STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX –  State Representatives Julie Willoughby and Nick Kupper on Friday sent a joint letter to U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, warning that a proposed 10-year federal moratorium on enforcing state laws regulating artificial intelligence (AI) would undermine Arizona’s authority and block important new laws passed with bipartisan support.

The moratorium is part of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, currently moving through Congress. If enacted, it would bar Arizona from enforcing legislation governing AI use in insurance decisions and criminal prosecutions—two areas where the state has led with early and effective reforms.

“The sweeping federal moratorium on enforcing laws like these is an unjustified overreach and would unnecessarily delay important protections for our residents,” Representatives Willoughby and Kupper wrote. “A blanket prohibition on state action could also hinder innovation and accountability by freezing regulatory progress and halting enforcement of common-sense reforms at the state level for an entire decade.”

Arizona recently enacted two bipartisan laws that would be directly impacted:

• HB2175, sponsored by Representative Willoughby, bars health insurers from using AI to make final decisions on medical claim denials or prior authorization requests—ensuring a human, not an algorithm, is responsible for those outcomes.
• HB2678, also sponsored by Representative Willoughby, updates the state’s criminal code to include computer-generated images that appear to depict child sexual abuse, giving law enforcement stronger tools to combat digital exploitation.

“These are practical laws designed to protect Arizonans,” said Representative Willoughby. “Washington shouldn’t be dictating whether we can enforce them.”

Representative Kupper echoed that concern: “A 10-year freeze on state authority, with no federal alternative in place, is dangerous. We’re asking Senators Kelly and Gallego to stand up for Arizona.”

The representatives invited both senators to discuss the issue directly and work together to protect Arizona’s right to respond to emerging technologies.