Utah Becomes Site of Last Flashpoint Between States and the White House Over AI Regs

The letter, dated February 12 and first obtained by Axios, said, “We are categorically opposed to Utah HB 286 and view it as an unfixable bill that goes against the Administration’s AI Agenda.” The bill, introduced by Republican state Rep. Doug Fiefia, would require developers of “frontier” AI models to publish safety and child-protection plans and include whistleblower protections for employees who report safety concerns.

It is similar to New York’s RAISE Act, which requires AI developers to disclose AI risk assessments and mitigation plans and was signed into law in December by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The White House letter nonetheless had its intended effect. After initially receiving unanimous support in committee, Fiefia’s bill has been held up on the House floor.

“I appreciate the White House’s engagement on this issue and look forward to continuing the dialogue,” Fiefia said in a statement. “While we did not fully align on the path forward, I believe transparency, accountability, and clear guardrails must be foundational to any responsible AI policy.”

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A separate bill however, the Companion Chatbot Safety Act, also drafted by Rep. Fiefia, has cleared the House and is headed to the Utah Senate,” according to Route 50.  It requires that children using chatbots be reminded hourly that they are not talking to a human and encouraged to take a break.

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Unlike the Trump administration, AI regulation has been a priority of Utah’s Republican governor Spencer Cox. Ahead of Trump’s December executive order purporting to preempt state regulations, Cox insisted it was the states’ job to protect children from the negative impacts of the technology, per Route 50.

Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz told reporters last week that he understood the federal government’s concerns. But, he added, the House will “for sure” move forward with the Companion Chatbot Safety Act bill, and will continue studying the legislation the Trump administration opposed.

“When you start putting into code in the states, telling the federal government around what to do on national security and different things, I can understand some of the concerns the Trump administration had with that bill,” Schultz said.

The fight over Fiefia’s original bill may not be over, according the Route 50. Following the White House’s letter, online safety advocacy group ParentsRISE wrote to Gov. Cox and legislature leaders pleading with them to go ahead with the measure despite the White House opposition.

“We know exactly what it looks like when a powerful industry moves fast and dismisses concern because they are counting on no one being held responsible. We know where that road ends for families,” a group of parents from the organization wrote. “And when we look at what is happening with AI, and at who is trying to stop HB 286, we are watching the same deadly cycle begin again.”