Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation on March 20, 2026, to repeal a Trump administration executive order that seeks to override state-level artificial intelligence regulations.
The bill, titled the Guaranteeing and Upholding Americans' Right to Decide Responsible AI Laws and Standards Act, was filed in the House by Representatives Sara Jacobs, Don Beyer, Doris Matsui, Ted Lieu, and April McClain Delaney. Senator Brian Schatz introduced a companion measure in the Senate with five cosponsors. Twenty-nine House Democrats signed on as cosponsors.
The GUARDRAILS Act targets an executive order signed December 11, 2025, titled "Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence." That order directs the Justice Department to establish an AI Litigation Task Force charged with challenging state AI laws in federal court on grounds they unconstitutionally burden interstate commerce.
It also instructs the Federal Trade Commission to issue guidance on when state laws requiring modifications to AI outputs are preempted by federal statute and authorizes the Commerce Department to withhold Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program funding from states whose AI laws conflict with federal policy.
"In today's lawless, Wild West artificial intelligence environment, states have been leading the charge to implement safeguards addressing serious risks ranging from algorithmic bias to data privacy and consumer protection," Representative Beyer said. "But the Trump White House aims to kill state AI laws without setting even minimally acceptable federal guardrails, exposing the American public to the growing risks accompanying completely unchecked artificial intelligence."
Lawmakers in 45 states have introduced 1,561 AI-related bills in 2026, already surpassing the total for all of 2024. Colorado's AI Act, effective in June 2026, requires developers of high-risk AI systems to protect consumers from algorithmic discrimination. California's AB 2013, effective since January, mandates disclosure of generative AI training data.
The same day the GUARDRAILS Act was introduced, the White House released a National AI Legislative Framework containing recommendations for Congress. The framework outlines six policy objectives including protecting children, safeguarding communities, and ensuring AI dominance, and calls on Congress to preempt state AI laws that "impose undue burdens" in favor of what the administration describes as a minimally burdensome national standard. House Republican leaders called the framework a critical step that gives Congress a roadmap for legislation.
