Arkansas – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders led a coalition of 17 Republican governors in sending a joint letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, urging Congress to remove a proposed 10-year moratorium on state-level artificial intelligence (AI) regulations. The moratorium is currently included in the federal legislative package known as the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”
In the letter, the governors emphasize the critical need for state authority to regulate the rapidly advancing field of AI. They argue that the moratorium would nullify numerous efforts already underway at the state level to protect citizens from the misuse of AI technologies.
“AI is already deeply entrenched in American industry and society; people will be at risk until basic rules ensuring safety and fairness can go into effect,” the letter states. “That Congress is burying a provision that will strip the right of any state to regulate this technology in any way – without a thoughtful public debate – is the antithesis of what our Founders envisioned.”
While the governors express support for the broader goals of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill and former President Trump’s vision of U.S. leadership in AI, they oppose any effort that would preempt state governments from establishing their own protections. The letter underscores the traditional role of states as “laboratories of democracy” and calls on Congress to respect that role.
Alongside Governor Sanders, the letter was signed by Governor Kay Ivey (AL), Governor Mike Dunleavy (AK), Governor Brian Kemp (GA), Governor Brad Little (ID), Governor Kim Reynolds (IA), Governor Jeff Landry (LA), Governor Mike Kehoe (MO), Governor Greg Gianforte (MT), Governor Jim Pillen (NE), Governor Kelly Armstrong (ND), Governor Kevin Stitt (OK), Governor Henry McMaster (SC), Governor Larry Rhoden (SD), Governor Bill Lee (TN), Governor Spencer Cox (UT), and Governor Mark Gordon (WY).
In 2025, Governor Sanders signed several laws aimed at addressing AI-related challenges in Arkansas. These include Act 927, which establishes intellectual property protections for AI-generated content; Act 159, which prohibits the nonconsensual use of a person’s image or likeness through AI; and Act 977, which broadens child sexual abuse material laws to cover AI-generated content.
The letter reflects growing concern among state leaders that a top-down federal approach to AI regulation could leave citizens unprotected during a critical period of technological transformation.