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Issue record

Artificial intelligence

In short

In the debate, Cait Conley called for federal AI rules that protect safety and security and keep the U.S. a leader in AI. In the debate, Mike Lawler pointed to bipartisan safeguards for AI agents and the Stop Rogue AI Act, which he cosponsors. On the record, that bill is in committee. The record does not settle his statement that he has a bill to test all new AI models before release.

Campaign positions

What each campaign says.

Cait Conley

In the debate, called for federal AI regulation to protect public safety and security while keeping the United States a global leader in AI development. The statement is a proposed policy, not an enacted safeguard.

Mike Lawler

In the debate, pointed to bipartisan AI-agent safeguards. He cosponsors the Stop Rogue AI Act, which proposes NIST standards for identifying, evaluating, monitoring and controlling agents and changes to federal purchasing rules. The bill remains in committee.

Evidence timeline

What the record shows.

  1. campaign position

    Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

    Gottheimer sponsored the Stop Rogue AI Act with Lawler as original cosponsor. Unpassed agent safeguards establish neither numerous bills nor universal model testing.

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    Full detail

    Lawler said he and Josh Gottheimer had introduced numerous AI bills, naming the Stop Rogue AI Act to address rogue bots and agents. Gottheimer sponsored H.R. 10362 September 14, 2026, with Lawler as its original cosponsor. The text directs NIST standards for agent discovery and identification, organization control, evaluation before and after deployment and monitoring, coordinating with NTIA and CISA. It also directs proposed federal procurement revisions. The four-action captured history shows introduction and referrals, no passage or enactment. Why there is no verdict: The named bill and formal joint introduction are documented. One named bill does not settle the broader numerous-pieces assertion. Agent standards do not establish a requirement that every new AI model be tested before release, and the proposed safeguards are not enacted. Limit: The named bill and formal joint introduction are documented. One named bill does not settle the broader numerous-pieces assertion. Agent standards do not establish a requirement that every new AI model be tested before release, and the proposed safeguards are not enacted. Debate wording is paraphrased from native captions.

  2. campaign position

    Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

    Gottheimer's office named him co-lead of proposed NSA checks for the most powerful covered AI models. No exact bill number was found; universal scope and thresholds remain unsettled.

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    Full detail

    Lawler said he had legislation requiring all of the new AI models being created to be tested before they went live. Gottheimer’s September 18, 2026 announcement names Lawler as co-lead of the American AI Security Act and describes National Security Agency review before deployment of the most powerful covered models. It specifies thirty days, with one thirty-day extension. Complete captured member-sponsored and cosponsored lists did not identify an exact title or bill number for that announcement. Lawler was an original cosponsor of Beyer’s separate H.R. 8094, the AI Foundation Model Transparency Act, whose FTC reporting and covered-model rules differ from the announced NSA review. Why there is no verdict: The words all of these new models have an unresolved referent. The announcement does not establish universal testing, formal introduction, operative thresholds or enacted requirements. Missing an exact title in complete member lists does not prove no draft or differently titled provision exists. H.R. 8094’s thresholds and open-source exemption cannot be substituted for the announced proposal. Limit: The words all of these new models have an unresolved referent. The announcement does not establish universal testing, formal introduction, operative thresholds or enacted requirements. Missing an exact title in complete member lists does not prove no draft or differently titled provision exists. H.R. 8094’s thresholds and open-source exemption cannot be substituted for the announced proposal. Debate wording is paraphrased from native captions.

  3. campaign position

    Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

    Chase and Bloomberg examples predate his 2023 term; later expansion is separate. They do not settle every facility's age, current AI use or the September 11 purpose asserted.

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    Lawler said local data centers had been built before he entered Congress, were unrelated to AI and served the financial industry after September 11. A New York DEC-hosted October 2020 site-management plan describes an existing 189,000-square-foot JPMorgan Chase computer data center and current commercial use. Orangetown’s January 2017 statement names Bloomberg and other operating local data centers. These examples predate Lawler’s congressional service, which began January 2023. The Chase plan’s later revisions include a December 2024 Phase III/master-plan update: an older facility and a newer expansion are separate facts. Why there is no verdict: The named preexisting facilities are supported, but the debate gives no complete facility universe. Their financial-sector operators do not establish that every current workload excludes AI or that all facilities have an exclusive September 11 purpose. All facilities and phases, current AI use and that exclusive motive remain source-limited. Limit: The named preexisting facilities are supported, but the debate gives no complete facility universe. Their financial-sector operators do not establish that every current workload excludes AI or that all facilities have an exclusive September 11 purpose. All facilities and phases, current AI use and that exclusive motive remain source-limited. Debate wording is paraphrased from native captions.

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Sources13 source records

How we use sources

  1. News 12 debate: AI regulation and agent safeguardshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIU9kcsAldc&t=2690s

    News 12 · Published Sep 28, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    44:50-45:05 Conley policy position; 45:43-46:05 Lawler names the Stop Rogue AI Act and separately describes model testing. Opponent allegations are excluded. Paraphrase from the host-matched native captions captured October 4; no independently confirmed exact quotation. Full native payload retained privately.

    candidate statement

    For: Cait Conley: campaign position; Mike Lawler: campaign position; Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  2. H.R. 10362: Stop Rogue AI Acthttps://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10362

    Congress.gov · Published Sep 14, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    Josh Gottheimer is sponsor; Lawler is its original cosponsor. Complete four-action list contains introduction and referrals only as checked October 4; no enactment. The official introduction date is September 14, distinct from the September 9 office release.

    official legislative record

    For: Mike Lawler: campaign position; Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  3. H.R. 10362: introduced AI-agent standards texthttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr10362ih/html/BILLS-119hr10362ih.htm

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Published Sep 14, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    Directs NIST standards for finding, identifying, evaluating and controlling AI agents, plus proposed procurement-rule revisions for agencies and contractors. Agent safeguards differ from a universal pre-release requirement for every AI model.

    official legislative record

    For: Mike Lawler: campaign position; Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  4. News 12 NY17 debate: lawler stop rogue ai (45:40)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIU9kcsAldc&t=2740s

    News 12 · Published Sep 28, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    September 28, 2026 debate. Statement paraphrased from retained native captions. One transcript is available, so no verbatim quotation is certified; neighboring opponent assertions are excluded.

    candidate statement

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  5. News 12 NY17 debate: lawler ai model tests (45:59)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIU9kcsAldc&t=2759s

    News 12 · Published Sep 28, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    September 28, 2026 debate. Statement paraphrased from retained native captions. One transcript is available, so no verbatim quotation is certified; neighboring opponent assertions are excluded.

    candidate statement

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  6. Gottheimer announces the American AI Security Act with Lawlerhttps://gottheimer.house.gov/posts/release-gottheimer-announces-new-bipartisan-legislation-on-ai-safety-to-protect-jersey-families-national-security

    Office of Rep. Josh Gottheimer · Published Sep 18, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    September 18, 2026 announcement describes NSA review of the most powerful covered models. Operative thresholds and an exact formal bill vehicle remain unidentified.

    official office record

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  7. H.R. 8094, 119th Congress: bill, roles and actionshttps://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8094

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    Formal sponsor/cosponsor roles and recorded legislative actions. An introduced bill or House passage is distinct from enactment.

    official legislative record

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  8. H.R. 8094: AI Foundation Model Transparency Act introduced texthttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr8094ih/html/BILLS-119hr8094ih.htm

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    This Beyer bill’s FTC reporting and open-source rules differ from the announced NSA predeployment-review proposal; no threshold substitution is made.

    official legislative record

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  9. News 12 NY17 debate: lawler data centers before term (48:09)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIU9kcsAldc&t=2889s

    News 12 · Published Sep 28, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    September 28, 2026 debate. Statement paraphrased from retained native captions. One transcript is available, so no verbatim quotation is certified; neighboring opponent assertions are excluded.

    candidate statement

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  10. October 2020 Chase data-center site-management plan (document)

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    NYSDEC-hosted remediation plan describes an existing 189,000-square-foot computer data center. It documents dated facility existence, not every current computing workload.

    official office record

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  11. Orangetown’s January 2017 account of operating data centershttps://www.orangetown.com/project/rockland-psychiatric-center-information/

    Town of Orangetown · Published Jan 31, 2017 · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    Municipal statement names Bloomberg and other operating data centers. Named examples do not define every facility or later expansion.

    official office record

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  12. Chase civil-plan revisions: original 2017 and Phase III in 2024 (document)

    Town of Orangetown · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    Plan preserves 2017 revisions and adds December 11, 2024 Phase III/master-plan revisions, distinguishing original facility and subsequent expansion.

    official office record

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this

  13. Rep. Michael Lawler, member profilehttps://www.congress.gov/member/michael-lawler/L000599

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 7, 2026

    Bioguide L000599, taken from Congress.gov's listing of New York members and checked by name. House service for NY-17 from 2023, in the 118th and 119th Congresses.

    official legislative record

    For: Mike Lawler: record does not settle this