Mass. Lawmakers Urge Rep. Lori Trahan Not to Back GOP AI Bill That Could Override State Protections

Top Massachusetts Democrats have privately urged Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) to avoid supporting a Republican-led artificial intelligence bill they say could preempt state-level AI safeguards.

In a letter dated Thursday and obtained by POLITICO, state Sen. Michael O. Moore and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier expressed alarm over reports that Trahan is engaging with Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) on his not-yet-released AI proposal. The measure is widely expected to limit or block state AI laws in favor of an undefined federal framework — a move backed by parts of the tech industry and opposed by many state lawmakers across the country.

Moore and Farley-Bouvier wrote that states like Massachusetts “are moving to protect their residents from the clear harms that have emerged from the unchecked deployment of artificial intelligence into virtually every sector of society.” They accused the AI industry of “turn[ing] to federal officials seeking to shield themselves from the reasonable measures being passed by the states.”

The letter comes as both parties confront rising voter concern about technology ahead of the 2026 midterm and 2028 presidential election cycles. Trahan, a member of the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee that oversees the tech sector, has at times been a vocal critic of big technology companies.

“We ask that you not enable this gambit by the artificial intelligence industry,” Moore and Farley-Bouvier wrote, noting that they jointly chair Massachusetts’ Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity.

Among the lawmakers’ principal concerns is that federal preemption could weaken state efforts to protect data privacy and other consumer safeguards. They also warned that federal agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission might fail to enforce protections effectively under leadership appointed by the Trump administration.

Moore and Farley-Bouvier requested a meeting with Trahan to discuss their concerns and to urge her to let states continue to set rules that reflect local values and risks.

The letter was sent hours after Punchbowl News reported that Trahan and Obernolte were in talks about AI preemption. In a brief interview with POLITICO, Trahan confirmed she is negotiating with Obernolte and emphasized the desire to craft a bipartisan bill. “We’re definitely talking about how we would make this bipartisan,” she said, adding that she and Obernolte are “not going to do anything that preempts state laws where we need states to act.”

A spokesperson for Trahan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Massachusetts letter.

Obernolte has spent weeks seeking a Democratic co-sponsor for his AI proposal. Last week Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.), a moderate, ended negotiations and said he would not back the bill, citing concerns about Obernolte’s approach to preempting state legislation as the primary obstacle.

The dispute highlights broader tensions between states and Washington over how to regulate rapidly evolving AI systems: state lawmakers argue that local rules can move faster and better reflect community standards, while some federal proposals aim to create a single national framework.