WASHINGTON (June 30, 2025) — The Senate has started its marathon voting session on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which currently includes a moratorium on state-level regulations of artificial intelligence technologies.
Frank Cullen, executive director of the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP), released the following statement urging Congress to remove the moratorium from the broader bill:
“The Council for Innovation Promotion recognizes and appreciates lawmakers’ good intentions behind the proposed moratorium. Artificial intelligence promises to be a transformative technology, and lawmakers worry that a patchwork of state regulations will impede the industry’s growth — with negative consequences for America’s economic vitality and national security.
However, C4IP fears that despite these good intentions, a moratorium threatens to do more harm than good.
States are the ‘laboratories of democracy,’ as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously noted. And state-level regulatory frameworks have historically added important protections to intellectual property rights and consumer interests. Foreclosing these opportunities to protect creators and consumers would be a significant loss to the United States. In addition, singling out one specific technology for disparate treatment would set a dangerous precedent for other new inventions and technologies in the future.
On balance, this moratorium will be harmful to intellectual property. As a result, C4IP will score it negatively in its annual Congressional Innovation Scorecard.
AI tools and platforms come with enormous potential — but also real risks. We urge Congress to reject this moratorium and protect states’ ability to craft thoughtful, responsible AI policy that can help inform eventual federal legislation.”
About Council for Innovation Promotion: The Council for Innovation Promotion is a bipartisan coalition dedicated to promoting strong and effective intellectual property rights that drive innovation, boost economic competitiveness, and improve lives everywhere.