House of Representatives

Chairman-Elect Brett Guthrie (R-KY) announced the House Commerce Committee Subcommittee Chairs and Vice Chairs for the 119^th Congress: 

• Vice Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee- John Joyce (R-PA)

Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) introduced the Combating Loneliness Act (CLA) to address the acute mental health and loneliness crisis in America. The Combating Loneliness Act is co-led by Rep.

House Commerce Committee Chairman-Elect Brett Guthrie (R-KY) welcomes the ten new members selected by the House Republican Steering Committee to serve on the Energy & Commerce Committee in the 119^th Congress. The new Republican members of the committee are:

House Commerce Committee Chairman-Elect Brett Guthrie (R-KY) announced that two long-time aides will lead the Energy & Commerce Committee as Staff Director and Deputy Staff Director. Megan Jackson will serve as Staff Director of the Energy & Commerce Committee. Sophie Trainor Khanahmadi will serve as Deputy Staff Director of the Energy & Commerce Committee. Megan is a Kentucky native and trusted advisor who worked for Guthrie on his first Congressional campaign in 2008. She then spent more than eight years as his Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director.

Federal agencies have already begun leveraging AI to empower existing agency missions and streamline programs. While use cases vary in application and maturity, the benefits of responsible government use of AI are potentially transformative. However, irresponsible or improper use fosters risks to individual privacy, security, and the fair and equal treatment of all citizens by their government. Key findings include:

Reps. Randy Weber (R-TX) and August Pfluger (R-TX) introduced the Securing Every Vector, Enhancing Networks (SEVEN) Act, a bill designed to strengthen America’s defenses against cyber threats targeting the Signaling System 7 (SS7) telecommunications protocol. The legislation aims to address these vulnerabilities by coordinating efforts across the government and creating a task force of cybersecurity experts to develop solutions. 

Representative John James (R-MI-10) introduced the App Store Accountability Act, a landmark bill designed to increase safeguards within app stores to empower parents and protect children. The bill ensures that children are not accessing age restricted material through digital app stores and provides parents with more control over what their children are able to access. Specifically, the App Store Accountability Act would:

Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-GA) introduced the Ending FCC Meddling in Our Elections Act. The legislation would prohibit the use of federal funds to enforce the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) notice of proposed rulemaking related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in campaign advertising. In May, the FCC, led by a Democrat-appointed majority, voted 3-2 to propose new regulations impacting the use of AI in campaign advertising. The proposed rules would mandate that television and radio providers issue an on-air disclosure every time an AI-created ad is aired.

The House of Representatives passed the Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced (FUTURE) Networks Act (H.R. 1513), legislation that directs the Federal Communications Commission to bring together industry leaders, public interest groups and government experts to establish a 6G Task Force. Specifically, the FUTURE Networks Act requires the FCC to establish a 6G Task Force comprised of industry, government, and public interest representatives to issue a report on:

Reps August Pfluger (R-TX) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced the PROTOCOL Act, which improves the mapping process for broadband funding and enhances interagency coordination when awarding broadband funding grants. There are currently over 130 federal broadband programs across 15 different agencies with little coordination on the billions of dollars being spent. This lack of coordination has led to waste, fraud, and abuse in these programs and risks leaving unserved communities without access to basic broadband services. Specifically, this legislation would: