal is HB 5511, which creates the “Children's Online Social Media Safety Act.” If passed, the new law would require age verification to gain access to a social media account. Another bill (SB 2427) requires Illinois schools to prohibit students from using cell phones during instructional time, with some exceptions. Another AI- and education-related bill (SB 2909) prohibits the use of AI in teacher evaluations.
LA: The Governor’s pen has been busy since legislators wrapped up their work.
The Governor recently signed HB 134, which prohibits access to harmful materials online by minors.
Another new law (HB 427) covered platforms that set minor accounts to private mode, where only connections to the minor can interact with their content.
An additional law (HB 977) requires app store providers to conduct age verification and only allow access to certain apps.
Another law (HB 119) increases the penalty for disseminating AI-generated photos of an individual.
HB 475 requires a healthcare professional to disclose to patients when AI is being used during a visit.
HB 639 requires disclosure of the use of AI in telephone campaign communications.
MD: The Governor recently signed SB 8, a new law that makes it a crime to use AI to impersonate or commit fraud.
MN: In May, the Governor signed two new technology bills. One bill (HB 4138) requires age verification for social media accounts and parental consent for accounts with users under 15. For child accounts, parents can set usage limits, and the accounts must have increased privacy protections. Another bill (HB 1606) makes it illegal to operate digital platforms that assist in creating deepfake nude photos.
MO: Legislators are waiting on the Governor's approval of a new law (HB 1839) to require age verification for online users to access sexually explicit materials.
MS: State legislators passed a new multi-pronged online safety law (HB 1224), “Keeping Kids Safe Online Act,” during the 2026 legislative session. The new law requires the state education department to create an online safety curriculum and internet safety resources for parents. The new law also requires certain digital providers to warn parents about the harms to minors who use their products.
NH: Two new laws in New Hampshire focus on children’s online safety. One new law (HB 131) prohibits cyberbullying in schools statewide and requires schools to establish a system for reporting violations. Another new law (HB 1039) requires addressing whether children can be posted in social media content during divorce proceedings.
NY: New York state legislators passed several AI bills that are now awaiting the Governor’s signature.
One deepfake-focused bill, SB 6954, requires that synthetic content include information about the original content and how it was manipulated.
Another bill, SB 8451, mandates that news organizations operating in New York fully disclose to the public when they use generative AI to create news content, articles, or media.
One bill, SB 9051, restricts the types of content AI chatbots can share with minors.
The last bill, AB 6578, requires developers of generative AI tools to be transparent about the data used to train their models.
OK: Oklahoma state leaders passed HB 1276, dubbed “Bell to Bell, No Cell,” which made permanent a pilot program from the previous year that prohibited cell phones during instructional time.
RI: Rhode Island recently wrapped up its legislative business, and state lawmakers sent at least five pieces of AI legislation to the Governor.
Another proposal, SB 2197, prohibits AI from providing mental health services but allows licensed medical professionals to use AI tools for administrative tasks.
One additional health and AI bill, SB 2570, requires healthcare providers and facilities to inform patients of the use of artificial intelligence in memorializing patient visits.
The last bill, SB 3338, protects individuals and businesses from digital forgery.
SC: State leaders in South Carolina worked on two technology proposals that have recently become law.
The “Stop Harm from Addictive Social Media Act,” (HB 4591) requires age verification for social media accounts, parental consent for accounts with users under 15, and heightened privacy settings for minors.
Another new law, HB 3049, protects individuals from sexually explicit depictions of them online.
TN: A new law (HB 1951) in Tennessee creates a new crime that clarifies who is responsible when an AI system pressures someone to commit suicide.
VT: The Governor recently signed HB 814, which creates protections for mental and neural data and directs the Artificial Intelligence Council to come up with recommendations for AI use by regulated professionals, like medical professionals. Last week, the Governor signed HB 816, which prohibits mental services from being provided through AI, but AI tools can provide support to medical professionals. Another bill (HB 639) signed last week focuses on consumer transparency regarding the collection, use, and storage of genetic data, but does not require companies to obtain consent for these actions.
Waymo issued a safety recall through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for over three thousand autonomous vehicles to update the software to better detect “construction zones.”
At the G7 Summit in France, world leaders urged shared prosperity from AI and discussed cooperation among AI regulations internationally. AI tech leaders were invited to a working lunch during the Summit and some companies gave feedback that regulations can not be left to technology companies.
Surveys show that non-profits are trying to operationalize and implement AI tools in their work, but challenges and barriers remain for successful implementation.
OpenAI invested $50 million dollars for the second year in a row that will fund non-profits using AI tools for community support services, expanding access to arts and cultural participation, and supporting community journalism and media.
Anthopic announced a fellowship that will train one thousand early-career professionals on how to use Claude and will place them in nonprofits across the US. Fellows will use AI tools to advance the non-profit missions, and at the same time build up an AI skilled workforce.
Tech Policy & Governance Jobs
Company/Organization: | Title: | Closing Date: |
|---|---|---|
PennState | 07/01/26 | |
TechCongress | 06/25/26 | |
Omidyar Network | 06/23/26 | |
Cohesity | Ongoing | |
State of Delaware | Ongoing | |
The Center for Shared AI Prosperity | Ongoing | |
The Federation of American Scientists | Ongoing | |
US Chamber of Commerce | Ongoing | |
State of Utah | 06/24/26 |
Do you have leads, tips, corrections, feedback or resources you would like to share? Send your advice to [email protected].
Disclosure: This is a human-written and driven publication. As a small business owner and mighty team of 1, I use AI tools to optimize my small business operations as a part of my admin tech stack. Regarding this publication, AI is mainly used to help with catchy titles, as a thesaurus when writing and a partner when creating cartoons. (Thanks, Canva, and not an ad!) As a secret doodler, I add my human touch using my digital pad and pen. I also use Grammarly, with AI built in, to help with copy editing/grammar check (again, mighty team of one!) Thanks for reading. 😊
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