This week’s Federal Update covers Congressional and Executive activities of interest in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The House and Senate were in Session this week. On March 3, the House passed the Home School Graduation Recognition Act (H.R.6392), which clarifies that students who complete their secondary education in a home school setting recognized under state law are high school graduates for purposes of eligibility for federal student aid. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
Hearings
On March 3, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness held a hearing titled “Less Hype, More Help: AI That Improves Safety, Productivity, and Care.” In the hearing, Senators and witnesses discussed how AI can augment many Americans’ quality of life and underscored the importance of finding a balance between AI innovation and protecting against potential harmful impacts of AI. Indiana Senator Todd Young (R) emphasized the need to distinguish between industrial AI and consumer AI and expressed a desire that Congress’ actions on consumer-facing AI not impede innovation and deployment of AI for manufacturing. Watch the hearing here.
Bills Introduced
The Future of AI Innovation Act (S. 3952) was introduced by Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The bill would promote partnerships between academia, the federal government, and private businesses to advance AI innovation by authorizing the Center for AI Standards (CAISI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish voluntary AI standards and testbeds with national labs. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
The NSF AI Education Act (S. 3957) was introduced by Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The bill would authorize the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award undergraduate and graduate students scholarships to study AI, with a focus on AI application in agriculture, education, and advanced manufacturing. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
Executive Branch activities of interest
Secretary Hegseth Releases Additional Information on Department of War Cancellation of Academic Partnerships
On February 27, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth released a video announcement declaring a review of all professional military participation in education, fellowship, and certificate programs at universities. The video builds upon a previously-reported announcement concerning military participation in Harvard University’s academic programs and reporting suggesting that academic programs at other institutions were also under review.
A related February 27 memo from the Department of War includes a list of 22 higher education and non-profit institutions whose Senior Service College Fellowships are being cancelled and a list of potential new partner institutions. A note beneath the table speaks to the selection criteria for new partners, including: “intellectual freedom, minimal relationships with adversaries, minimal public expressions in opposition of the Department, and Graduate-level National Security, International Affairs, and/or Public Policy Programs.”