Pa lawmakers push for AI safety rules | WITF

Pennsylvania lawmakers are proposing legislation to regulate the AI industry, WITF reported on October 19, 2026, as the federal government has yet to provide a framework. Experts and lawmakers called for urgent action Monday at a meeting of the Pa. House Communication and Technology committee. The report names two bills and their sponsors: HB2800, introduced by Rep. Melissa Shusterman (D-Chester), and HB2829, introduced by Rep. Manuel Guzman (D-Berks).

According to the report, HB2800 would establish measures to mitigate catastrophic risks from frontier AI models, while HB2829 would set expectations for safety practices and incident reporting. The report does not describe the mechanisms either bill would use, how "frontier" would be defined, the thresholds at which a developer would fall under the requirements, the penalties attached for non-compliance, or a timeline for committee or floor votes in the state House.

The Pennsylvania effort is presented as proceeding while the federal government has yet to provide a framework for AI regulation, and the report places the two bills within that gap. It states that Monday's meeting drew both experts and lawmakers, and that those present called for urgent action. WITF's account does not identify the experts who took part, the specific risks discussed, any opposition to the proposals, or the text of either measure, and no vote on either bill is described.