Obernolte, Trahan Introduce Bipartisan FRONTIER Act to Strengthen Oversight of Advanced AI
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Congresswomen Lori Trahan (D-MA), alongside Representatives Scott Franklin (R-FL), Scott Peters (D-CA), Erin Houchin (R-IN), and Suhas Subramanyan (D-VA), introduced the Frontier Risk Oversight, National Transparency, Independent Evaluation, and Reporting Act, or the FRONTIER Act. The bipartisan legislation, which was developed as part of the broader Great American AI Act framework, establishes a national, risk-based framework governing the development and deployment of the most advanced artificial intelligence models.
The FRONTIER Act establishes tiered requirements based on the size of a frontier AI developer, including model cards, risk-management frameworks, independent audits, incident reporting, and ongoing assessments. It also creates a uniform national standard for transparency, auditing, and reporting of catastrophic risk to prevent a patchwork of state regulations.
“Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, and Congress must ensure our regulatory framework keeps pace without undermining American innovation,” said Congressman Jay Obernolte (CA-23). “The FRONTIER Act focuses oversight on the largest developers and most advanced models, requiring transparency, independent evaluation, and timely reporting of serious safety incidents. This legislation will protect Americans from catastrophic risk, provide developers with clear rules of the road, and ensure the United States remains the global leader in AI.”
“As AI systems grow more capable, Americans deserve confidence that the most powerful models are being developed responsibly,” said Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03). “The bipartisan FRONTIER Act delivers commonsense transparency and independent oversight for the largest AI developers while giving them a single, clear national standard to build on. This is how we protect the public from catastrophic risks without slowing the innovation that keeps America competitive.”
"The FRONTIER Act recognizes that not every AI developer should be regulated the same way. It takes a targeted approach by focusing only on the handful of companies developing the most powerful frontier AI models, not the startups and innovators driving America's AI ecosystem,” said Congressman Scott Franklin (FL-18). “By tying coverage to substantial AI research and development investments and requiring transparency and independent assessments from those developers, the bill avoids one-size-fits-all mandates and allows smaller innovators to spend their time building new technologies instead of navigating unnecessary federal red tape."
"The window to get AI policy right is closing, and Congress can't afford to miss it," said Congressman Scott Peters (CA-50). "I supported Representatives Trahan and Obernolte's initial draft so we could develop a better bill that reflects how this technology works and where it's headed. Thanks to input from researchers, experts, and civil society advocates, that process worked. The FRONTIER Act is a targeted bill with clear, uniform transparency, and safety standards, instead of a fifty-state patchwork. I'm glad to support this bipartisan effort so that Congress acts before this technology outruns us."
"America must lead the world in artificial intelligence, and we can do that while being clear-eyed about the risks,” said Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09). “Just this week, one of the most advanced AI systems in the country broke out of its own developer's testing environment, reaching systems it was never supposed to touch. This is exactly the kind of incident that shouldn't stay behind closed doors. The FRONTIER Act delivers transparency and accountability from the largest AI developers. Innovation and guardrails are not opposites—both are necessary to stay ahead of our adversaries."
"This is a four-alarm fire. We need to take action now. These frontier models could have the power to create serious chaos and harm without adequate regulations,” said Congressman Subramanyan (VA-10). “This bill, while not perfect, is an important, bipartisan step in the right direction. We need a bill like this that can actually pass this Congress and get signed into law. But this is only the first step, and more action needs to be taken to protect people from the harm these models can cause."
Read the bill here.
Read the section by section of the bill here.
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