Tech bills of the week: Cutting federal funding for Flock; Making data centers shoulder their power costs; and more

Stopping federal funds from going to AI-powered surveillance cameras

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., introduced legislation on Wednesday that would prohibit federal funds from being used to purchase or operate any automated mass surveillance systems, including AI-powered cameras provided by Flock. 

In a press release, the congresswoman’s office said her proposal — the Get the Flock Out of Our Communities Act — “is the only bill in Congress designed to completely prohibit the use of automated mass surveillance technology, including biometric surveillance systems and facial recognition technology.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced a separate measure late last month that would impose data guardrails on the use of the surveillance systems. Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., also introduced a measure on Thursday that would “restrict the usage of automated license plate reader system by governmental entities,” although a public version of that bill’s text is not yet available. 

“Flock’s technology isn’t making us safer,” Tlaib said in a statement. “Instead it has been used to stalk people, mis-identify and arrest innocent people, surveil protestors, and wrongfully record our neighbors. My bill would prevent our government on all levels from selling us out to Big Tech companies that trample our civil rights for profit.”

Making data centers pay for their power usage

Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., introduced a measure on Wednesday that seeks to keep communities from having to foot the bill for data centers’ power expenses by requiring large and medium-sized data centers “to pay the full incremental costs associated with their electricity use.”

The bill would apply to data centers and high-density computing facilities that have electricity demands of at least 20 megawatts.

“As data centers and artificial intelligence drive growing demand for electricity, we need to make sure the companies benefiting from that growth pay their fair share,” Vindman said in a statement.

Removing tax breaks for data centers

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, also introduced legislation on Thursday that would prohibit data centers from receiving federal and state incentives for their development or operations.

Details of Moreno’s measure, known as the Recapturing Excessive Corporate Largesse through Accountability and Incentive Measures — or RECLAIM — Act, were first reported by Politico. 

The outlet said the senator’s bill includes a provision stating that “States and political subdivisions thereof should promptly repeal or reform any tax incentive programs that are specific to data centers.”

Mandating disclosure of AI use in political ads

Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., reintroduced legislation on Thursday that would require political advertisements to include a disclaimer if they include any artificial intelligence-generated photos or video. 

Clarke first rolled out the measure in July 2023 and told Nextgov/FCW at the time that “for those who want to be deceptive or to harm their opponents, they can easily do some real damage with AI-generated advertising.”

The congresswoman’s bill calls for relevant ads “to include a statement within the contents of the advertisements if generative AI was used to generate any image or video footage in the advertisements.”

In a press release, Clarke said that “if AI content can manipulate and deceive people on a large scale, it can be a serious threat to our democracy and have devastating consequences for our national and election security.”

Creating a new federal platform to combat elder scams

Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., and Tom Barrett, R-Mich., rolled out legislation on Thursday that looks to crack down on fraud and scams targeting elderly Americans by creating a new website and 24/7 reporting hotline. 

The measure looks to address the often fragmented fraud reporting system across government by creating a streamlined reporting and assistance process. The lawmakers said their bill would create a reporting platform similar to the one that the Department of Veterans Affairs created in 2024 to combat scams targeting retired servicemembers. Barrett chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Technology Modernization Subcommittee. 

“Families need resources to recognize and quickly report suspected fraud,” Barrett said in a statement. “By establishing a 24/7, one-stop shop for addressing elder fraud, this bipartisan bill will protect vulnerable seniors and empower law enforcement to crack down on these criminals.”