Workplace, Federal Building, Disaster Relief Legislation from Senate Government Affairs Committee signed into law
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Bipartisan lawmakers are celebrating the signing of federal workforce and workplace measures into law last week. On Tuesday, President Joseph Biden signed three bills into law that advanced through the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee earlier this Congress.
The three bills signed into law last week include:
· The Artificial Intelligence Training for the Acquisition Workforce Act or the AI Training Act (S. 2551): The AI Training Act requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to provide AI training to the acquisition workforce.
· The Bulb Replacement Improving Government with High-Efficiency Technology (BRIGHT) Act (S. 442): The BRIGHT Act requires federal buildings to be equipped with the most life-cycle cost effective and energy-efficient lighting systems available.
· The Planning for Animal Wellness (PAW) Act (S. 4205): The PAW Act requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a working group relating to best practices and federal guidance for animals in emergencies and disasters.
All three bills represent bipartisan initiatives. Committee Chairman Senator Gray Peters (D-MI) and Ranking Member Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) sponsored the AI Training Act. The same two Senators and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) sponsored the PAW Act. Senator Peters also sponsored the BRIGHT Act, joined by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI).
Senator Portman explained the significance of the AI Training Act in a statement announcing its signing into law, “When the government purchases AI to improve government functions, we need to know that the AI we buy actually works and meets standards for ethics and safety. That’s why I’m pleased the bipartisan AI Training Act has been signed into law. This law will train our procurement professionals about the ins and outs of AI so they can discern which AI systems are useful to the government and which are not.”
This bill represents another step in Senators Peters and Portman’s joint efforts to improve government use of AI. According to the release, the senators’ bipartisan legislation to secure and protect information handled by federal contractors using AI technology, such as biometric data from facial recognition scans, has advanced in the Senate. A Portman-Peters provision to ensure that the use of AI across the federal government is effective, ethical, and accountable by providing resources and guidance to federal agencies was signed into law as a part of last year’s government funding bill.
In a release highlighting the passage of the PAW Act, Senator Peters explained, “No one should have to risk their lives because they refuse to abandon beloved pets before a natural disaster. This new law will help make sure that FEMA and first responders in Michigan and across the nation can help protect every member of our families – even the ones with four legs and fur.”
The legislation received widespread support from animal rights organizations including, the Disaster Response & Risk Reduction Program for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, the Animal Welfare Institute, the National Animal Care & Control Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition, and the National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs.
Finally, Senator Johnson emphasized the taxpayer savings associated with the BRIGHT Act in a statement saying, “Energy efficient lighting systems will save taxpayer dollars by reducing overall energy usage. This legislation will help decrease energy usage and diminish wasteful spending across the vast federal bureaucracy.”
The bill’s House sponsor, Representative Dina Titus (D-NV), said in the same statement, “Energy-efficient lighting systems will save taxpayers millions of dollars and reduce overall energy use in federal facilities. I’m glad this bipartisan legislation was signed into law by President Biden. It is yet another step we can take in our attack on climate change. Doing well by doing good.”
