Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) rolled out a new legislative proposal on Thursday to regulate artificial intelligence at the state level, ignoring President Donald Trump‘s calls for a 10-year federal moratorium on state AI laws.
DeSantis dubbed his proposal an “AI Bill of Rights” to protect the state’s legislative control over the rapidly advancing technology.
“I oppose stripping Florida of our ability to legislate in the best interest of the people,” he wrote on X. “A ten year AI moratorium bans state regulation of AI, which would prevent FL from enacting important protections for individuals, children and families.”
Among the key elements featured in the proposal are deepfake protections, especially for minors; a ban on Chinese-created AI tools, such as DeepSeek, for government use; name, image, and likeness restrictions; a ban on AI-provided therapy or mental health counseling; and increased parental oversight of children’s interactions with AI models.
DeSantis shared the story of a mother who lost her son to suicide due to an AI chatbot. AI models encouraging minors to kill themselves have become a recurring trend that has caught the attention of lawmakers nationwide.
The proposal also targets hyperscale AI data centers. Under the Republican governor’s plan, utility companies would be prohibited from charging customers extra to support data center development. Additionally, taxpayer subsidies wouldn’t go toward the Big Tech companies building or expanding data centers in Florida.
The AI Bill of Rights will head to the Florida legislature, where state lawmakers will decide how much of the governor’s proposal becomes law. The state’s next regular legislative session is scheduled to last 60 days, with an expected start date of Jan. 13, 2026.
If approved, the proposal will become one of the strictest AI governance frameworks in the nation, putting Florida at odds with the Trump administration.
Trump wants to ban state AI regulations for the next decade, allowing the United States to compete with China in the AI race. The White House’s AI agenda suffered a setback this week when Congress decided to exclude the AI moratorium from the annual defense bill.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) confirmed the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act would not include the moratorium. Instead, Congress is considering other options for the provision.
“We need to find a place to do it,” Scalise said on Tuesday. “It’s an important bill, but it’s a bill that you have to build a separate coalition on. And if you can add it, that’s great, but that wasn’t the best place for this to fit.”
“Good,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-AR) posted on X in response to Scalise’s comments about the absence of AI preemption in the NDAA. “This is a terrible provision and should remain OUT.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) also threw cold water on the provision’s inclusion in the bill, telling the Washington Examiner that it’s “controversial” and that “both sides are kind of dug in.”
THUNE CASTS DOUBT ON AI MORATORIUM PUSHED BY WHITE HOUSE
The 10-year moratorium was stripped from Trump’s major tax and spending bill over the summer, but Republican lawmakers are working to pass the provision elsewhere.
The White House is reportedly considering an executive order to preempt state AI laws, rather than going through Congress, according to Axios. The idea was first floated in November.
