Ohio lawmakers push back on White House AI resolution

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio legislators from both sides of the aisle are pushing back against the Trump administration in regards to artificial intelligence and states’ rights to regulate it.

Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order limiting the ability of states to pass their own regulations on artificial intelligence. According to Trump’s order, “State-by-State regulation by definition creates a patchwork of 50 different regulatory regimes that makes compliance more challenging, particularly for start-ups.” 

Two Ohio lawmakers — one Democrat and one Republican — have submitted resolutions in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, opposing the president’s order. They say this is a violation of states’ rights and an unwise approach to regulating AI. 

“Very simply, it doesn’t matter who is in the White House,” Ohio Sen. Louis Blessing III (R-Colerain Township) said. “We, the states, have a lot of power, and it’s not right that the White House and Congress attempts to encroach on that.” 

Earlier this week, Blessing submitted a resolution to the Ohio Senate, condemning “the idea of an artificial intelligence legislation moratorium in all of its iterations.” Blessing was joined by Rep. Christine Cockley (D-Columbus), who submitted a companion resolution to the House. 

“Honestly, this is one of the areas that we do align in a lot of ways,” Cockley said. “We recognize that this executive order is an overreach. It’s causing chaos and it’s centralizing power.” 

 Cockley said the states are better equipped to legislate appropriate regulations for artificial intelligence, without interference from the federal government. 

“State legislators are talking with constituents every single day about what is happening in their backyard, from rising energy prices to data centers that are being built,” Cockley said. “There’s no one thing when it comes to regulating AI that works exactly the same in California and also Ohio, and vice versa. So the federal government is coming in and trying to say here’s a one-size-fits-all model and that’s not realistic.” 

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, however, sees merit in some of the White House’s concerns—particularly the need to avoid a “patchwork” of state laws. 

“I think the federal government does have supremacy when it comes to interstate commerce,” said Justin Barnes, vice president of government affairs for the Chamber of Commerce. “There is a desire from certain state legislators and from states across the country to enact measures to protect their citizens, and we think that’s a justifiable response as well. We don’t want to see anyone harmed or defrauded by this technology, but we do want to keep America on the cutting edge of developing this industry globally.” 

Barnes echoed the president’s desire for a “minimally burdensome national standard.” At the moment, however, it isn’t clear when or if Congress will be able to pass a national AI regulation policy. 

“I find that very disconcerting to say, ‘Well, they’re working on it, but in the meantime, any authority we had on this, congratulations guys, you can have it at the federal level.’ It’s really not a good look,” Blessing said. “How does anybody go back to their constituents and say, ‘Well, we’re just gonna wait on Congress?’ We were elected, not hired.” 

John Fortney, spokesperson for the Senate Majority Caucus, said that Blessing’s resolution “represents his own personal opinion and doesn’t necessarily reflect the view of the caucus.” Fortney also said he expects Senators to have a “thorough and thoughtful debate” on the topic. 

When asked what he planned to tell his Republican colleagues in the New Year, Blessing said, “Quite simply, I’m gonna say, ‘Do you want to have your authority pulled away from the federal government, whether it’s the executive branch or Congress?'”