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Us Senator Aims To Advance Us Ai Leadership With Sandbox Federal

Bonisiwe Shabane
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us senator aims to advance us ai leadership with sandbox federal

First legislative proposal, the SANDBOX Act, simplifies regulation for American AI developers while preserving accountability WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released a legislative framework designed to promote American leadership in artificial intelligence. The framework outlines five pillars to guide Congressional efforts on AI policy and proposes a light-touch regulatory strategy to make safe AI deployment easier in the United States while protecting against emerging risks. As part of the pillar’s first step, “Unleash American Innovation and Long-Term Growth,” Sen.

Cruz is introducing the Strengthening Artificial intelligence Normalization and Diffusion By Oversight and eXperimentation, or SANDBOX Act. The bill creates a regulatory “sandbox,” a policy endorsed by President Trump’s AI Action Plan, that gives AI developers space to test and launch new AI technologies without being held back by outdated or... This bill includes safeguards to mitigate against health, public safety, or fraud risks. Under the bill, AI deployers and developers would apply to modify or waive regulations that could impede their work. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) would coordinate across federal agencies to evaluate requests under their purview. Congress would collect regular reports on how often rules were waived or modified to better inform future policy decisions and the regulatory structure applicable to AI.

The SANDBOX Act would encourage American ingenuity, improve transparency in lawmaking, and ultimately lead to safe, long-term AI usage domestically. Upon the introduction of his AI framework and the SANDBOX Act, Sen. Cruz said: US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, at a hearing titled "AI’ve Got a Plan: America’s AI Action Plan" on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. On Wednesday, United States Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) unveiled the “Strengthening Artificial intelligence Normalization and Diffusion By Oversight and eXperimentation Act,” or the SANDBOX Act. The 41-page bill would direct the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to establish a federal “regulatory sandbox” for AI developers to apply for waivers or modifications on compliance with federal...

In a statement, Cruz said the legislation is consistent with the goals of the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan, which was released in July, and is the first step toward a “new AI framework”... The bill would create a mechanism for companies to apply to the OSTP director for a waiver or modification to rules or regulations under any federal agency “that has jurisdiction over the enforcement or... Waivers or modifications would be granted for a two-year period, with four potential renewals totaling up to a decade. Applicants under the program must demonstrate “how potential benefits of the product or service or development method outweigh the risks, taking into account any mitigation measures,” including descriptions of “foreseeable risks” such as “health... The bill requires mandatory incident reporting under a public disclosure mechanism. Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Franklin Paul, David Gregorio, Nia Williams and Nick Zieminski

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Jody Godoy reports on tech policy and antitrust enforcement, including how regulators are responding to the rise of AI. Reach her at jody.godoy@thomsonreuters.com On September 10, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) released what he called a “light-touch” regulatory framework for federal AI legislation, outlining five pillars for advancing American AI leadership. In parallel, Senator Cruz introduced the Strengthening AI Normalization and Diffusion by Oversight and eXperimentation (“SANDBOX”) Act (S. 2750), which would establish a federal AI regulatory sandbox program that would waive or modify federal agency regulations and guidance for AI developers and deployers.

Collectively, the AI framework and the SANDBOX Act mark the first congressional effort to implement the recommendations of AI Action Plan the Trump Administration released on July 23. Senator Cruz’s AI framework, titled “A Legislative Framework for American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence,” calls for the United States to “embrace its history of entrepreneurial freedom and technological innovation” by adopting AI legislation that... Echoing President Trump’s January 23 Executive Order on “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence” and recommendations in the AI Action Plan, the AI framework sets out five pillars as a “starting point... Consistent with recommendations in the AI Action Plan and AI Framework, the SANDBOX Act would direct the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (“OSTP”) to establish and operate an “AI regulatory sandbox... According to Senator Cruz’s press release, the SANDBOX Act marks a “first step” in implementing the AI Action Plan, which called for “regulatory sandboxes or AI Centers of Excellence around the country where researchers,... Program Applications.The AI regulatory sandbox program would allow U.S.

companies and individuals, or the OSTP Director, to apply for a “waiver or modification” of one or more federal agency regulations in order to “test, experiment, or temporarily provide” AI products, AI services, or... Applications must include various categories of information, including: Agency Reviews and Approvals. The bill would require OSTP to submit applications to federal agencies with jurisdiction over the AI product, service, or development method within 14 days. In reviewing AI sandbox program applications, federal agencies would be required to solicit input from the private sector and technical experts on whether the applicant’s plan would benefit consumers, businesses, the economic, or AI... Agencies would be required to approve or deny applications within 90 days, with a record documenting reasonably foreseeable risks, the mitigations and consumer protections that justify agency approval, or the reasons for agency denial.

Denied applicants would be authorized to appeal to OSTP for reconsideration. Approved waivers or modifications would be granted for a term of two years, with up to four additional two-year terms if requested by the applicant and approved by OSTP. MLex identifies risk to business wherever it emerges, with specialist reporters across the globe providing exclusive news and deep-dive analysis on the proposals, probes, enforcement actions and rulings that matter to your organization and... Know what others in the room don’t, with features including: Experience MLex today with a 14-day free trial. Already a subscriber?

Click here to login © 2025 MLex Ltd. | About MLex | Editorial Team | Contact Us | Terms | Privacy Policy | Trust Center | Cookie Settings | Processing Notice | Resource Library Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) delivers opening remarks during a hearing of the Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on... Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Ensuring American artificial intelligence tools become the global operating standard is the central mission of Texas Republican Sen.

Ted Cruz's new AI Legislative Framework, released on Wednesday alongside his long-awaited SANDBOX ACT. The AI sandbox bill, which would create a federal AI testing setup within the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, serves as part of the first pillar of Cruz’s new strategy that... The strategy is centered around five pillars: unleashing American innovation and long-term growth; protecting free speech in the AI age; preventing a patchwork of burdensome AI regulation; stopping nefarious use of AI against Americans;... “While this list is not exhaustive, it provides a starting point for discussion with both my colleagues and the administration on legislation that ensures the United States wins the AI race and benefits from... On September 10, 2025, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) formally introduced his long-awaited SANDBOX Act (S. 2750) as the first step in a broader legislative framework to promote American leadership in AI.

The Act aims to create a regulatory “sandbox” to give AI developers space to test and launch new AI technologies “without being held back by outdated or inflexible federal rules.” Under the bill, AI... The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) would coordinate across federal agencies to evaluate requests under their purview. Congress would collect regular reports on how often rules were waived or modified to better inform future policy decisions and the regulatory structure applicable to AI. The bill text is available here; a one-pager is available here; and a backgrounder on the proposed AI framework is available here. Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) indicated he is working on a House companion to the bill.

Coinciding with Chair Cruz’s framework release was a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing to examine President Trump’s AI Action Plan and explore legislative actions to foster AI innovation. The hearing featured testimony from OSTP Director Michael Kratsios. Click here to read the full summary of the hearing. Giving you full access to the latest in AI across regulatory developments, legal & policy issues and industry news. Subscribe to Akin Intelligence, our monthly newsletter recapping the latest in AI and its impact on various sectors.

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