Blab AI
U.S. States Advance AI Legislation: Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and Others Sign Bills and Push Forward Reforms
During the week of July 17, 2026, a wave of new AI‑related legislation swept across the United States. In Hawaii, Gov. Josh Green signed two bills aimed at chatbot safety and deepfake use. Illinois followed suit, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker adding limits on AI in teacher evaluations and healthcare approvals. Massachusetts is negotiating a comprehensive privacy bill that could become the state’s first consumer‑data protection law, while California’s legislature pushes a wide array of AI safety and disclosure measures. Other states—New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Michigan—have also advanced or introduced significant AI legislation.
Hawaii and Illinois Sign AI Bills On July 13, Gov. Green signed SB 3001, a chatbot safety bill that requires AI operators to disclose certain information, establish protocols to prevent the production of suicidal ideation, and protect minor users. The same day, HB 2137—targeting deepfake protection—was signed; it prohibits harmful uses of digital imitations and mandates disclosure of synthetic performers in advertising. In Illinois, Gov. Pritzker signed SB 2909, which bans the use of AI for public‑school teacher evaluations, and SB 3114, which limits AI use in healthcare procedure approvals.
Massachusetts Negotiates Privacy and Children’s Protection Bills Massachusetts is close to finalizing its statewide privacy law. The Senate’s S 2619 and the House’s H 5479 differ on enforcement, cure periods, and the sale of sensitive data; negotiations are underway to reconcile the two versions. Meanwhile, S 3164, a bill to protect children from addictive social‑media feeds, passed the Senate on July 9 and is now in the House. S 2581, a bell‑to‑bell cellphone ban for public schools, has moved to conference committee after being approved by the Senate in 2025.
California’s Legislative Pipeline California’s legislature has a large AI agenda. Several bills have passed the Assembly and are now in the Senate or awaiting committee action. AB 2148 clarifies that “public school employee” means a natural person. SB 719, originally an AI inventory bill, now requires connected vehicles to display a notice that location data is being captured. AB 2, AB 412, AB 1159, AB 1609, AB 1651, AB 1883, AB 1979, AB 1988, AB 2023, AB 2025, AB 2071, AB 2392, AB 2545, AB 2656, AB 2575, and AB 2713 all address various aspects of AI safety, disclosure, and worker protection. Senate bills such as SB 300, SB 574, SB 813, SB 867, SB 903, SB 928, SB 947, SB 951, SB 1000, SB 1015, SB 1050, SB 1111, SB 1119, SB 1146, SB 1159, and SB 1181 are in different stages of review, covering topics from chatbot safety to AI‑driven decision systems.
New Jersey and New York Push AI Regulation New Jersey introduced a suite of AI bills. A 3064 requires social‑media platforms to cooperate with nonprofit initiatives to remove nonconsensual intimate images. A 3497 establishes a “Fair Algorithmic Inflation of Rent” act. A 4015, the Kids Code Act, enhances privacy for minors. A 4728 and A 4729 address deceptive AI advertising and election‑related AI content. A 4731 and A 4733 direct professional boards to regulate AI use in licensed professions. Several Senate bills—S 1802, S 4075, S 4088, S 4345, S 4446, S 4469, and S 4474—focus on AI safety testing, disclosure, and worker protection.
In New York, the legislature passed a kids chatbot safety bill (S 9051), an AI training‑data transparency act (A 6578), an AI disclosure bill for synthetic content (S 6954), and a FAIR Act for news media (S 8451). A 9349 bans surveillance pricing, A 11560 imposes a one‑year moratorium on large data‑center permits, and A 3411 requires warning labels on generative AI systems.
Other States’ Progress Ohio’s House advanced bills on deepfake protection (HB 185), algorithmic pricing (HB 665), self‑harm risk mitigation (HB 524), AI use by insurers (HB 579), AI use by licensed therapists (HB 525), and a prohibition on AI personhood (HB 469). Pennsylvania’s session ended with a state budget; AI bills such as HB 95, SB 806, HR 331, HB 1857, HB 1925, HB 1993, HB 2006, HB 2100, HB 2252, HB 2534, HB 2637, SB 1090, SB 1332, SB 1349, and SB 1368 remain active.
Rhode Island’s governor signed three AI measures: a therapy chatbot ban, a chatbot self‑harm safety act, and new disclosure regulations for AI in clinical session recordings.
Michigan’s legislature passed SB 760, a kids chatbot safety bill, and introduced HB 5899, a state AI pilot program, and HB 5771, an AI surveillance‑pricing consumer‑protection bill.
Current Landscape and Next Steps Across the country, states are moving from broad privacy frameworks to targeted safety and disclosure rules. Hawaii and Illinois have enacted laws that directly limit AI’s role in education and healthcare. Massachusetts is poised to become the first state with a comprehensive consumer‑privacy law that includes AI provisions. California’s pipeline remains the most extensive, with dozens of bills covering safety, worker protection, and disclosure. New Jersey and New York are expanding AI regulation into housing, education, and media. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Michigan continue to refine specific use‑case rules.
The next months will see the remaining bills move through committee hearings, conference committees, and, for some, gubernatorial signings. Key dates include the California legislature’s return on August 3, New York’s deadline for Gov. Hochul to sign by December 31, and the pending conference of Massachusetts’ privacy bill. As states solidify their AI policies, the federal landscape remains largely unchanged, leaving state law to shape the immediate regulatory environment for AI developers, users, and consumers.
Hawaii and Illinois Sign AI Bills On July 13, Gov. Green signed SB 3001, a chatbot safety bill that requires AI operators to disclose certain information, establish protocols to prevent the production of suicidal ideation, and protect minor users. The same day, HB 2137—targeting deepfake protection—was signed; it prohibits harmful uses of digital imitations and mandates disclosure of synthetic performers in advertising. In Illinois, Gov. Pritzker signed SB 2909, which bans the use of AI for public‑school teacher evaluations, and SB 3114, which limits AI use in healthcare procedure approvals.
Massachusetts Negotiates Privacy and Children’s Protection Bills Massachusetts is close to finalizing its statewide privacy law. The Senate’s S 2619 and the House’s H 5479 differ on enforcement, cure periods, and the sale of sensitive data; negotiations are underway to reconcile the two versions. Meanwhile, S 3164, a bill to protect children from addictive social‑media feeds, passed the Senate on July 9 and is now in the House. S 2581, a bell‑to‑bell cellphone ban for public schools, has moved to conference committee after being approved by the Senate in 2025.
California’s Legislative Pipeline California’s legislature has a large AI agenda. Several bills have passed the Assembly and are now in the Senate or awaiting committee action. AB 2148 clarifies that “public school employee” means a natural person. SB 719, originally an AI inventory bill, now requires connected vehicles to display a notice that location data is being captured. AB 2, AB 412, AB 1159, AB 1609, AB 1651, AB 1883, AB 1979, AB 1988, AB 2023, AB 2025, AB 2071, AB 2392, AB 2545, AB 2656, AB 2575, and AB 2713 all address various aspects of AI safety, disclosure, and worker protection. Senate bills such as SB 300, SB 574, SB 813, SB 867, SB 903, SB 928, SB 947, SB 951, SB 1000, SB 1015, SB 1050, SB 1111, SB 1119, SB 1146, SB 1159, and SB 1181 are in different stages of review, covering topics from chatbot safety to AI‑driven decision systems.
New Jersey and New York Push AI Regulation New Jersey introduced a suite of AI bills. A 3064 requires social‑media platforms to cooperate with nonprofit initiatives to remove nonconsensual intimate images. A 3497 establishes a “Fair Algorithmic Inflation of Rent” act. A 4015, the Kids Code Act, enhances privacy for minors. A 4728 and A 4729 address deceptive AI advertising and election‑related AI content. A 4731 and A 4733 direct professional boards to regulate AI use in licensed professions. Several Senate bills—S 1802, S 4075, S 4088, S 4345, S 4446, S 4469, and S 4474—focus on AI safety testing, disclosure, and worker protection.
In New York, the legislature passed a kids chatbot safety bill (S 9051), an AI training‑data transparency act (A 6578), an AI disclosure bill for synthetic content (S 6954), and a FAIR Act for news media (S 8451). A 9349 bans surveillance pricing, A 11560 imposes a one‑year moratorium on large data‑center permits, and A 3411 requires warning labels on generative AI systems.
Other States’ Progress Ohio’s House advanced bills on deepfake protection (HB 185), algorithmic pricing (HB 665), self‑harm risk mitigation (HB 524), AI use by insurers (HB 579), AI use by licensed therapists (HB 525), and a prohibition on AI personhood (HB 469). Pennsylvania’s session ended with a state budget; AI bills such as HB 95, SB 806, HR 331, HB 1857, HB 1925, HB 1993, HB 2006, HB 2100, HB 2252, HB 2534, HB 2637, SB 1090, SB 1332, SB 1349, and SB 1368 remain active.
Rhode Island’s governor signed three AI measures: a therapy chatbot ban, a chatbot self‑harm safety act, and new disclosure regulations for AI in clinical session recordings.
Michigan’s legislature passed SB 760, a kids chatbot safety bill, and introduced HB 5899, a state AI pilot program, and HB 5771, an AI surveillance‑pricing consumer‑protection bill.
Current Landscape and Next Steps Across the country, states are moving from broad privacy frameworks to targeted safety and disclosure rules. Hawaii and Illinois have enacted laws that directly limit AI’s role in education and healthcare. Massachusetts is poised to become the first state with a comprehensive consumer‑privacy law that includes AI provisions. California’s pipeline remains the most extensive, with dozens of bills covering safety, worker protection, and disclosure. New Jersey and New York are expanding AI regulation into housing, education, and media. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Michigan continue to refine specific use‑case rules.
The next months will see the remaining bills move through committee hearings, conference committees, and, for some, gubernatorial signings. Key dates include the California legislature’s return on August 3, New York’s deadline for Gov. Hochul to sign by December 31, and the pending conference of Massachusetts’ privacy bill. As states solidify their AI policies, the federal landscape remains largely unchanged, leaving state law to shape the immediate regulatory environment for AI developers, users, and consumers.
