[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4148-H4149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SBA ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UTILIZATION ACT OF 2026
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 8881) to amend the Small Business Act to require
the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to report on the
use of artificial intelligence and machine learning by the
Administration, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 8881
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 ``SBA Artificial Intelligence
Utilization Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. REPORTS REGARDING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE
LEARNING USE BY THE SMALL BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION.
Section 10(c) of the Small Business Act is amended to read
as follows:
``(c) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Use
Reports.--
``(1) Reports required.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of the enactment of this subsection, and annually
thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee
on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the
Senate a report on--
``(A) the use of artificial intelligence and machine
learning by the Administration;
``(B) the benefits and risks posed by the use of artificial
intelligence and machine learning in the work of the
Administration, including in impeding the operations of the
Administration; and
``(C) measures that the Administrator can take to
effectively identify, evaluate, and manage such benefits and
risks, including explanations of how the Administrator can--
``(i) retain human involvement in important decisions
informed by recommendations made by artificial intelligence
or machine learning;
``(ii) identify tasks and functions that artificial
intelligence or machine learning can and cannot reliably and
effectively perform, including whether artificial
intelligence and machine learning can improve operations,
productivity, or customer service;
``(iii) determine which specific artificial intelligence or
machine learning tools are appropriate for a particular task
or function, if such task or function is determined to have
the potential to be reliably and effectively performed by
artificial intelligence or machine learning; and
``(iv) determine whether an artificial intelligence or
machine learning tool adequately fills a need of the
Administration and is worth adopting to fulfill such need.
``(2) Briefing required.--Not later than 30 days after the
date on which the Administrator submits each report required
under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall provide to the
committees described in such paragraph a briefing on such
report.
``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection, the terms
`artificial intelligence' and `machine learning' have the
meanings given, respectively, in section 5002 of the William
M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9401).''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Williams) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 8881, the SBA
Artificial Intelligence Utilization Act of 2026, introduced by
Representative Finstad from the great State of Minnesota and
Representative Latimer from the great State of New York.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how businesses
operate. Across this great country, companies are using AI and machine
learning technologies to improve customer service, detect fraud,
streamline operations, and process information more effectively. As
these technologies continue to develop, Federal agencies should
evaluate how to responsibly leverage them to better serve the American
people.
The Small Business Administration plays a critical role in supporting
entrepreneurs and job creators across this Nation. As the agency works
to improve service delivery, strengthen program integrity, and
modernize its operations, Congress should have visibility into how
emerging technologies are being used.
H.R. 8881 requires the SBA to submit annual reports to Congress
regarding the agency's use of artificial intelligence and machine
learning technologies. The bill requires the SBA to evaluate both the
benefits and risks associated with these technologies, identify
appropriate uses for AI tools, and explain how the agency maintains
human involvement and oversight in its decisions assisted by AI.
{time} 1540
As the Federal Government works to prevent fraud and protect taxpayer
dollars, AI tools can help the SBA better identify suspicious activity,
detect improper payments, improve customer service, and strengthen
oversight of agency programs. At the same time, Congress must ensure
that these technologies are deployed responsibly and transparently.
By providing regular information to the SBA's use of artificial
intelligence, this legislation will help promote a more efficient and
accountable government while ensuring that innovation is paired with
appropriate oversight and human judgment.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 8881, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OLSZEWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the prospect of AI in government brings forth a deluge
of feelings for many policymakers, myself
[[Page H4149]]
being no exception. On the one hand, AI can be exciting because it can
revolutionize the way we do business. On the other hand, AI can be
frightening because of the ways in which it can harm everyday
Americans.
In 2023, the city of New York launched a first-of-its-kind AI chatbot
for small businesses, meant to answer questions about running small
firms, city small business services, and regulatory compliance.
In response, the committee sent a letter to the White House Office of
Budget and Management urging them to incorporate various commonsense
guardrails if and when AI for small business services came into use at
the Federal level.
As it turns out, our concerns about the city's chatbot were well
founded. A news expose found that the chatbot was consistently urging
users to break the law. The mayor later closed it as part of a broader
cost-cutting effort, calling it ``unusable.''
That is why our committee is hard at work holding the SBA to account
for the ways in which it is and isn't using AI, no matter who is in the
White House.
H.R. 8881 will direct the SBA to report annually on its AI use, the
benefits and risks of AI to its work, and effective AI risk management
measures.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Finstad and Mr. Latimer for their leadership
in this area, and I urge all Members to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Finstad), my friend.
Mr. FINSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Williams for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 8881, the SBA
Artificial Intelligence Utilization Act.
In a time when artificial intelligence and machine learning continue
to become more accessible and revolutionize the way businesses operate,
it is important to ensure our Federal agencies adopt AI responsibly,
especially in the SBA.
This legislation requires the Small Business Administration to report
its use of AI and machine learning within their operations, while also
assessing the advantages and risks.
This legislation also gives SBA the opportunity to assess the
appropriateness, effectiveness, and value of using these technologies.
AI can be a useful tool for the SBA to process information and ease
its implementation, but it also raises questions about transparency,
oversight, and risks.
This does not mandate the use of AI or prohibit innovation in our
Small Business Administration, but instead ensures commonsense
congressional oversight into how these tools are being used.
Congress has the responsibility to ensure Federal agencies are using
this ever-changing technology transparently, responsibly, and
effectively, and my bill ensures just that.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. OLSZEWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8881 is a commonsense measure promoting
transparency in the SBA's use of AI, an emerging tech with far-reaching
ramifications. I commend Mr. Finstad and Mr. Latimer for working
together to move this bill forward, and I urge my colleagues to support
it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in
favor of H.R. 8881 to help modernize the SBA and ensure the agency can
better serve America's small business.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 8881.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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