[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8345 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8345
To establish the Economy of the Future Commission, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 16, 2026
Mr. Obernolte (for himself and Ms. Jacobs) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce,
Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, and
Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Economy of the Future Commission, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Economy of the Future Commission Act
of 2026''.
SEC. 2. ECONOMY OF THE FUTURE COMMISSION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Applicable congressional committee.--The term
``applicable congressional committee'' means any of the
following committees:
(A) The Committee on Armed Services, the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the
Committee on Finance, the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate.
(B) The Committee on Armed Services, the Committee
on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology, the Committee on Education and
Workforce, the Committee on Ways and Means, the
Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(2) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial
intelligence'' has the meaning given the term in section 5002
of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020
(15 U.S.C. 9401).
(3) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Economy
of the Future Commission established under subsection (b).
(4) Congressional leader.--The term ``congressional
leader'' means the majority leader of the Senate, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the
Senate, or the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
(5) NAICS.--The term ``NAICS'' means the North American
Industry Classification System.
(b) In General.--There is established in the legislative branch a
commission to develop consensus legislative recommendations addressing
economic changes caused by the adoption of artificial intelligence, to
be known as the ``Economy of the Future Commission''.
(c) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall be composed of the
following members:
(A) 12 members appointed by Congress in accordance
with paragraph (2), of whom--
(i) the majority leader of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives
shall each appoint 3 members; and
(ii) the minority leader of the Senate and
the minority leader of the House of
Representatives shall each appoint 3 members.
(B) The Deputy Secretary of Education, as a
nonvoting member.
(C) The Deputy Secretary of Labor, as a nonvoting
member.
(D) The Deputy Secretary of Commerce, as a
nonvoting member.
(E) The Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, as a
nonvoting member.
(2) Congressional appointees.--Each congressional leader
making appointments under paragraph (1) shall--
(A) appoint 1 member who is serving as a Member of
the house of Congress in which the congressional leader
serves and is a member of an applicable congressional
committee; and
(B) for any remaining appointments, appoint an
individual who is not serving in Congress and who is
nationally recognized for expertise, knowledge, or
experience in--
(i) artificial intelligence technology;
(ii) education;
(iii) workforce retraining; or
(iv) taxation.
(3) Appointment.--Members of the Commission shall be
appointed not later than 45 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(4) Ethics.--A congressional leader who appoints members of
the Commission may not appoint an individual as a member of the
Commission if such individual possesses any personal or
financial interest in the discharge of any of the duties of the
Commission.
(d) Co-Chairs.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall have 2 co-chairs,
selected jointly by the congressional leaders from among the
members of the Commission in accordance with paragraph (2).
(2) Co-chair requirements.--One co-chair of the Commission
shall be a member of the Democratic Party, and one co-chair
shall be a member of the Republican Party. One co-chair of the
Commission shall be a Member of the House of Representatives
and one co-chair shall be a Senator.
(e) Meetings; Quorum; Vacancies.--
(1) Initial meeting.--The Commission shall hold its initial
meeting on or before the date that is 60 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(2) Additional meetings.--After its initial meeting, the
Commission shall meet upon the call of the co-chairs of the
Commission.
(3) Quorum.--7 members of the Commission shall constitute a
quorum for purposes of conducting business, except that 2
members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum for
purposes of receiving testimony.
(4) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Commission shall not
affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner in
which the original appointment was made.
(5) Quorum with vacancies.--If vacancies in the Commission
occur on any day after 45 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, a quorum shall consist of a majority of the
members of the Commission as of such day.
(f) Actions of Commission.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall act by resolution
agreed to by a majority of the members of the Commission voting
and present.
(2) Panels.--The Commission may establish panels composed
of less than the full membership of the Commission for purposes
of carrying out the duties of the Commission under this
section. The actions of any such panel shall be subject to the
review and control of the Commission. Any findings and
determinations made by such a panel shall not be considered the
findings and determinations of the Commission unless approved
by the Commission.
(3) Delegation.--Any member, agent, or staff of the
Commission may, if authorized by the co-chairs of the
Commission, take any action which the Commission is authorized
to take pursuant to this section.
(g) Duties.--The duties of the Commission are--
(1) in general, to develop consensus legislative
recommendations addressing economic changes caused by the
adoption of artificial intelligence;
(2) to evaluate the effectiveness of, and develop consensus
legislative recommendations that address and respond to the
economic changes caused by, the adoption of artificial
intelligence, including the effectiveness and economic changes
of that adoption for--
(A) government data, research, and measurement;
(B) workforce development programs;
(C) kindergarten through grade 12 public education,
career and technical education, and higher education;
and
(D) social safety net programs and worker support;
(3) to develop consensus legislative recommendations
addressing--
(A) the development of standards and metrics to
evaluate and address artificial intelligence adoption
across the Federal Government, including standards and
metrics to identify and address artificial
intelligence-specific skill and training needs across
the Federal workforce;
(B) the relative merits of open-source and open-
weight models of artificial intelligence for
suitability for small- and medium-sized businesses and
the use of open-source and open-weight models to
improve the efficiency of government operations;
(C) the potential for a national Federal artificial
intelligence research investment strategy;
(D) public and private sector partnerships to
increase research access by academic institutions and
small businesses to private sector computing, models,
data, and software resources related to artificial
intelligence;
(E) developing and scaling foundational
manufacturing technologies related to artificial
intelligence through government programs and public-
private partnerships such as the Hollings Manufacturing
Extension Program established under section 25(b) of
the National Institute of Standards and Technologies
Act (15 U.S.C. 278k);
(F) supply chain and manufacturing challenges to
developing emerging technologies that are projected to
heavily utilize artificial intelligence, such as
robotics;
(G) the need for public and private sector
collaboration in developing cloud computing-based
laboratories for furthering research into key
technology focus areas, as defined in section 10387(c)
of the Research and Development, Competition, and
Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19107(c)), utilizing
artificial intelligence;
(H) changes to transportation safety policies and
regulations caused by the adoption of artificial
intelligence in land-, air-, and sea-based autonomous
vehicles;
(I) energy generation, storage, and transmission
demands caused by the development of the artificial
intelligence industry and the construction and
operation of domestic data centers; and
(J) the use of artificial intelligence-enabled
robotics in government (other than in the Department of
Defense) and industry; and
(4) to prepare the reports required under subsection (k).
(h) Powers of Commission.--
(1) In general.--The Commission or, on the authorization of
the Commission, any subcommittee or member of, the Commission
may, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this
section--
(A) hold such hearings and sit and act at such
times and places, take such testimony, receive such
evidence, and administer such oaths; and
(B) require, by subpoena or otherwise, the
attendance and testimony of such witnesses and the
production of such books, records, correspondence,
memoranda, papers, and documents, as the Commission or
such designated subcommittee or designated member
considers necessary.
(2) Subpoenas.--Subpoenas may be issued under paragraph
(1)(B) under the signature of the co-chairs of the Commission,
and may be served by any person designated by such co-chairs.
(3) Failure to comply.--The provisions of sections 102
through 104 of the Revised Statutes (2 U.S.C. 192 through 194)
shall apply in the case of any failure of a witness to comply
with any subpoena or to testify when summoned under authority
of this section.
(4) Contracting.--The Commission may, to such extent and in
such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts,
enter into contracts to enable the Commission to discharge its
duties under this section.
(5) Information from federal agencies.--
(A) In general.--The Commission may secure directly
from any executive department, agency, bureau, board,
commission, office, independent establishment, or
instrumentality of the Government information,
suggestions, estimates, and statistics for the purposes
of this section.
(B) Response.--Each such department, agency,
bureau, board, commission, office, establishment, or
instrumentality shall, to the extent authorized by law,
furnish such information, suggestions, estimates, and
statistics directly to the Commission, upon request of
the co-chairs of the Commission.
(C) Classified information.--The Commission shall
handle and protect all classified information provided
to it under this section in accordance with applicable
statutes and regulations.
(6) Assistance from federal agencies.--
(A) In general.--Federal departments and agencies
may provide the Commission such services, funds,
facilities, staff, and other support as such
departments and agencies consider advisable and as may
be authorized by law.
(B) Cooperation.--The Commission shall receive the
full and timely cooperation of any official,
department, or agency of the Federal Government whose
assistance is necessary, as jointly determined by the
co-chairs, for the fulfillment of the duties of the
Commission, including the provision of full and current
briefings and analyses.
(7) Postal services.--The Commission may use the United
States postal services in the same manner and under the same
conditions as the departments and agencies of the United
States.
(8) Gifts.--
(A) No gifts for service.--No member or staff of
the Commission may receive a gift or benefit by reason
of the service of such member or staff to the
Commission.
(B) Authority to accept gifts.--The Commission may
accept, use, and dispose of gifts or donations of
services or property (including goods) from non-Federal
entities for the purposes of aiding and facilitating
the work of the Commission. The authority in this
subparagraph does not extend to gifts of money.
(i) Staff of Commission.--
(1) In general.--The co-chairs of the Commission, in
accordance with rules agreed upon by the Commission, shall
appoint and fix the compensation of a staff director and such
other personnel as may be necessary to enable the Commission to
carry out its duties, without regard to the provisions of title
5, United States Code, governing appointments in the
competitive service, and without regard to the provisions of
chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title
relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates,
except that no rate of pay fixed under this subsection may
exceed the equivalent of that payable to a person occupying a
position at level V of the Executive Schedule under section
5316 of such title.
(2) Experts and consultants.--The co-chairs of the
Commission may procure the services of experts and consultants
in accordance with section 3109 of title 5, United States Code,
as if the Commission were an agency described in that section,
at rates for individuals that do not exceed the daily
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level
IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of such title.
(3) Detailees.--Any Federal Government employee may be
detailed to the Commission without reimbursement from the
Commission, and such detailee shall retain the rights, status,
and privileges of his or her regular employment without
interruption.
(j) Compensation and Travel Expenses.--
(1) Compensation.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph
(2), each member of the Commission may be compensated
at not to exceed the daily equivalent of the annual
rate of basic pay in effect for a position at level IV
of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title
5, United States Code, for each day during which that
member is engaged in the actual performance of the
duties of the Commission under this section.
(B) Exclusion.--Members of the Commission who are
officers or employees of the United States or Members
of Congress shall receive no additional pay by reason
of their service on the Commission.
(2) Travel expenses.--While away from their homes or
regular places of business in the performance of services for
the Commission, members of the Commission may be allowed travel
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the
same manner as persons employed intermittently in the
Government service are allowed expenses under section 5703 of
title 5, United States Code.
(k) Reports.--
(1) Interim report.--By not later than 7 months after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall issue an
interim report, to be disseminated to the public, including--
(A)(i) the initial estimates of changes in
employment due to the adoption of artificial
intelligence for 5 years and 10 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, by 6-digit NAICS code; and
(ii) the Commission's level of confidence in such
estimates;
(B)(i) Federal revenue estimates for tax years
beginning 5 and 10 years after the enactment of this
Act; and
(ii) commentary by the Commission on the likelihood
that the adoption of artificial intelligence will
increase or decrease revenue during each time period
described in clause (i); and
(C) a description of high-quality, free resources
that the public can access to learn more about
artificial intelligence and the effects that its wide
adoption may have on the global economy.
(2) Final report.--
(A) In general.--By not later than 13 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall
prepare and submit a final report regarding the impact
of the adoption of artificial intelligence that
includes legislative recommendations on artificial
intelligence education, reskilling of employees needed
due to the adoption of artificial intelligence,
unemployment insurance, and taxation policy, and on
maintaining global competitiveness in key industries
including technology and manufacturing.
(B) Submission.--The report required under
subparagraph (A) shall be submitted to the report to
each of the applicable congressional committees and to
the Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of Commerce,
Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of Education.
(C) Assessments of final report.--By not later than
60 days after the date on which the final report is
submitted under subparagraph (B), the Secretaries of
Treasury, Commerce, Labor, and Education shall
individually submit an assessment of the final report
to the applicable congressional committees.
(l) Inapplicability of Certain Administrative Provisions.--
(1) Federal advisory committee act.--The provisions of
chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to
the ``Federal Advisory Committee Act''), shall not apply to the
activities of the Commission under this section.
(2) Freedom of information act.--The provisions of section
552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the
``Freedom of Information Act''), shall not apply to the
activities (including proceedings) or records of the Commission
under this section.
(m) Termination.--
(1) In general.--The Commission, and all the authorities of
this section, shall terminate on the last day of the 120-day
period beginning on the date on which the final report
described in subsection (k)(2) is submitted to the applicable
congressional committees.
(2) Closing activities.--The Commission may use the 120-day
period immediately preceding termination for the purposes of
concluding its activities, including providing testimony to
Congress concerning the final report described in subsection
(k)(2) and disseminating the report.
(n) Funding.--There is appropriated, out of any amounts in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $5,250,000 to carry out this
section, to remain available until the date on which the Commission
terminates under subsection (m)(1).
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