California Republican Proposes Federal Frontier AI Safety Rules

Reps. Jay Obernolte and Lori Trahan have introduced the bipartisan Frontier Act, a proposal to establish federal minimum safety rules for frontier AI systems. The measure would license independent auditors, allow emergency pauses of models deemed to pose catastrophic risks, and place much catastrophic-risk oversight at the federal level while retaining limited state powers. The proposal reflects an effort to move beyond voluntary AI safeguards, but its prospects and final scope remain uncertain.