SBA ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UTILIZATION ACT OF 2026

On 2026-06-23, Representative Brad Finstad (R-MN-1) delivered a floor speech titled "SBA ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UTILIZATION ACT OF 2026" in the House.

SBA ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UTILIZATION ACT OF 2026

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026) [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. ____________________

Referenced legislation: HR8881, HR8881