Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Senators voted 99-1 early Tuesday to strip a controversial 10-year ban on state-level AI regulation from the reconciliation bill.
Why it matters: Senators are racing against the clock to pass the budget bill before July 4 recess, and the AI moratorium struggled to get enough support to stay in the text.
Driving the news: Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz's provision faced opposition from Republicans who felt their states had valuable AI regulations in place and who took issue with the pause putting popular internet grants at risk.
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn offered the amendment to strip the language with the support of Maria Cantwell.
- The vote took place after Blackburn scrapped an agreement she and Cruz had reached on a watered-down AI moratorium.
- Cruz suggested adopting Blackburn's amendment by voice vote, saying he regretted that they were unable to reach an agreement, but Blackburn asked for a recorded vote.
Catch up quick: Cruz's initial proposal would have made broadband grants contingent on whether states were pursuing AI regulations, and he further revised the text to make it past the Senate parliamentarian.
- But efforts to assuage concerns that the provision was too broad fell short, with outside groups, state officials, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle calling for its removal from the reconciliation bill.
