A bipartisan group of Representatives introduced legislation to create an independent Congressional Office of Technology. The sponsors include Mark Takano, Sean Casten, Bill Foster, Don Beyer and Jay Obernolte. The proposal would modernize the former Office of Technology Assessment, which operated from 1974 until 1995, and would supply lawmakers with neutral analysis of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Separate legislation filed by Representative Eugene Vindman seeks to increase transparency around data-center development. Companies planning new facilities would be required to disclose ownership structures, resource consumption and projected community impacts. Failure to provide accurate information could result in fines of up to one million dollars per day, creating a strong financial incentive for full compliance.
Representative Rich McCormick introduced a measure directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology to craft new standards and methodologies for cloud security. The bill calls for an upgrade to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program to align with updated cloud-security criteria and to improve cybersecurity disclosures by federal cloud providers. It also encourages the use of artificial-intelligence tools to spot anomalous activity and proposes a voluntary cloud-security certification program administered by accredited labs.
Representative Kevin Mullin proposed amendments to the nation’s emergency alert system, tasking the Federal Communications Commission with establishing performance metrics for wireless alerts. The metrics would cover delivery speed, coverage breadth and geographic targeting. The FCC would also evaluate enhanced features such as precise geotargeting, longer multilingual messages, and improved device labeling, aiming to make alerts more effective and accessible across the population.
The legislative push occurs amid growing concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence. A 2025 state report warned that emerging technologies could be leveraged to automate and expand victim grooming in human-trafficking operations. Lawmakers cite this threat as part of the rationale for strengthening both technology assessment capabilities and cybersecurity measures across federal infrastructure.