15 U.S.C. § 9401 (2024) — Title 15: COMMERCE AND TRADE / Chapter 119: NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INITIATIVE / Section 9401: Definitions
Definitions
Status: in_force

In this chapter:

(1) Advisory Committee

The term "Advisory Committee" means the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee established under section 9414(a) of this title.

(2) Agency head

The term "agency head" means the head of any Executive agency (as defined in section 105 of title 5).

(3) Artificial intelligence

The term "artificial intelligence" means a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments. Artificial intelligence systems use machine and human-based inputs to—

(A) perceive real and virtual environments;

(B) abstract such perceptions into models through analysis in an automated manner; and

(C) use model inference to formulate options for information or action.

(4) Community college

The term "community college" means a public institution of higher education at which the highest degree that is predominantly awarded to students is an associate's degree, including 2-year Tribal Colleges or Universities under section 1059c of title 20 and public 2-year State institutions of higher education.

(5) Initiative

The term "Initiative" means the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative established under section 9411(a) of this title.

(6) Initiative Office

The term "Initiative Office" means the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office established under section 9412(a) of this title.

(7) Institute

The term "Institute" means an Artificial Intelligence Research Institute described in section 9431(b)(2) of this title.

(8) Institution of higher education

The term "institution of higher education" has the meaning given the term in section 1001 and section 1002(c) of title 20.

(9) Interagency Committee

The term "Interagency Committee" means the interagency committee established under section 9413(a) of this title.

(10) K-12 education

The term "K-12 education" means elementary school and secondary school education provided by local educational agencies, as such agencies are defined in section 7801 of title 20.

(11) Machine learning

The term "machine learning" means an application of artificial intelligence that is characterized by providing systems the ability to automatically learn and improve on the basis of data or experience, without being explicitly programmed.

(Pub. L. 116–283, div. E, §5002, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4523.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original "this division", meaning div. E of Pub. L. 116–283, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4523, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of div. E to the Code, see Short Title note set out below and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 116–283, div. E, §5001, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4523, provided that: "This division [enacting this chapter and section 278h–1 of this title and amending sections 1862i and 1862n–1 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare] may be cited as the 'National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020'."

Executive Documents

Ex. Ord. No. 14110. Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence

Ex. Ord. No. 14110, Oct. 30, 2023, 88 F.R. 75191, provided:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Purpose. Artificial intelligence (AI) holds extraordinary potential for both promise and peril. Responsible AI use has the potential to help solve urgent challenges while making our world more prosperous, productive, innovative, and secure. At the same time, irresponsible use could exacerbate societal harms such as fraud, discrimination, bias, and disinformation; displace and disempower workers; stifle competition; and pose risks to national security. Harnessing AI for good and realizing its myriad benefits requires mitigating its substantial risks. This endeavor demands a society-wide effort that includes government, the private sector, academia, and civil society.

My Administration places the highest urgency on governing the development and use of AI safely and responsibly, and is therefore advancing a coordinated, Federal Government-wide approach to doing so. The rapid speed at which AI capabilities are advancing compels the United States to lead in this moment for the sake of our security, economy, and society.

In the end, AI reflects the principles of the people who build it, the people who use it, and the data upon which it is built. I firmly believe that the power of our ideals; the foundations of our society; and the creativity, diversity, and decency of our people are the reasons that America thrived in past eras of rapid change. They are the reasons we will succeed again in this moment. We are more than capable of harnessing AI for justice, security, and opportunity for all.

Sec. 2. Policy and Principles. It is the policy of my Administration to advance and govern the development and use of AI in accordance with eight guiding principles and priorities. When undertaking the actions set forth in this order, executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, adhere to these principles, while, as feasible, taking into account the views of other agencies, industry, members of academia, civil society, labor unions, international allies and partners, and other relevant organizations:

(a) Artificial Intelligence must be safe and secure. Meeting this goal requires robust, reliable, repeatable, and standardized evaluations of AI systems, as well as policies, institutions, and, as appropriate, other mechanisms to test, understand, and mitigate risks from these systems before they are put to use. It also requires addressing AI systems' most pressing security risks—including with respect to biotechnology, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and other national security dangers—while navigating AI's opacity and complexity. Testing and evaluations, including post-deployment performance monitoring, will help ensure that AI systems function as intended, are resilient against misuse or dangerous modifications, are ethically developed and operated in a secure manner, and are compliant with applicable Federal laws and policies. Finally, my Administration will help develop effective labeling and content provenance mechanisms, so that Americans are able to determine when content is generated using AI and when it is not. These actions will provide a vital foundation for an approach that addresses AI's risks without unduly reducing its benefits.

(b) Promoting responsible innovation, competition, and collaboration will allow the United States to lead in AI and unlock the technology's potential to solve some of society's most difficult challenges. This effort requires investments in AI-related education, training, development, research, and capacity, while simultaneously tackling novel intellectual property (IP) questions and other problems to protect inventors and creators. Across the Federal Government, my Administration will support programs to provide Americans the skills they need for the age of AI and attract the world's AI talent to our shores—not just to study, but to stay—so that the companies and technologies of the future are made in America. The Federal Government will promote a fair, open, and competitive ecosystem and marketplace for AI and related technologies so that small developers and entrepreneurs can continue to drive innovation. Doing so requires stopping unlawful collusion and addressing risks from dominant firms' use of key assets such as semiconductors, computing power, cloud storage, and data to disadvantage competitors, and it requires supporting a marketplace that harnesses the benefits of AI to provide new opportunities for small businesses, workers, and entrepreneurs.

(c) The responsible development and use of AI require a commitment to supporting American workers. As AI creates new jobs and industries, all workers need a seat at the table, including through collective bargaining, to ensure that they benefit from these opportunities. My Administration will seek to adapt job training and education to support a diverse workforce and help provide access to opportunities that AI creates. In the workplace itself, AI should not be deployed in ways that undermine rights, worsen job quality, encourage undue worker surveillance, lessen market competition, introduce new health and safety risks, or cause harmful labor-force disruptions. The critical next steps in AI development should be built on the views of workers, labor unions, educators, and employers to support responsible uses of AI that improve workers' lives, positively augment human work, and help all people safely enjoy the gains and opportunities from technological innovation.

(d) Artificial Intelligence policies must be consistent with my Administration's dedication to advancing equity and civil rights. My Administration cannot—and will not—tolerate the use of AI to disadvantage those who are already too often denied equal opportunity and justice. From hiring to housing to healthcare, we have seen what happens when AI use deepens discrimination and bias, rather than improving quality of life. Artificial Intelligence systems deployed irresponsibly have reproduced and intensified existing inequities, caused new types of harmful discrimination, and exacerbated online and physical harms. My Administration will build on the important steps that have already been taken—such as issuing the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, the AI Risk Management Framework, and Executive Order 14091 of February 16, 2023 (Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government) [5 U.S.C. 601 note]—in seeking to ensure that AI complies with all Federal laws and to promote robust technical evaluations, careful oversight, engagement with affected communities, and rigorous regulation. It is necessary to hold those developing and deploying AI accountable to standards that protect against unlawful discrimination and abuse, including in the justice system and the Federal Government. Only then can Americans trust AI to advance civil rights, civil liberties, equity, and justice for all.

(e) The interests of Americans who increasingly use, interact with, or purchase AI and AI-enabled products in their daily lives must be protected. Use of new technologies, such as AI, does not excuse organizations from their legal obligations, and hard-won consumer protections are more important than ever in moments of technological change. The Federal Government will enforce existing consumer protection laws and principles and enact appropriate safeguards against fraud, unintended bias, discrimination, infringements on privacy, and other harms from AI. Such protections are especially important in critical fields like healthcare, financial services, education, housing, law, and transportation, where mistakes by or misuse of AI could harm patients, cost consumers or small businesses, or jeopardize safety or rights. At the same time, my Administration will promote responsible uses of AI that protect consumers, raise the quality of goods and services, lower their prices, or expand selection and availability.

(f) Americans' privacy and civil liberties must be protected as AI continues advancing. Artificial Intelligence is making it easier to extract, re-identify, link, infer, and act on sensitive information about people's identities, locations, habits, and desires. Artificial Intelligence's capabilities in these areas can increase the risk that personal data could be exploited and exposed. To combat this risk, the Federal Government will ensure that the collection, use, and retention of data is lawful, is secure, and mitigates privacy and confidentiality risks. Agencies shall use available policy and technical tools, including privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) where appropriate, to protect privacy and to combat the broader legal and societal risks—including the chilling of First Amendment rights—that result from the improper collection and use of people's data.

(g) It is important to manage the risks from the Federal Government's own use of AI and increase its internal capacity to regulate, govern, and support responsible use of AI to deliver better results for Americans. These efforts start with people, our Nation's greatest asset. My Administration will take steps to attract, retain, and develop public service-oriented AI professionals, including from underserved communities, across disciplines—including technology, policy, managerial, procurement, regulatory, ethical, governance, and legal fields—and ease AI professionals' path into the Federal Government to help harness and govern AI. The Federal Government will work to ensure that all members of its workforce receive adequate training to understand the benefits, risks, and limitations of AI for their job functions, and to modernize Federal Government information technology infrastructure, remove bureaucratic obstacles, and ensure that safe and rights-respecting AI is adopted, deployed, and used.

(h) The Federal Government should lead the way to global societal, economic, and technological progress, as the United States has in previous eras of disruptive innovation and change. This leadership is not measured solely by the technological advancements our country makes. Effective leadership also means pioneering those systems and safeguards needed to deploy technology responsibly—and building and promoting those safeguards with the rest of the world. My Administration will engage with international allies and partners in developing a framework to manage AI's risks, unlock AI's potential for good, and promote common approaches to shared challenges. The Federal Government will seek to promote responsible AI safety and security principles and actions with other nations, including our competitors, while leading key global conversations and collaborations to ensure that AI benefits the whole world, rather than exacerbating inequities, threatening human rights, and causing other harms.

Sec. 3. Definitions. For purposes of this order:

(a) The term "agency" means each agency described in 44 U.S.C. 3502(1), except for the independent regulatory agencies described in 44 U.S.C. 3502(5).

(b) The term "artificial intelligence" or "AI" has the meaning set forth in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3) [section 5002(3) of Pub. L. 116–283]: a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments. Artificial intelligence systems use machine- and human-based inputs to perceive real and virtual environments; abstract such perceptions into models through analysis in an automated manner; and use model inference to formulate options for information or action.

(c) The term "AI model" means a component of an information system that implements AI technology and uses computational, statistical, or machine-learning techniques to produce outputs from a given set of inputs.

(d) The term "AI red-teaming" means a structured testing effort to find flaws and vulnerabilities in an AI system, often in a controlled environment and in collaboration with developers of AI. Artificial Intelligence red-teaming is most often performed by dedicated "red teams" that adopt adversarial methods to identify flaws and vulnerabilities, such as harmful or discriminatory outputs from an AI system, unforeseen or undesirable system behaviors, limitations, or potential risks associated with the misuse of the system.

(e) The term "AI system" means any data system, software, hardware, application, tool, or utility that operates in whole or in part using AI.

(f) The term "commercially available information" means any information or data about an individual or group of individuals, including an individual's or group of individuals' device or location, that is made available or obtainable and sold, leased, or licensed to the general public or to governmental or non-governmental entities.

(g) The term "crime forecasting" means the use of analytical techniques to attempt to predict future crimes or crime-related information. It can include machine-generated predictions that use algorithms to analyze large volumes of data, as well as other forecasts that are generated without machines and based on statistics, such as historical crime statistics.

(h) The term "critical and emerging technologies" means those technologies listed in the February 2022 Critical and Emerging Technologies List Update issued by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), as amended by subsequent updates to the list issued by the NSTC.

(i) The term "critical infrastructure" has the meaning set forth in section 1016(e) of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, 42 U.S.C. 5195c(e).

(j) The term "differential-privacy guarantee" means protections that allow information about a group to be shared while provably limiting the improper access, use, or disclosure of personal information about particular entities.

(k) The term "dual-use foundation model" means an AI model that is trained on broad data; generally uses self-supervision; contains at least tens of billions of parameters; is applicable across a wide range of contexts; and that exhibits, or could be easily modified to exhibit, high levels of performance at tasks that pose a serious risk to security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters, such as by:

(i) substantially lowering the barrier of entry for non-experts to design, synthesize, acquire, or use chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons;

(ii) enabling powerful offensive cyber operations through automated vulnerability discovery and exploitation against a wide range of potential targets of cyber attacks; or

(iii) permitting the evasion of human control or oversight through means of deception or obfuscation.

Models meet this definition even if they are provided to end users with technical safeguards that attempt to prevent users from taking advantage of the relevant unsafe capabilities.

(l) The term "Federal law enforcement agency" has the meaning set forth in section 21(a) of Executive Order 14074 of May 25, 2022 (Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices To Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety) [34 U.S.C. 10101 note prec.].

(m) The term "floating-point operation" means any mathematical operation or assignment involving floating-point numbers, which are a subset of the real numbers typically represented on computers by an integer of fixed precision scaled by an integer exponent of a fixed base.

(n) The term "foreign person" has the meaning set forth in section 5(c) of Executive Order 13984 of January 19, 2021 (Taking Additional Steps To Address the National Emergency With Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities) [15 U.S.C. 7421 note].

(o) The terms "foreign reseller" and "foreign reseller of United States Infrastructure as a Service Products" mean a foreign person who has established an Infrastructure as a Service Account to provide Infrastructure as a Service Products subsequently, in whole or in part, to a third party.

(p) The term "generative AI" means the class of AI models that emulate the structure and characteristics of input data in order to generate derived synthetic content. This can include images, videos, audio, text, and other digital content.

(q) The terms "Infrastructure as a Service Product," "United States Infrastructure as a Service Product," "United States Infrastructure as a Service Provider," and "Infrastructure as a Service Account" each have the respective meanings given to those terms in section 5 of Executive Order 13984.

(r) The term "integer operation" means any mathematical operation or assignment involving only integers, or whole numbers expressed without a decimal point.

(s) The term "Intelligence Community" has the meaning given to that term in section 3.5(h) of Executive Order 12333 of December 4, 1981 (United States Intelligence Activities) [50 U.S.C. 3001 note], as amended.

(t) The term "machine learning" means a set of techniques that can be used to train AI algorithms to improve performance at a task based on data.

(u) The term "model weight" means a numerical parameter within an AI model that helps determine the model's outputs in response to inputs.

(v) The term "national security system" has the meaning set forth in 44 U.S.C. 3552(b)(6).

(w) The term "omics" means biomolecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites, that make up a cell or cellular system.

(x) The term "Open RAN" means the Open Radio Access Network approach to telecommunications-network standardization adopted by the O-RAN Alliance, Third Generation Partnership Project, or any similar set of published open standards for multi-vendor network equipment interoperability.

(y) The term "personally identifiable information" has the meaning set forth in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A–130.

(z) The term "privacy-enhancing technology" means any software or hardware solution, technical process, technique, or other technological means of mitigating privacy risks arising from data processing, including by enhancing predictability, manageability, disassociability, storage, security, and confidentiality. These technological means may include secure multiparty computation, homomorphic encryption, zero-knowledge proofs, federated learning, secure enclaves, differential privacy, and synthetic-data-generation tools. This is also sometimes referred to as "privacy-preserving technology."

(aa) The term "privacy impact assessment" has the meaning set forth in OMB Circular No. A–130.

(bb) The term "Sector Risk Management Agency" has the meaning set forth in 6 U.S.C. 650(23) [section 2200(23) of Pub. L. 107–296].

(cc) The term "self-healing network" means a telecommunications network that automatically diagnoses and addresses network issues to permit self-restoration.

(dd) The term "synthetic biology" means a field of science that involves redesigning organisms, or the biomolecules of organisms, at the genetic level to give them new characteristics. Synthetic nucleic acids are a type of biomolecule redesigned through synthetic-biology methods.

(ee) The term "synthetic content" means information, such as images, videos, audio clips, and text, that has been significantly modified or generated by algorithms, including by AI.

(ff) The term "testbed" means a facility or mechanism equipped for conducting rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of tools and technologies, including AI and PETs, to help evaluate the functionality, usability, and performance of those tools or technologies.

(gg) The term "watermarking" means the act of embedding information, which is typically difficult to remove, into outputs created by AI—including into outputs such as photos, videos, audio clips, or text—for the purposes of verifying the authenticity of the output or the identity or characteristics of its provenance, modifications, or conveyance.

Sec. 4. Ensuring the Safety and Security of AI Technology.

4.1. Developing Guidelines, Standards, and Best Practices for AI Safety and Security. (a) Within 270 days of the date of this order [Oct. 30, 2023], to help ensure the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the heads of other relevant agencies as the Secretary of Commerce may deem appropriate, shall:

(i) Establish guidelines and best practices, with the aim of promoting consensus industry standards, for developing and deploying safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems, including:

(A) developing a companion resource to the AI Risk Management Framework, NIST AI 100–1, for generative AI;

(B) developing a companion resource to the Secure Software Development Framework to incorporate secure development practices for generative AI and for dual-use foundation models; and

(C) launching an initiative to create guidance and benchmarks for evaluating and auditing AI capabilities, with a focus on capabilities through which AI could cause harm, such as in the areas of cybersecurity and biosecurity.

(ii) Establish appropriate guidelines (except for AI used as a component of a national security system), including appropriate procedures and processes, to enable developers of AI, especially of dual-use foundation models, to conduct AI red-teaming tests to enable deployment of safe, secure, and trustworthy systems. These efforts shall include:

(A) coordinating or developing guidelines related to assessing and managing the safety, security, and trustworthiness of dual-use foundation models; and

(B) in coordination with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), developing and helping to ensure the availability of testing environments, such as testbeds, to support the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI technologies, as well as to support the design, development, and deployment of associated PETs, consistent with section 9(b) of this order.

(b) Within 270 days of the date of this order, to understand and mitigate AI security risks, the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the heads of other Sector Risk Management Agencies (SRMAs) as the Secretary of Energy may deem appropriate, shall develop and, to the extent permitted by law and available appropriations, implement a plan for developing the Department of Energy's AI model evaluation tools and AI testbeds. The Secretary shall undertake this work using existing solutions where possible, and shall develop these tools and AI testbeds to be capable of assessing near-term extrapolations of AI systems' capabilities. At a minimum, the Secretary shall develop tools to evaluate AI capabilities to generate outputs that may represent nuclear, nonproliferation, biological, chemical, critical infrastructure, and energy-security threats or hazards. The Secretary shall do this work solely for the purposes of guarding against these threats, and shall also develop model guardrails that reduce such risks. The Secretary shall, as appropriate, consult with private AI laboratories, academia, civil society, and third-party evaluators, and shall use existing solutions.

4.2. Ensuring Safe and Reliable AI. (a) Within 90 days of the date of this order, to ensure and verify the continuous availability of safe, reliable, and effective AI in accordance with the Defense Production Act [of 1950], as amended, 50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq., including for the national defense and the protection of critical infrastructure, the Secretary of Commerce shall require:

(i) Companies developing or demonstrating an intent to develop potential dual-use foundation models to provide the Federal Government, on an ongoing basis, with information, reports, or records regarding the following:

(A) any ongoing or planned activities related to training, developing, or producing dual-use foundation models, including the physical and cybersecurity protections taken to assure the integrity of that training process against sophisticated threats;

(B) the ownership and possession of the model weights of any dual-use foundation models, and the physical and cybersecurity measures taken to protect those model weights; and

(C) the results of any developed dual-use foundation model's performance in relevant AI red-team testing based on guidance developed by NIST pursuant to subsection 4.1(a)(ii) of this section, and a description of any associated measures the company has taken to meet safety objectives, such as mitigations to improve performance on these red-team tests and strengthen overall model security. Prior to the development of guidance on red-team testing standards by NIST pursuant to subsection 4.1(a)(ii) of this section, this description shall include the results of any red-team testing that the company has conducted relating to lowering the barrier to entry for the development, acquisition, and use of biological weapons by non-state actors; the discovery of software vulnerabilities and development of associated exploits; the use of software or tools to influence real or virtual events; the possibility for self-replication or propagation; and associated measures to meet safety objectives; and

(ii) Companies, individuals, or other organizations or entities that acquire, develop, or possess a potential large-scale computing cluster to report any such acquisition, development, or possession, including the existence and location of these clusters and the amount of total computing power available in each cluster.

(b) The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of National Intelligence, shall define, and thereafter update as needed on a regular basis, the set of technical conditions for models and computing clusters that would be subject to the reporting requirements of subsection 4.2(a) of this section. Until such technical conditions are defined, the Secretary shall require compliance with these reporting requirements for:

(i) any model that was trained using a quantity of computing power greater than 1026 integer or floating-point operations, or using primarily biological sequence data and using a quantity of computing power greater than 1023 integer or floating-point operations; and

(ii) any computing cluster that has a set of machines physically co-located in a single datacenter, transitively connected by data center networking of over 100 Gbit/s, and having a theoretical maximum computing capacity of 1020 integer or floating-point operations per second for training AI.

(c) Because I find that additional steps must be taken to deal with the national emergency related to significant malicious cyber-enabled activities declared in Executive Order 13694 of April 1, 2015 (Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities) [listed in a table under 50 U.S.C. 1701], as amended by Executive Order 13757 of December 28, 2016 (Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency With Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities), and further amended by Executive Order 13984, to address the use of United States Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Products by foreign malicious cyber actors, including to impose additional record-keeping obligations with respect to foreign transactions and to assist in the investigation of transactions involving foreign malicious cyber actors, I hereby direct the Secretary of Commerce, within 90 days of the date of this order, to:

(i) Propose regulations that require United States IaaS Providers to submit a report to the Secretary of Commerce when a foreign person transacts with that United States IaaS Provider to train a large AI model with potential capabilities that could be used in malicious cyber-enabled activity (a "training run"). Such reports shall include, at a minimum, the identity of the foreign person and the existence of any training run of an AI model meeting the criteria set forth in this section, or other criteria defined by the Secretary in regulations, as well as any additional information identified by the Secretary.

(ii) Include a requirement in the regulations proposed pursuant to subsection 4.2(c)(i) of this section that United States IaaS Providers prohibit any foreign reseller of their United States IaaS Product from providing those products unless such foreign reseller submits to the United States IaaS Provider a report, which the United States IaaS Provider must provide to the Secretary of Commerce, detailing each instance in which a foreign person transacts with the foreign reseller to use the United States IaaS Product to conduct a training run described in subsection 4.2(c)(i) of this section. Such reports shall include, at a minimum, the information specified in subsection 4.2(c)(i) of this section as well as any additional information identified by the Secretary.

(iii) Determine the set of technical conditions for a large AI model to have potential capabilities that could be used in malicious cyber-enabled activity, and revise that determination as necessary and appropriate. Until the Secretary makes such a determination, a model shall be considered to have potential capabilities that could be used in malicious cyber-enabled activity if it requires a quantity of computing power greater than 1026 integer or floating-point operations and is trained on a computing cluster that has a set of machines physically co-located in a single datacenter, transitively connected by data center networking of over 100 Gbit/s, and having a theoretical maximum compute capacity of 1020 integer or floating-point operations per second for training AI.

(d) Within 180 days of the date of this order, pursuant to the finding set forth in subsection 4.2(c) of this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall propose regulations that require United States IaaS Providers to ensure that foreign resellers of United States IaaS Products verify the identity of any foreign person that obtains an IaaS account (account) from the foreign reseller. These regulations shall, at a minimum:

(i) Set forth the minimum standards that a United States IaaS Provider must require of foreign resellers of its United States IaaS Products to verify the identity of a foreign person who opens an account or maintains an existing account with a foreign reseller, including:

(A) the types of documentation and procedures that foreign resellers of United States IaaS Products must require to verify the identity of any foreign person acting as a lessee or sub-lessee of these products or services;

(B) records that foreign resellers of United States IaaS Products must securely maintain regarding a foreign person that obtains an account, including information establishing:

(1) the identity of such foreign person, including name and address;

(2) the means and source of payment (including any associated financial institution and other identifiers such as credit card number, account number, customer identifier, transaction identifiers, or virtual currency wallet or wallet address identifier);

(3) the electronic mail address and telephonic contact information used to verify a foreign person's identity; and

(4) the internet Protocol addresses used for access or administration and the date and time of each such access or administrative action related to ongoing verification of such foreign person's ownership of such an account; and

(C) methods that foreign resellers of United States IaaS Products must implement to limit all third-party access to the information described in this subsection, except insofar as such access is otherwise consistent with this order and allowed under applicable law;

(ii) Take into consideration the types of accounts maintained by foreign resellers of United States IaaS Products, methods of opening an account, and types of identifying information available to accomplish the objectives of identifying foreign malicious cyber actors using any such products and avoiding the imposition of an undue burden on such resellers; and

(iii) Provide that the Secretary of Commerce, in accordance with such standards and procedures as the Secretary may delineate and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, may exempt a United States IaaS Provider with respect to any specific foreign reseller of their United States IaaS Products, or with respect to any specific type of account or lessee, from the requirements of any regulation issued pursuant to this subsection. Such standards and procedures may include a finding by the Secretary that such foreign reseller, account, or lessee complies with security best practices to otherwise deter abuse of United States IaaS Products.

(e) The Secretary of Commerce is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq., as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of subsections 4.2(c) and (d) of this section. Such actions may include a requirement that United States IaaS Providers require foreign resellers of United States IaaS Products to provide United States IaaS Providers verifications relative to those subsections.

4.3. Managing AI in Critical Infrastructure and in Cybersecurity. (a) To ensure the protection of critical infrastructure, the following actions shall be taken:

(i) Within 90 days of the date of this order, and at least annually thereafter, the head of each agency with relevant regulatory authority over critical infrastructure and the heads of relevant SRMAs, in coordination with the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the Department of Homeland Security for consideration of cross-sector risks, shall evaluate and provide to the Secretary of Homeland Security an assessment of potential risks related to the use of AI in critical infrastructure sectors involved, including ways in which deploying AI may make critical infrastructure systems more vulnerable to critical failures, physical attacks, and cyber attacks, and shall consider ways to mitigate these vulnerabilities. Independent regulatory agencies are encouraged, as they deem appropriate, to contribute to sector-specific risk assessments.

(ii) Within 150 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Treasury shall issue a public report on best practices for financial institutions to manage AI-specific cybersecurity risks.

(iii) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce and with SRMAs and other regulators as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall incorporate as appropriate the AI Risk Management Framework, NIST AI 100–1, as well as other appropriate security guidance, into relevant safety and security guidelines for use by critical infrastructure owners and operators.

(iv) Within 240 days of the completion of the guidelines described in subsection 4.3(a)(iii) of this section, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Director of OMB, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall coordinate work by the heads of agencies with authority over critical infrastructure to develop and take steps for the Federal Government to mandate such guidelines, or appropriate portions thereof, through regulatory or other appropriate action. Independent regulatory agencies are encouraged, as they deem appropriate, to consider whether to mandate guidance through regulatory action in their areas of authority and responsibility.

(v) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish an Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board as an advisory committee pursuant to section 871 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–296) [6 U.S.C. 451]. The Advisory Committee shall include AI experts from the private sector, academia, and government, as appropriate, and provide to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Federal Government's critical infrastructure community advice, information, or recommendations for improving security, resilience, and incident response related to AI usage in critical infrastructure.

(b) To capitalize on AI's potential to improve United States cyber defenses:

(i) The Secretary of Defense shall carry out the actions described in subsections 4.3(b)(ii) and (iii) of this section for national security systems, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall carry out these actions for non-national security systems. Each shall do so in consultation with the heads of other relevant agencies as the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security may deem appropriate.

(ii) As set forth in subsection 4.3(b)(i) of this section, within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall, consistent with applicable law, each develop plans for, conduct, and complete an operational pilot project to identify, develop, test, evaluate, and deploy AI capabilities, such as large-language models, to aid in the discovery and remediation of vulnerabilities in critical United States Government software, systems, and networks.

(iii) As set forth in subsection 4.3(b)(i) of this section, within 270 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall each provide a report to the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs on the results of actions taken pursuant to the plans and operational pilot projects required by subsection 4.3(b)(ii) of this section, including a description of any vulnerabilities found and fixed through the development and deployment of AI capabilities and any lessons learned on how to identify, develop, test, evaluate, and deploy AI capabilities effectively for cyber defense.

4.4. Reducing Risks at the Intersection of AI and CBRN Threats. (a) To better understand and mitigate the risk of AI being misused to assist in the development or use of CBRN threats—with a particular focus on biological weapons—the following actions shall be taken:

(i) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), shall evaluate the potential for AI to be misused to enable the development or production of CBRN threats, while also considering the benefits and application of AI to counter these threats, including, as appropriate, the results of work conducted under section 8(b) of this order. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall:

(A) consult with experts in AI and CBRN issues from the Department of Energy, private AI laboratories, academia, and third-party model evaluators, as appropriate, to evaluate AI model capabilities to present CBRN threats—for the sole purpose of guarding against those threats—as well as options for minimizing the risks of AI model misuse to generate or exacerbate those threats; and

(B) submit a report to the President that describes the progress of these efforts, including an assessment of the types of AI models that may present CBRN risks to the United States, and that makes recommendations for regulating or overseeing the training, deployment, publication, or use of these models, including requirements for safety evaluations and guardrails for mitigating potential threats to national security.

(ii) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Director of OSTP, shall enter into a contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct—and submit to the Secretary of Defense, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the Director of OSTP, and the Chair of the Chief Data Officer Council—a study that:

(A) assesses the ways in which AI can increase biosecurity risks, including risks from generative AI models trained on biological data, and makes recommendations on how to mitigate these risks;

(B) considers the national security implications of the use of data and datasets, especially those associated with pathogens and omics studies, that the United States Government hosts, generates, funds the creation of, or otherwise owns, for the training of generative AI models, and makes recommendations on how to mitigate the risks related to the use of these data and datasets;

(C) assesses the ways in which AI applied to biology can be used to reduce biosecurity risks, including recommendations on opportunities to coordinate data and high-performance computing resources; and

(D) considers additional concerns and opportunities at the intersection of AI and synthetic biology that the Secretary of Defense deems appropriate.

(b) To reduce the risk of misuse of synthetic nucleic acids, which could be substantially increased by AI's capabilities in this area, and improve biosecurity measures for the nucleic acid synthesis industry, the following actions shall be taken:

(i) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Director of OSTP, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, and the heads of other relevant agencies as the Director of OSTP may deem appropriate, shall establish a framework, incorporating, as appropriate, existing United States Government guidance, to encourage providers of synthetic nucleic acid sequences to implement comprehensive, scalable, and verifiable synthetic nucleic acid procurement screening mechanisms, including standards and recommended incentives. As part of this framework, the Director of OSTP shall:

(A) establish criteria and mechanisms for ongoing identification of biological sequences that could be used in a manner that would pose a risk to the national security of the United States; and

(B) determine standardized methodologies and tools for conducting and verifying the performance of sequence synthesis procurement screening, including customer screening approaches to support due diligence with respect to managing security risks posed by purchasers of biological sequences identified in subsection 4.4(b)(i)(A) of this section, and processes for the reporting of concerning activity to enforcement entities.

(ii) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of NIST, in coordination with the Director of OSTP, and in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of HHS, and the heads of other relevant agencies as the Secretary of Commerce may deem appropriate, shall initiate an effort to engage with industry and relevant stakeholders, informed by the framework developed under subsection 4.4(b)(i) of this section, to develop and refine for possible use by synthetic nucleic acid sequence providers:

(A) specifications for effective nucleic acid synthesis procurement screening;

(B) best practices, including security and access controls, for managing sequence-of-concern databases to support such screening;

(C) technical implementation guides for effective screening; and

(D) conformity-assessment best practices and mechanisms.

(iii) Within 180 days of the establishment of the framework pursuant to subsection 4.4(b)(i) of this section, all agencies that fund life-sciences research shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, establish that, as a requirement of funding, synthetic nucleic acid procurement is conducted through providers or manufacturers that adhere to the framework, such as through an attestation from the provider or manufacturer. The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Director of OSTP shall coordinate the process of reviewing such funding requirements to facilitate consistency in implementation of the framework across funding agencies.

(iv) In order to facilitate effective implementation of the measures described in subsections 4.4(b)(i)–(iii) of this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the heads of other relevant agencies as the Secretary of Homeland Security may deem appropriate, shall:

(A) within 180 days of the establishment of the framework pursuant to subsection 4.4(b)(i) of this section, develop a framework to conduct structured evaluation and stress testing of nucleic acid synthesis procurement screening, including the systems developed in accordance with subsections 4.4(b)(i)–(ii) of this section and implemented by providers of synthetic nucleic acid sequences; and

(B) following development of the framework pursuant to subsection 4.4(b)(iv)(A) of this section, submit an annual report to the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, and the Director of OSTP on any results of the activities conducted pursuant to subsection 4.4(b)(iv)(A) of this section, including recommendations, if any, on how to strengthen nucleic acid synthesis procurement screening, including customer screening systems.

4.5. Reducing the Risks Posed by Synthetic Content. To foster capabilities for identifying and labeling synthetic content produced by AI systems, and to establish the authenticity and provenance of digital content, both synthetic and not synthetic, produced by the Federal Government or on its behalf:

(a) Within 240 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the heads of other relevant agencies as the Secretary of Commerce may deem appropriate, shall submit a report to the Director of OMB and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs identifying the existing standards, tools, methods, and practices, as well as the potential development of further science-backed standards and techniques, for:

(i) authenticating content and tracking its provenance;

(ii) labeling synthetic content, such as using watermarking;

(iii) detecting synthetic content;

(iv) preventing generative AI from producing child sexual abuse material or producing non-consensual intimate imagery of real individuals (to include intimate digital depictions of the body or body parts of an identifiable individual);

(v) testing software used for the above purposes; and

(vi) auditing and maintaining synthetic content.

(b) Within 180 days of submitting the report required under subsection 4.5(a) of this section, and updated periodically thereafter, the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Director of OMB, shall develop guidance regarding the existing tools and practices for digital content authentication and synthetic content detection measures. The guidance shall include measures for the purposes listed in subsection 4.5(a) of this section.

(c) Within 180 days of the development of the guidance required under subsection 4.5(b) of this section, and updated periodically thereafter, the Director of OMB, in consultation with the Secretary of State; the Secretary of Defense; the Attorney General; the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of NIST; the Secretary of Homeland Security; the Director of National Intelligence; and the heads of other agencies that the Director of OMB deems appropriate, shall—for the purpose of strengthening public confidence in the integrity of official United States Government digital content—issue guidance to agencies for labeling and authenticating such content that they produce or publish.

(d) The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, consider amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation to take into account the guidance established under subsection 4.5 of this section.

4.6. Soliciting Input on Dual-Use Foundation Models with Widely Available Model Weights. When the weights for a dual-use foundation model are widely available—such as when they are publicly posted on the internet—there can be substantial benefits to innovation, but also substantial security risks, such as the removal of safeguards within the model. To address the risks and potential benefits of dual-use foundation models with widely available weights, within 270 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall:

(a) solicit input from the private sector, academia, civil society, and other stakeholders through a public consultation process on potential risks, benefits, other implications, and appropriate policy and regulatory approaches related to dual-use foundation models for which the model weights are widely available, including:

(i) risks associated with actors fine-tuning dual-use foundation models for which the model weights are widely available or removing those models' safeguards;

(ii) benefits to AI innovation and research, including research into AI safety and risk management, of dual-use foundation models for which the model weights are widely available; and

(iii) potential voluntary, regulatory, and international mechanisms to manage the risks and maximize the benefits of dual-use foundation models for which the model weights are widely available; and

(b) based on input from the process described in subsection 4.6(a) of this section, and in consultation with the heads of other relevant agencies as the Secretary of Commerce deems appropriate, submit a report to the President on the potential benefits, risks, and implications of dual-use foundation models for which the model weights are widely available, as well as policy and regulatory recommendations pertaining to those models.

4.7. Promoting Safe Release and Preventing the Malicious Use of Federal Data for AI Training. To improve public data access and manage security risks, and consistent with the objectives of the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act (title II of Public Law 115–435) [see Tables for classification] to expand public access to Federal data assets in a machine-readable format while also taking into account security considerations, including the risk that information in an individual data asset in isolation does not pose a security risk but, when combined with other available information, may pose such a risk:

(a) within 270 days of the date of this order, the Chief Data Officer Council, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, shall develop initial guidelines for performing security reviews, including reviews to identify and manage the potential security risks of releasing Federal data that could aid in the development of CBRN weapons as well as the development of autonomous offensive cyber capabilities, while also providing public access to Federal Government data in line with the goals stated in the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act (title II of Public Law 115–435); and

(b) within 180 days of the development of the initial guidelines required by subsection 4.7(a) of this section, agencies shall conduct a security review of all data assets in the comprehensive data inventory required under 44 U.S.C. 3511(a)(1) and (2)(B) and shall take steps, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to address the highest-priority potential security risks that releasing that data could raise with respect to CBRN weapons, such as the ways in which that data could be used to train AI systems.

4.8. Directing the Development of a National Security Memorandum. To develop a coordinated executive branch approach to managing AI's security risks, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy shall oversee an interagency process with the purpose of, within 270 days of the date of this order, developing and submitting a proposed National Security Memorandum on AI to the President. The memorandum shall address the governance of AI used as a component of a national security system or for military and intelligence purposes. The memorandum shall take into account current efforts to govern the development and use of AI for national security systems. The memorandum shall outline actions for the Department of Defense, the Department of State, other relevant agencies, and the Intelligence Community to address the national security risks and potential benefits posed by AI. In particular, the memorandum shall:

(a) provide guidance to the Department of Defense, other relevant agencies, and the Intelligence Community on the continued adoption of AI capabilities to advance the United States national security mission, including through directing specific AI assurance and risk-management practices for national security uses of AI that may affect the rights or safety of United States persons and, in appropriate contexts, non-United States persons; and

(b) direct continued actions, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to address the potential use of AI systems by adversaries and other foreign actors in ways that threaten the capabilities or objectives of the Department of Defense or the Intelligence Community, or that otherwise pose risks to the security of the United States or its allies and partners.

Sec. 5. Promoting Innovation and Competition.

5.1. Attracting AI Talent to the United States. (a) Within 90 days of the date of this order [Oct. 30, 2023], to attract and retain talent in AI and other critical and emerging technologies in the United States economy, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take appropriate steps to:

(i) streamline processing times of visa petitions and applications, including by ensuring timely availability of visa appointments, for noncitizens who seek to travel to the United States to work on, study, or conduct research in AI or other critical and emerging technologies; and

(ii) facilitate continued availability of visa appointments in sufficient volume for applicants with expertise in AI or other critical and emerging technologies.

(b) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of State shall:

(i) consider initiating a rulemaking to establish new criteria to designate countries and skills on the Department of State's Exchange Visitor Skills List as it relates to the 2-year foreign residence requirement for certain J–1 nonimmigrants, including those skills that are critical to the United States;

(ii) consider publishing updates to the 2009 Revised Exchange Visitor Skills List (74 FR 20108); and

(iii) consider implementing a domestic visa renewal program under 22 CFR 41.111(b) to facilitate the ability of qualified applicants, including highly skilled talent in AI and critical and emerging technologies, to continue their work in the United States without unnecessary interruption.

(c) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of State shall:

(i) consider initiating a rulemaking to expand the categories of nonimmigrants who qualify for the domestic visa renewal program covered under 22 CFR 41.111(b) to include academic J–1 research scholars and F–1 students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and

(ii) establish, to the extent permitted by law and available appropriations, a program to identify and attract top talent in AI and other critical and emerging technologies at universities, research institutions, and the private sector overseas, and to establish and increase connections with that talent to educate them on opportunities and resources for research and employment in the United States, including overseas educational components to inform top STEM talent of nonimmigrant and immigrant visa options and potential expedited adjudication of their visa petitions and applications.

(d) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall:

(i) review and initiate any policy changes the Secretary determines necessary and appropriate to clarify and modernize immigration pathways for experts in AI and other critical and emerging technologies, including O–1A and EB–1 noncitizens of extraordinary ability; EB–2 advanced-degree holders and noncitizens of exceptional ability; and startup founders in AI and other critical and emerging technologies using the International Entrepreneur Rule; and

(ii) continue its rulemaking process to modernize the H–1B program and enhance its integrity and usage, including by experts in AI and other critical and emerging technologies, and consider initiating a rulemaking to enhance the process for noncitizens, including experts in AI and other critical and emerging technologies and their spouses, dependents, and children, to adjust their status to lawful permanent resident.

(e) Within 45 days of the date of this order, for purposes of considering updates to the "Schedule A" list of occupations, 20 CFR 656.5, the Secretary of Labor shall publish a request for information (RFI) to solicit public input, including from industry and worker-advocate communities, identifying AI and other STEM-related occupations, as well as additional occupations across the economy, for which there is an insufficient number of ready, willing, able, and qualified United States workers.

(f) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall, consistent with applicable law and implementing regulations, use their discretionary authorities to support and attract foreign nationals with special skills in AI and other critical and emerging technologies seeking to work, study, or conduct research in the United States.

(g) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Director of OSTP, shall develop and publish informational resources to better attract and retain experts in AI and other critical and emerging technologies, including:

(i) a clear and comprehensive guide for experts in AI and other critical and emerging technologies to understand their options for working in the United States, to be published in multiple relevant languages on AI.gov; and

(ii) a public report with relevant data on applications, petitions, approvals, and other key indicators of how experts in AI and other critical and emerging technologies have utilized the immigration system through the end of Fiscal Year 2023.

5.2. Promoting Innovation. (a) To develop and strengthen public-private partnerships for advancing innovation, commercialization, and risk-mitigation methods for AI, and to help promote safe, responsible, fair, privacy-protecting, and trustworthy AI systems, the Director of NSF shall take the following steps:

(i) Within 90 days of the date of this order, in coordination with the heads of agencies that the Director of NSF deems appropriate, launch a pilot program implementing the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR), consistent with past recommendations of the NAIRR Task Force. The program shall pursue the infrastructure, governance mechanisms, and user interfaces to pilot an initial integration of distributed computational, data, model, and training resources to be made available to the research community in support of AI-related research and development. The Director of NSF shall identify Federal and private sector computational, data, software, and training resources appropriate for inclusion in the NAIRR pilot program. To assist with such work, within 45 days of the date of this order, the heads of agencies whom the Director of NSF identifies for coordination pursuant to this subsection shall each submit to the Director of NSF a report identifying the agency resources that could be developed and integrated into such a pilot program. These reports shall include a description of such resources, including their current status and availability; their format, structure, or technical specifications; associated agency expertise that will be provided; and the benefits and risks associated with their inclusion in the NAIRR pilot program. The heads of independent regulatory agencies are encouraged to take similar steps, as they deem appropriate.

(ii) Within 150 days of the date of this order, fund and launch at least one NSF Regional Innovation Engine that prioritizes AI-related work, such as AI-related research, societal, or workforce needs.

(iii) Within 540 days of the date of this order, establish at least four new National AI Research Institutes, in addition to the 25 currently funded as of the date of this order.

(b) Within 120 days of the date of this order, to support activities involving high-performance and data-intensive computing, the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Director of NSF, shall, in a manner consistent with applicable law and available appropriations, establish a pilot program to enhance existing successful training programs for scientists, with the goal of training 500 new researchers by 2025 capable of meeting the rising demand for AI talent.

(c) To promote innovation and clarify issues related to AI and inventorship of patentable subject matter, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO Director) shall:

(i) within 120 days of the date of this order, publish guidance to USPTO patent examiners and applicants addressing inventorship and the use of AI, including generative AI, in the inventive process, including illustrative examples in which AI systems play different roles in inventive processes and how, in each example, inventorship issues ought to be analyzed;

(ii) subsequently, within 270 days of the date of this order, issue additional guidance to USPTO patent examiners and applicants to address other considerations at the intersection of AI and IP, which could include, as the USPTO Director deems necessary, updated guidance on patent eligibility to address innovation in AI and critical and emerging technologies; and

(iii) within 270 days of the date of this order or 180 days after the United States Copyright Office of the Library of Congress publishes its forthcoming AI study that will address copyright issues raised by AI, whichever comes later, consult with the Director of the United States Copyright Office and issue recommendations to the President on potential executive actions relating to copyright and AI. The recommendations shall address any copyright and related issues discussed in the United States Copyright Office's study, including the scope of protection for works produced using AI and the treatment of copyrighted works in AI training.

(d) Within 180 days of the date of this order, to assist developers of AI in combatting AI-related IP risks, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, and in consultation with the Attorney General, shall develop a training, analysis, and evaluation program to mitigate AI-related IP risks. Such a program shall:

(i) include appropriate personnel dedicated to collecting and analyzing reports of AI-related IP theft, investigating such incidents with implications for national security, and, where appropriate and consistent with applicable law, pursuing related enforcement actions;

(ii) implement a policy of sharing information and coordinating on such work, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States Customs and Border Protection; other agencies; State and local agencies; and appropriate international organizations, including through work-sharing agreements;

(iii) develop guidance and other appropriate resources to assist private sector actors with mitigating the risks of AI-related IP theft;

(iv) share information and best practices with AI developers and law enforcement personnel to identify incidents, inform stakeholders of current legal requirements, and evaluate AI systems for IP law violations, as well as develop mitigation strategies and resources; and

(v) assist the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator in updating the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement to address AI-related issues.

(e) To advance responsible AI innovation by a wide range of healthcare technology developers that promotes the welfare of patients and workers in the healthcare sector, the Secretary of HHS shall identify and, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law and the activities directed in section 8 of this order, prioritize grantmaking and other awards, as well as undertake related efforts, to support responsible AI development and use, including:

(i) collaborating with appropriate private sector actors through HHS programs that may support the advancement of AI-enabled tools that develop personalized immune-response profiles for patients, consistent with section 4 of this order;

(ii) prioritizing the allocation of 2024 Leading Edge Acceleration Project cooperative agreement awards to initiatives that explore ways to improve healthcare-data quality to support the responsible development of AI tools for clinical care, real-world-evidence programs, population health, public health, and related research; and

(iii) accelerating grants awarded through the National Institutes of Health Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD) program and showcasing current AIM-AHEAD activities in underserved communities.

(f) To advance the development of AI systems that improve the quality of veterans' healthcare, and in order to support small businesses' innovative capacity, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall:

(i) within 365 days of the date of this order, host two 3-month nationwide AI Tech Sprint competitions; and

(ii) as part of the AI Tech Sprint competitions and in collaboration with appropriate partners, provide participants access to technical assistance, mentorship opportunities, individualized expert feedback on products under development, potential contract opportunities, and other programming and resources.

(g) Within 180 days of the date of this order, to support the goal of strengthening our Nation's resilience against climate change impacts and building an equitable clean energy economy for the future, the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Director of OSTP, the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, and the heads of other relevant agencies as the Secretary of Energy may deem appropriate, shall:

(i) issue a public report describing the potential for AI to improve planning, permitting, investment, and operations for electric grid infrastructure and to enable the provision of clean, affordable, reliable, resilient, and secure electric power to all Americans;

(ii) develop tools that facilitate building foundation models useful for basic and applied science, including models that streamline permitting and environmental reviews while improving environmental and social outcomes;

(iii) collaborate, as appropriate, with private sector organizations and members of academia to support development of AI tools to mitigate climate change risks;

(iv) take steps to expand partnerships with industry, academia, other agencies, and international allies and partners to utilize the Department of Energy's computing capabilities and AI testbeds to build foundation models that support new applications in science and energy, and for national security, including partnerships that increase community preparedness for climate-related risks, enable clean-energy deployment (including addressing delays in permitting reviews), and enhance grid reliability and resilience; and

(v) establish an office to coordinate development of AI and other critical and emerging technologies across Department of Energy programs and the 17 National Laboratories.

(h) Within 180 days of the date of this order, to understand AI's implications for scientific research, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology shall submit to the President and make publicly available a report on the potential role of AI, especially given recent developments in AI, in research aimed at tackling major societal and global challenges. The report shall include a discussion of issues that may hinder the effective use of AI in research and practices needed to ensure that AI is used responsibly for research.

5.3. Promoting Competition. (a) The head of each agency developing policies and regulations related to AI shall use their authorities, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to promote competition in AI and related technologies, as well as in other markets. Such actions include addressing risks arising from concentrated control of key inputs, taking steps to stop unlawful collusion and prevent dominant firms from disadvantaging competitors, and working to provide new opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs. In particular, the Federal Trade Commission is encouraged to consider, as it deems appropriate, whether to exercise the Commission's existing authorities, including its rulemaking authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 41 et seq., to ensure fair competition in the AI marketplace and to ensure that consumers and workers are protected from harms that may be enabled by the use of AI.

(b) To promote competition and innovation in the semiconductor industry, recognizing that semiconductors power AI technologies and that their availability is critical to AI competition, the Secretary of Commerce shall, in implementing division A of Public Law 117–167, known as the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act of 2022 [see Tables for classification], promote competition by:

(i) implementing a flexible membership structure for the National Semiconductor Technology Center that attracts all parts of the semiconductor and microelectronics ecosystem, including startups and small firms;

(ii) implementing mentorship programs to increase interest and participation in the semiconductor industry, including from workers in underserved communities;

(iii) increasing, where appropriate and to the extent permitted by law, the availability of resources to startups and small businesses, including:

(A) funding for physical assets, such as specialty equipment or facilities, to which startups and small businesses may not otherwise have access;

(B) datasets—potentially including test and performance data—collected, aggregated, or shared by CHIPS research and development programs;

(C) workforce development programs;

(D) design and process technology, as well as IP, as appropriate; and

(E) other resources, including technical and intellectual property assistance, that could accelerate commercialization of new technologies by startups and small businesses, as appropriate; and

(iv) considering the inclusion, to the maximum extent possible, and as consistent with applicable law, of competition-increasing measures in notices of funding availability for commercial research-and-development facilities focused on semiconductors, including measures that increase access to facility capacity for startups or small firms developing semiconductors used to power AI technologies.

(c) To support small businesses innovating and commercializing AI, as well as in responsibly adopting and deploying AI, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall:

(i) prioritize the allocation of Regional Innovation Cluster program funding for clusters that support planning activities related to the establishment of one or more Small Business AI Innovation and Commercialization Institutes that provide support, technical assistance, and other resources to small businesses seeking to innovate, commercialize, scale, or otherwise advance the development of AI;

(ii) prioritize the allocation of up to $2 million in Growth Accelerator Fund Competition bonus prize funds for accelerators that support the incorporation or expansion of AI-related curricula, training, and technical assistance, or other AI-related resources within their programming; and

(iii) assess the extent to which the eligibility criteria of existing programs, including the State Trade Expansion Program, Technical and Business Assistance funding, and capital-access programs—such as the 7(a) loan program, 504 loan program, and Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program—support appropriate expenses by small businesses related to the adoption of AI and, if feasible and appropriate, revise eligibility criteria to improve support for these expenses.

(d) The Administrator of the Small Business Administration, in coordination with resource partners, shall conduct outreach regarding, and raise awareness of, opportunities for small businesses to use capital-access programs described in subsection 5.3(c) of this section for eligible AI-related purposes, and for eligible investment funds with AI-related expertise—particularly those seeking to serve or with experience serving underserved communities—to apply for an SBIC license.

Sec. 6. Supporting Workers. (a) To advance the Government's understanding of AI's implications for workers, the following actions shall be taken within 180 days of the date of this order [Oct. 30, 2023]:

(i) The Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers shall prepare and submit a report to the President on the labor-market effects of AI.

(ii) To evaluate necessary steps for the Federal Government to address AI-related workforce disruptions, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to the President a report analyzing the abilities of agencies to support workers displaced by the adoption of AI and other technological advancements. The report shall, at a minimum:

(A) assess how current or formerly operational Federal programs designed to assist workers facing job disruptions—including unemployment insurance and programs authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Public Law 113–128) [29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.]—could be used to respond to possible future AI-related disruptions; and

(B) identify options, including potential legislative measures, to strengthen or develop additional Federal support for workers displaced by AI and, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Education, strengthen and expand education and training opportunities that provide individuals pathways to occupations related to AI.

(b) To help ensure that AI deployed in the workplace advances employees' well-being:

(i) The Secretary of Labor shall, within 180 days of the date of this order and in consultation with other agencies and with outside entities, including labor unions and workers, as the Secretary of Labor deems appropriate, develop and publish principles and best practices for employers that could be used to mitigate AI's potential harms to employees' well-being and maximize its potential benefits. The principles and best practices shall include specific steps for employers to take with regard to AI, and shall cover, at a minimum:

(A) job-displacement risks and career opportunities related to AI, including effects on job skills and evaluation of applicants and workers;

(B) labor standards and job quality, including issues related to the equity, protected-activity, compensation, health, and safety implications of AI in the workplace; and

(C) implications for workers of employers' AI-related collection and use of data about them, including transparency, engagement, management, and activity protected under worker-protection laws.

(ii) After principles and best practices are developed pursuant to subsection (b)(i) of this section, the heads of agencies shall consider, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, encouraging the adoption of these guidelines in their programs to the extent appropriate for each program and consistent with applicable law.

(iii) To support employees whose work is monitored or augmented by AI in being compensated appropriately for all of their work time, the Secretary of Labor shall issue guidance to make clear that employers that deploy AI to monitor or augment employees' work must continue to comply with protections that ensure that workers are compensated for their hours worked, as defined under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq., and other legal requirements.

(c) To foster a diverse AI-ready workforce, the Director of NSF shall prioritize available resources to support AI-related education and AI-related workforce development through existing programs. The Director shall additionally consult with agencies, as appropriate, to identify further opportunities for agencies to allocate resources for those purposes. The actions by the Director shall use appropriate fellowship programs and awards for these purposes.

Sec. 7. Advancing Equity and Civil Rights.

7.1. Strengthening AI and Civil Rights in the Criminal Justice System. (a) To address unlawful discrimination and other harms that may be exacerbated by AI, the Attorney General shall:

(i) consistent with Executive Order 12250 of November 2, 1980 (Leadership and Coordination of [Implementation and Enforcement of] Nondiscrimination Laws) [42 U.S.C. 2000d–1 note], Executive Order 14091, and 28 CFR 0.50–51, coordinate with and support agencies in their implementation and enforcement of existing Federal laws to address civil rights and civil liberties violations and discrimination related to AI;

(ii) direct the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Rights Division to convene, within 90 days of the date of this order, a meeting of the heads of Federal civil rights offices—for which meeting the heads of civil rights offices within independent regulatory agencies will be encouraged to join—to discuss comprehensive use of their respective authorities and offices to: prevent and address discrimination in the use of automated systems, including algorithmic discrimination; increase coordination between the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and Federal civil rights offices concerning issues related to AI and algorithmic discrimination; improve external stakeholder engagement to promote public awareness of potential discriminatory uses and effects of AI; and develop, as appropriate, additional training, technical assistance, guidance, or other resources; and

(iii) consider providing, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, guidance, technical assistance, and training to State, local, Tribal, and territorial investigators and prosecutors on best practices for investigating and prosecuting civil rights violations and discrimination related to automated systems, including AI.

(b) To promote the equitable treatment of individuals and adhere to the Federal Government's fundamental obligation to ensure fair and impartial justice for all, with respect to the use of AI in the criminal justice system, the Attorney General shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of OSTP:

(i) within 365 days of the date of this order, submit to the President a report that addresses the use of AI in the criminal justice system, including any use in:

(A) sentencing;

(B) parole, supervised release, and probation;

(C) bail, pretrial release, and pretrial detention;

(D) risk assessments, including pretrial, earned time, and early release or transfer to home-confinement determinations;

(E) police surveillance;

(F) crime forecasting and predictive policing, including the ingestion of historical crime data into AI systems to predict high-density "hot spots";

(G) prison-management tools; and

(H) forensic analysis;

(ii) within the report set forth in subsection 7.1(b)(i) of this section:

(A) identify areas where AI can enhance law enforcement efficiency and accuracy, consistent with protections for privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties; and

(B) recommend best practices for law enforcement agencies, including safeguards and appropriate use limits for AI, to address the concerns set forth in section 13(e)(i) of Executive Order 14074 as well as the best practices and the guidelines set forth in section 13(e)(iii) of Executive Order 14074; and

(iii) supplement the report set forth in subsection 7.1(b)(i) of this section as appropriate with recommendations to the President, including with respect to requests for necessary legislation.

(c) To advance the presence of relevant technical experts and expertise (such as machine-learning engineers, software and infrastructure engineering, data privacy experts, data scientists, and user experience researchers) among law enforcement professionals:

(i) The interagency working group created pursuant to section 3 of Executive Order 14074 shall, within 180 days of the date of this order, identify and share best practices for recruiting and hiring law enforcement professionals who have the technical skills mentioned in subsection 7.1(c) of this section, and for training law enforcement professionals about responsible application of AI.

(ii) Within 270 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, consider those best practices and the guidance developed under section 3(d) of Executive Order 14074 and, if necessary, develop additional general recommendations for State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies and criminal justice agencies seeking to recruit, hire, train, promote, and retain highly qualified and service-oriented officers and staff with relevant technical knowledge. In considering this guidance, the Attorney General shall consult with State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies, as appropriate.

(iii) Within 365 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General shall review the work conducted pursuant to section 2(b) of Executive Order 14074 and, if appropriate, reassess the existing capacity to investigate law enforcement deprivation of rights under color of law resulting from the use of AI, including through improving and increasing training of Federal law enforcement officers, their supervisors, and Federal prosecutors on how to investigate and prosecute cases related to AI involving the deprivation of rights under color of law pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 242.

7.2. Protecting Civil Rights Related to Government Benefits and Programs. (a) To advance equity and civil rights, consistent with the directives of Executive Order 14091, and in addition to complying with the guidance on Federal Government use of AI issued pursuant to section 10.1(b) of this order, agencies shall use their respective civil rights and civil liberties offices and authorities—as appropriate and consistent with applicable law—to prevent and address unlawful discrimination and other harms that result from uses of AI in Federal Government programs and benefits administration. This directive does not apply to agencies' civil or criminal enforcement authorities. Agencies shall consider opportunities to ensure that their respective civil rights and civil liberties offices are appropriately consulted on agency decisions regarding the design, development, acquisition, and use of AI in Federal Government programs and benefits administration. To further these objectives, agencies shall also consider opportunities to increase coordination, communication, and engagement about AI as appropriate with community-based organizations; civil-rights and civil-liberties organizations; academic institutions; industry; State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments; and other stakeholders.

(b) To promote equitable administration of public benefits:

(i) The Secretary of HHS shall, within 180 days of the date of this order and in consultation with relevant agencies, publish a plan, informed by the guidance issued pursuant to section 10.1(b) of this order, addressing the use of automated or algorithmic systems in the implementation by States and localities of public benefits and services administered by the Secretary, such as to promote: assessment of access to benefits by qualified recipients; notice to recipients about the presence of such systems; regular evaluation to detect unjust denials; processes to retain appropriate levels of discretion of expert agency staff; processes to appeal denials to human reviewers; and analysis of whether algorithmic systems in use by benefit programs achieve equitable and just outcomes.

(ii) The Secretary of Agriculture shall, within 180 days of the date of this order and as informed by the guidance issued pursuant to section 10.1(b) of this order, issue guidance to State, local, Tribal, and territorial public-benefits administrators on the use of automated or algorithmic systems in implementing benefits or in providing customer support for benefit programs administered by the Secretary, to ensure that programs using those systems:

(A) maximize program access for eligible recipients;

(B) employ automated or algorithmic systems in a manner consistent with any requirements for using merit systems personnel in public-benefits programs;

(C) identify instances in which reliance on automated or algorithmic systems would require notification by the State, local, Tribal, or territorial government to the Secretary;

(D) identify instances when applicants and participants can appeal benefit determinations to a human reviewer for reconsideration and can receive other customer support from a human being;

(E) enable auditing and, if necessary, remediation of the logic used to arrive at an individual decision or determination to facilitate the evaluation of appeals; and

(F) enable the analysis of whether algorithmic systems in use by benefit programs achieve equitable outcomes.

7.3. Strengthening AI and Civil Rights in the Broader Economy. (a) Within 365 days of the date of this order, to prevent unlawful discrimination from AI used for hiring, the Secretary of Labor shall publish guidance for Federal contractors regarding nondiscrimination in hiring involving AI and other technology-based hiring systems.

(b) To address discrimination and biases against protected groups in housing markets and consumer financial markets, the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are encouraged to consider using their authorities, as they deem appropriate, to require their respective regulated entities, where possible, to use appropriate methodologies including AI tools to ensure compliance with Federal law and:

(i) evaluate their underwriting models for bias or disparities affecting protected groups; and

(ii) evaluate automated collateral-valuation and appraisal processes in ways that minimize bias.

(c) Within 180 days of the date of this order, to combat unlawful discrimination enabled by automated or algorithmic tools used to make decisions about access to housing and in other real estate-related transactions, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall, and the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is encouraged to, issue additional guidance:

(i) addressing the use of tenant screening systems in ways that may violate the Fair Housing Act (Public Law 90–284) [42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.], the Fair Credit Reporting Act ([title VI of Pub. L. 90–321, as added by] Public Law 91–508) [15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.], or other relevant Federal laws, including how the use of data, such as criminal records, eviction records, and credit information, can lead to discriminatory outcomes in violation of Federal law; and

(ii) addressing how the Fair Housing Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (title X of Public Law 111–203) [see Tables for classification], or the Equal Credit Opportunity Act ([title VII of Pub. L. 90–321, as added by] Public Law 93–495) [15 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.] apply to the advertising of housing, credit, and other real estate-related transactions through digital platforms, including those that use algorithms to facilitate advertising delivery, as well as on best practices to avoid violations of Federal law.

(d) To help ensure that people with disabilities benefit from AI's promise while being protected from its risks, including unequal treatment from the use of biometric data like gaze direction, eye tracking, gait analysis, and hand motions, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board is encouraged, as it deems appropriate, to solicit public participation and conduct community engagement; to issue technical assistance and recommendations on the risks and benefits of AI in using biometric data as an input; and to provide people with disabilities access to information and communication technology and transportation services.

Sec. 8. Protecting Consumers, Patients, Passengers, and Students. (a) Independent regulatory agencies are encouraged, as they deem appropriate, to consider using their full range of authorities to protect American consumers from fraud, discrimination, and threats to privacy and to address other risks that may arise from the use of AI, including risks to financial stability, and to consider rulemaking, as well as emphasizing or clarifying where existing regulations and guidance apply to AI, including clarifying the responsibility of regulated entities to conduct due diligence on and monitor any third-party AI services they use, and emphasizing or clarifying requirements and expectations related to the transparency of AI models and regulated entities' ability to explain their use of AI models.

(b) To help ensure the safe, responsible deployment and use of AI in the healthcare, public-health, and human-services sectors:

(i) Within 90 days of the date of this order [Oct. 30, 2023], the Secretary of HHS shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, establish an HHS AI Task Force that shall, within 365 days of its creation, develop a strategic plan that includes policies and frameworks—possibly including regulatory action, as appropriate—on responsible deployment and use of AI and AI-enabled technologies in the health and human services sector (including research and discovery, drug and device safety, healthcare delivery and financing, and public health), and identify appropriate guidance and resources to promote that deployment, including in the following areas:

(A) development, maintenance, and use of predictive and generative AI-enabled technologies in healthcare delivery and financing—including quality measurement, performance improvement, program integrity, benefits administration, and patient experience—taking into account considerations such as appropriate human oversight of the application of AI-generated output;

(B) long-term safety and real-world performance monitoring of AI-enabled technologies in the health and human services sector, including clinically relevant or significant modifications and performance across population groups, with a means to communicate product updates to regulators, developers, and users;

(C) incorporation of equity principles in AI-enabled technologies used in the health and human services sector, using disaggregated data on affected populations and representative population data sets when developing new models, monitoring algorithmic performance against discrimination and bias in existing models, and helping to identify and mitigate discrimination and bias in current systems;

(D) incorporation of safety, privacy, and security standards into the software-development lifecycle for protection of personally identifiable information, including measures to address AI-enhanced cybersecurity threats in the health and human services sector;

(E) development, maintenance, and availability of documentation to help users determine appropriate and safe uses of AI in local settings in the health and human services sector;

(F) work to be done with State, local, Tribal, and territorial health and human services agencies to advance positive use cases and best practices for use of AI in local settings; and

(G) identification of uses of AI to promote workplace efficiency and satisfaction in the health and human services sector, including reducing administrative burdens.

(ii) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of HHS shall direct HHS components, as the Secretary of HHS deems appropriate, to develop a strategy, in consultation with relevant agencies, to determine whether AI-enabled technologies in the health and human services sector maintain appropriate levels of quality, including, as appropriate, in the areas described in subsection (b)(i) of this section. This work shall include the development of AI assurance policy—to evaluate important aspects of the performance of AI-enabled healthcare tools—and infrastructure needs for enabling pre-market assessment and post-market oversight of AI-enabled healthcare-technology algorithmic system performance against real-world data.

(iii) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of HHS shall, in consultation with relevant agencies as the Secretary of HHS deems appropriate, consider appropriate actions to advance the prompt understanding of, and compliance with, Federal nondiscrimination laws by health and human services providers that receive Federal financial assistance, as well as how those laws relate to AI. Such actions may include:

(A) convening and providing technical assistance to health and human services providers and payers about their obligations under Federal nondiscrimination and privacy laws as they relate to AI and the potential consequences of noncompliance; and

(B) issuing guidance, or taking other action as appropriate, in response to any complaints or other reports of noncompliance with Federal nondiscrimination and privacy laws as they relate to AI.

(iv) Within 365 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of HHS shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, establish an AI safety program that, in partnership with voluntary federally listed Patient Safety Organizations:

(A) establishes a common framework for approaches to identifying and capturing clinical errors resulting from AI deployed in healthcare settings as well as specifications for a central tracking repository for associated incidents that cause harm, including through bias or discrimination, to patients, caregivers, or other parties;

(B) analyzes captured data and generated evidence to develop, wherever appropriate, recommendations, best practices, or other informal guidelines aimed at avoiding these harms; and

(C) disseminates those recommendations, best practices, or other informal guidance to appropriate stakeholders, including healthcare providers.

(v) Within 365 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of HHS shall develop a strategy for regulating the use of AI or AI-enabled tools in drug-development processes. The strategy shall, at a minimum:

(A) define the objectives, goals, and high-level principles required for appropriate regulation throughout each phase of drug development;

(B) identify areas where future rulemaking, guidance, or additional statutory authority may be necessary to implement such a regulatory system;

(C) identify the existing budget, resources, personnel, and potential for new public/private partnerships necessary for such a regulatory system; and

(D) consider risks identified by the actions undertaken to implement section 4 of this order.

(c) To promote the safe and responsible development and use of AI in the transportation sector, in consultation with relevant agencies:

(i) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Transportation shall direct the Nontraditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council to assess the need for information, technical assistance, and guidance regarding the use of AI in transportation. The Secretary of Transportation shall further direct the NETT Council, as part of any such efforts, to:

(A) support existing and future initiatives to pilot transportation-related applications of AI, as they align with policy priorities articulated in the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Innovation Principles, including, as appropriate, through technical assistance and connecting stakeholders;

(B) evaluate the outcomes of such pilot programs in order to assess when DOT, or other Federal or State agencies, have sufficient information to take regulatory actions, as appropriate, and recommend appropriate actions when that information is available; and

(C) establish a new DOT Cross-Modal Executive Working Group, which will consist of members from different divisions of DOT and coordinate applicable work among these divisions, to solicit and use relevant input from appropriate stakeholders.

(ii) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Transportation shall direct appropriate Federal Advisory Committees of the DOT to provide advice on the safe and responsible use of AI in transportation. The committees shall include the Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee, the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee, and the Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Advisory Committee.

(iii) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Transportation shall direct the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA–I) to explore the transportation-related opportunities and challenges of AI—including regarding software-defined AI enhancements impacting autonomous mobility ecosystems. The Secretary of Transportation shall further encourage ARPA–I to prioritize the allocation of grants to those opportunities, as appropriate. The work tasked to ARPA–I shall include soliciting input on these topics through a public consultation process, such as an RFI.

(d) To help ensure the responsible development and deployment of AI in the education sector, the Secretary of Education shall, within 365 days of the date of this order, develop resources, policies, and guidance regarding AI. These resources shall address safe, responsible, and nondiscriminatory uses of AI in education, including the impact AI systems have on vulnerable and underserved communities, and shall be developed in consultation with stakeholders as appropriate. They shall also include the development of an "AI toolkit" for education leaders implementing recommendations from the Department of Education's AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning report, including appropriate human review of AI decisions, designing AI systems to enhance trust and safety and align with privacy-related laws and regulations in the educational context, and developing education-specific guardrails.

(e) The Federal Communications Commission is encouraged to consider actions related to how AI will affect communications networks and consumers, including by:

(i) examining the potential for AI to improve spectrum management, increase the efficiency of non-Federal spectrum usage, and expand opportunities for the sharing of non-Federal spectrum;

(ii) coordinating with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create opportunities for sharing spectrum between Federal and non-Federal spectrum operations;

(iii) providing support for efforts to improve network security, resiliency, and interoperability using next-generation technologies that incorporate AI, including self-healing networks, 6G, and Open RAN; and

(iv) encouraging, including through rulemaking, efforts to combat unwanted robocalls and robotexts that are facilitated or exacerbated by AI and to deploy AI technologies that better serve consumers by blocking unwanted robocalls and robotexts.

Sec. 9. Protecting Privacy. (a) To mitigate privacy risks potentially exacerbated by AI—including by AI's facilitation of the collection or use of information about individuals, or the making of inferences about individuals—the Director of OMB shall:

(i) evaluate and take steps to identify commercially available information (CAI) procured by agencies, particularly CAI that contains personally identifiable information and including CAI procured from data brokers and CAI procured and processed indirectly through vendors, in appropriate agency inventory and reporting processes (other than when it is used for the purposes of national security);

(ii) evaluate, in consultation with the Federal Privacy Council and the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, agency standards and procedures associated with the collection, processing, maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, and disposition of CAI that contains personally identifiable information (other than when it is used for the purposes of national security) to inform potential guidance to agencies on ways to mitigate privacy and confidentiality risks from agencies' activities related to CAI;

(iii) within 180 days of the date of this order, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and the Director of OSTP, issue an RFI to inform potential revisions to guidance to agencies on implementing the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–347) [see Tables for classification]. The RFI shall seek feedback regarding how privacy impact assessments may be more effective at mitigating privacy risks, including those that are further exacerbated by AI; and

(iv) take such steps as are necessary and appropriate, consistent with applicable law, to support and advance the near-term actions and long-term strategy identified through the RFI process, including issuing new or updated guidance or RFIs or consulting other agencies or the Federal Privacy Council.

(b) Within 365 days of the date of this order, to better enable agencies to use PETs to safeguard Americans' privacy from the potential threats exacerbated by AI, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of NIST, shall create guidelines for agencies to evaluate the efficacy of differential-privacy-guarantee protections, including for AI. The guidelines shall, at a minimum, describe the significant factors that bear on differential-privacy safeguards and common risks to realizing differential privacy in practice.

(c) To advance research, development, and implementation related to PETs:

(i) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Director of NSF, in collaboration with the Secretary of Energy, shall fund the creation of a Research Coordination Network (RCN) dedicated to advancing privacy research and, in particular, the development, deployment, and scaling of PETs. The RCN shall serve to enable privacy researchers to share information, coordinate and collaborate in research, and develop standards for the privacy-research community.

(ii) Within 240 days of the date of this order, the Director of NSF shall engage with agencies to identify ongoing work and potential opportunities to incorporate PETs into their operations. The Director of NSF shall, where feasible and appropriate, prioritize research—including efforts to translate research discoveries into practical applications—that encourage the adoption of leading-edge PETs solutions for agencies' use, including through research engagement through the RCN described in subsection (c)(i) of this section.

(iii) The Director of NSF shall use the results of the United States-United Kingdom PETs Prize Challenge to inform the approaches taken, and opportunities identified, for PETs research and adoption.

Sec. 10. Advancing Federal Government Use of AI.

10.1. Providing Guidance for AI Management. (a) To coordinate the use of AI across the Federal Government, within 60 days of the date of this order [Oct. 30, 2023] and on an ongoing basis as necessary, the Director of OMB shall convene and chair an interagency council to coordinate the development and use of AI in agencies' programs and operations, other than the use of AI in national security systems. The Director of OSTP shall serve as Vice Chair for the interagency council. The interagency council's membership shall include, at minimum, the heads of the agencies identified in 31 U.S.C. 901(b), the Director of National Intelligence, and other agencies as identified by the Chair. Until agencies designate their permanent Chief AI Officers consistent with the guidance described in subsection 10.1(b) of this section, they shall be represented on the interagency council by an appropriate official at the Assistant Secretary level or equivalent, as determined by the head of each agency.

(b) To provide guidance on Federal Government use of AI, within 150 days of the date of this order and updated periodically thereafter, the Director of OMB, in coordination with the Director of OSTP, and in consultation with the interagency council established in subsection 10.1(a) of this section, shall issue guidance to agencies to strengthen the effective and appropriate use of AI, advance AI innovation, and manage risks from AI in the Federal Government. The Director of OMB's guidance shall specify, to the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law:

(i) the requirement to designate at each agency within 60 days of the issuance of the guidance a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer who shall hold primary responsibility in their agency, in coordination with other responsible officials, for coordinating their agency's use of AI, promoting AI innovation in their agency, managing risks from their agency's use of AI, and carrying out the responsibilities described in section 8(c) of Executive Order 13960 of December 3, 2020 (Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government) [40 U.S.C. 11301 note], and section 4(b) of Executive Order 14091;

(ii) the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers' roles, responsibilities, seniority, position, and reporting structures;

(iii) for the agencies identified in 31 U.S.C. 901(b), the creation of internal Artificial Intelligence Governance Boards, or other appropriate mechanisms, at each agency within 60 days of the issuance of the guidance to coordinate and govern AI issues through relevant senior leaders from across the agency;

(iv) required minimum risk-management practices for Government uses of AI that impact people's rights or safety, including, where appropriate, the following practices derived from OSTP's Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework: conducting public consultation; assessing data quality; assessing and mitigating disparate impacts and algorithmic discrimination; providing notice of the use of AI; continuously monitoring and evaluating deployed AI; and granting human consideration and remedies for adverse decisions made using AI;

(v) specific Federal Government uses of AI that are presumed by default to impact rights or safety;

(vi) recommendations to agencies to reduce barriers to the responsible use of AI, including barriers related to information technology infrastructure, data, workforce, budgetary restrictions, and cybersecurity processes;

(vii) requirements that agencies identified in 31 U.S.C. 901(b) develop AI strategies and pursue high-impact AI use cases;

(viii) in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the heads of other appropriate agencies as determined by the Director of OMB, recommendations to agencies regarding:

(A) external testing for AI, including AI red-teaming for generative AI, to be developed in coordination with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency;

(B) testing and safeguards against discriminatory, misleading, inflammatory, unsafe, or deceptive outputs, as well as against producing child sexual abuse material and against producing non-consensual intimate imagery of real individuals (including intimate digital depictions of the body or body parts of an identifiable individual), for generative AI;

(C) reasonable steps to watermark or otherwise label output from generative AI;

(D) application of the mandatory minimum risk-management practices defined under subsection 10.1(b)(iv) of this section to procured AI;

(E) independent evaluation of vendors' claims concerning both the effectiveness and risk mitigation of their AI offerings;

(F) documentation and oversight of procured AI;

(G) maximizing the value to agencies when relying on contractors to use and enrich Federal Government data for the purposes of AI development and operation;

(H) provision of incentives for the continuous improvement of procured AI; and

(I) training on AI in accordance with the principles set out in this order and in other references related to AI listed herein; and

(ix) requirements for public reporting on compliance with this guidance.

(c) To track agencies' AI progress, within 60 days of the issuance of the guidance established in subsection 10.1(b) of this section and updated periodically thereafter, the Director of OMB shall develop a method for agencies to track and assess their ability to adopt AI into their programs and operations, manage its risks, and comply with Federal policy on AI. This method should draw on existing related efforts as appropriate and should address, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, the practices, processes, and capabilities necessary for responsible AI adoption, training, and governance across, at a minimum, the areas of information technology infrastructure, data, workforce, leadership, and risk management.

(d) To assist agencies in implementing the guidance to be established in subsection 10.1(b) of this section:

(i) within 90 days of the issuance of the guidance, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of NIST, and in coordination with the Director of OMB and the Director of OSTP, shall develop guidelines, tools, and practices to support implementation of the minimum risk-management practices described in subsection 10.1(b)(iv) of this section; and

(ii) within 180 days of the issuance of the guidance, the Director of OMB shall develop an initial means to ensure that agency contracts for the acquisition of AI systems and services align with the guidance described in subsection 10.1(b) of this section and advance the other aims identified in section 7224(d)(1) of the Advancing American AI Act (Public Law 117–263, div. G, title LXXII, subtitle B) [40 U.S.C. 11301 note].

(e) To improve transparency for agencies' use of AI, the Director of OMB shall, on an annual basis, issue instructions to agencies for the collection, reporting, and publication of agency AI use cases, pursuant to section 7225(a) of the Advancing American AI Act [40 U.S.C. 11301 note]. Through these instructions, the Director shall, as appropriate, expand agencies' reporting on how they are managing risks from their AI use cases and update or replace the guidance originally established in section 5 of Executive Order 13960.

(f) To advance the responsible and secure use of generative AI in the Federal Government:

(i) As generative AI products become widely available and common in online platforms, agencies are discouraged from imposing broad general bans or blocks on agency use of generative AI. Agencies should instead limit access, as necessary, to specific generative AI services based on specific risk assessments; establish guidelines and limitations on the appropriate use of generative AI; and, with appropriate safeguards in place, provide their personnel and programs with access to secure and reliable generative AI capabilities, at least for the purposes of experimentation and routine tasks that carry a low risk of impacting Americans' rights. To protect Federal Government information, agencies are also encouraged to employ risk-management practices, such as training their staff on proper use, protection, dissemination, and disposition of Federal information; negotiating appropriate terms of service with vendors; implementing measures designed to ensure compliance with record-keeping, cybersecurity, confidentiality, privacy, and data protection requirements; and deploying other measures to prevent misuse of Federal Government information in generative AI.

(ii) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of General Services, in coordination with the Director of OMB, and in consultation with the Federal Secure Cloud Advisory Committee and other relevant agencies as the Administrator of General Services may deem appropriate, shall develop and issue a framework for prioritizing critical and emerging technologies offerings in the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program authorization process, starting with generative AI offerings that have the primary purpose of providing large language model-based chat interfaces, code-generation and debugging tools, and associated application programming interfaces, as well as prompt-based image generators. This framework shall apply for no less than 2 years from the date of its issuance. Agency Chief Information Officers, Chief Information Security Officers, and authorizing officials are also encouraged to prioritize generative AI and other critical and emerging technologies in granting authorities for agency operation of information technology systems and any other applicable release or oversight processes, using continuous authorizations and approvals wherever feasible.

(iii) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in coordination with the Director of OMB, shall develop guidance on the use of generative AI for work by the Federal workforce.

(g) Within 30 days of the date of this order, to increase agency investment in AI, the Technology Modernization Board shall consider, as it deems appropriate and consistent with applicable law, prioritizing funding for AI projects for the Technology Modernization Fund for a period of at least 1 year. Agencies are encouraged to submit to the Technology Modernization Fund project funding proposals that include AI—and particularly generative AI—in service of mission delivery.

(h) Within 180 days of the date of this order, to facilitate agencies' access to commercial AI capabilities, the Administrator of General Services, in coordination with the Director of OMB, and in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the head of any other agency identified by the Administrator of General Services, shall take steps consistent with applicable law to facilitate access to Federal Government-wide acquisition solutions for specified types of AI services and products, such as through the creation of a resource guide or other tools to assist the acquisition workforce. Specified types of AI capabilities shall include generative AI and specialized computing infrastructure.

(i) The initial means, instructions, and guidance issued pursuant to subsections 10.1(a)–(h) of this section shall not apply to AI when it is used as a component of a national security system, which shall be addressed by the proposed National Security Memorandum described in subsection 4.8 of this order.

10.2. Increasing AI Talent in Government. (a) Within 45 days of the date of this order, to plan a national surge in AI talent in the Federal Government, the Director of OSTP and the Director of OMB, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor, and the Assistant to the President and Director of the Gender Policy Council, shall identify priority mission areas for increased Federal Government AI talent, the types of talent that are highest priority to recruit and develop to ensure adequate implementation of this order and use of relevant enforcement and regulatory authorities to address AI risks, and accelerated hiring pathways.

(b) Within 45 days of the date of this order, to coordinate rapid advances in the capacity of the Federal AI workforce, the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, in coordination with the Director of OSTP and the Director of OMB, and in consultation with the National Cyber Director, shall convene an AI and Technology Talent Task Force, which shall include the Director of OPM, the Director of the General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Services, a representative from the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, the Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, members of appropriate agency technology talent programs, a representative of the Chief Data Officer Council, and a representative of the interagency council convened under subsection 10.1(a) of this section. The Task Force's purpose shall be to accelerate and track the hiring of AI and AI-enabling talent across the Federal Government, including through the following actions:

(i) within 180 days of the date of this order, tracking and reporting progress to the President on increasing AI capacity across the Federal Government, including submitting to the President a report and recommendations for further increasing capacity;

(ii) identifying and circulating best practices for agencies to attract, hire, retain, train, and empower AI talent, including diversity, inclusion, and accessibility best practices, as well as to plan and budget adequately for AI workforce needs;

(iii) coordinating, in consultation with the Director of OPM, the use of fellowship programs and agency technology-talent programs and human-capital teams to build hiring capabilities, execute hires, and place AI talent to fill staffing gaps; and

(iv) convening a cross-agency forum for ongoing collaboration between AI professionals to share best practices and improve retention.

(c) Within 45 days of the date of this order, to advance existing Federal technology talent programs, the United States Digital Service, Presidential Innovation Fellowship, United States Digital Corps, OPM, and technology talent programs at agencies, with support from the AI and Technology Talent Task Force described in subsection 10.2(b) of this section, as appropriate and permitted by law, shall develop and begin to implement plans to support the rapid recruitment of individuals as part of a Federal Government-wide AI talent surge to accelerate the placement of key AI and AI-enabling talent in high-priority areas and to advance agencies' data and technology strategies.

(d) To meet the critical hiring need for qualified personnel to execute the initiatives in this order, and to improve Federal hiring practices for AI talent, the Director of OPM, in consultation with the Director of OMB, shall:

(i) within 60 days of the date of this order, conduct an evidence-based review on the need for hiring and workplace flexibility, including Federal Government-wide direct-hire authority for AI and related data-science and technical roles, and, where the Director of OPM finds such authority is appropriate, grant it; this review shall include the following job series at all General Schedule (GS) levels: IT Specialist (2210), Computer Scientist (1550), Computer Engineer (0854), and Program Analyst (0343) focused on AI, and any subsequently developed job series derived from these job series;

(ii) within 60 days of the date of this order, consider authorizing the use of excepted service appointments under 5 CFR 213.3102(i)(3) to address the need for hiring additional staff to implement directives of this order;

(iii) within 90 days of the date of this order, coordinate a pooled-hiring action informed by subject-matter experts and using skills-based assessments to support the recruitment of AI talent across agencies;

(iv) within 120 days of the date of this order, as appropriate and permitted by law, issue guidance for agency application of existing pay flexibilities or incentive pay programs for AI, AI-enabling, and other key technical positions to facilitate appropriate use of current pay incentives;

(v) within 180 days of the date of this order, establish guidance and policy on skills-based, Federal Government-wide hiring of AI, data, and technology talent in order to increase access to those with nontraditional academic backgrounds to Federal AI, data, and technology roles;

(vi) within 180 days of the date of this order, establish an interagency working group, staffed with both human-resources professionals and recruiting technical experts, to facilitate Federal Government-wide hiring of people with AI and other technical skills;

(vii) within 180 days of the date of this order, review existing Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions informed by data and AI literacy competencies and, within 365 days of the date of this order, implement new ECQs as appropriate in the SES assessment process;

(viii) within 180 days of the date of this order, complete a review of competencies for civil engineers (GS–0810 series) and, if applicable, other related occupations, and make recommendations for ensuring that adequate AI expertise and credentials in these occupations in the Federal Government reflect the increased use of AI in critical infrastructure; and

(ix) work with the Security, Suitability, and Credentialing Performance Accountability Council to assess mechanisms to streamline and accelerate personnel-vetting requirements, as appropriate, to support AI and fields related to other critical and emerging technologies.

(e) To expand the use of special authorities for AI hiring and retention, agencies shall use all appropriate hiring authorities, including Schedule A(r) excepted service hiring and direct-hire authority, as applicable and appropriate, to hire AI talent and AI-enabling talent rapidly. In addition to participating in OPM-led pooled hiring actions, agencies shall collaborate, where appropriate, on agency-led pooled hiring under the Competitive Service Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–137) [see Tables for classification] and other shared hiring. Agencies shall also, where applicable, use existing incentives, pay-setting authorities, and other compensation flexibilities, similar to those used for cyber and information technology positions, for AI and data-science professionals, as well as plain-language job titles, to help recruit and retain these highly skilled professionals. Agencies shall ensure that AI and other related talent needs (such as technology governance and privacy) are reflected in strategic workforce planning and budget formulation.

(f) To facilitate the hiring of data scientists, the Chief Data Officer Council shall develop a position-description library for data scientists (job series 1560) and a hiring guide to support agencies in hiring data scientists.

(g) To help train the Federal workforce on AI issues, the head of each agency shall implement—or increase the availability and use of—AI training and familiarization programs for employees, managers, and leadership in technology as well as relevant policy, managerial, procurement, regulatory, ethical, governance, and legal fields. Such training programs should, for example, empower Federal employees, managers, and leaders to develop and maintain an operating knowledge of emerging AI technologies to assess opportunities to use these technologies to enhance the delivery of services to the public, and to mitigate risks associated with these technologies. Agencies that provide professional-development opportunities, grants, or funds for their staff should take appropriate steps to ensure that employees who do not serve in traditional technical roles, such as policy, managerial, procurement, or legal fields, are nonetheless eligible to receive funding for programs and courses that focus on AI, machine learning, data science, or other related subject areas.

(h) Within 180 days of the date of this order, to address gaps in AI talent for national defense, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to the President through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs that includes:

(i) recommendations to address challenges in the Department of Defense's ability to hire certain noncitizens, including at the Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories;

(ii) recommendations to clarify and streamline processes for accessing classified information for certain noncitizens through Limited Access Authorization at Department of Defense laboratories;

(iii) recommendations for the appropriate use of enlistment authority under 10 U.S.C. 504(b)(2) for experts in AI and other critical and emerging technologies; and

(iv) recommendations for the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to work together to enhance the use of appropriate authorities for the retention of certain noncitizens of vital importance to national security by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

Sec. 11. Strengthening American Leadership Abroad. (a) To strengthen United States leadership of global efforts to unlock AI's potential and meet its challenges, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Director of OSTP, and the heads of other relevant agencies as appropriate, shall:

(i) lead efforts outside of military and intelligence areas to expand engagements with international allies and partners in relevant bilateral, multilateral, and multi-stakeholder fora to advance those allies' and partners' understanding of existing and planned AI-related guidance and policies of the United States, as well as to enhance international collaboration; and

(ii) lead efforts to establish a strong international framework for managing the risks and harnessing the benefits of AI, including by encouraging international allies and partners to support voluntary commitments similar to those that United States companies have made in pursuit of these objectives and coordinating the activities directed by subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) of this section, and to develop common regulatory and other accountability principles for foreign nations, including to manage the risk that AI systems pose.

(b) To advance responsible global technical standards for AI development and use outside of military and intelligence areas, the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of State and the heads of other relevant agencies as appropriate, shall lead preparations for a coordinated effort with key international allies and partners and with standards development organizations, to drive the development and implementation of AI-related consensus standards, cooperation and coordination, and information sharing. In particular, the Secretary of Commerce shall:

(i) within 270 days of the date of this order, establish a plan for global engagement on promoting and developing AI standards, with lines of effort that may include:

(A) AI nomenclature and terminology;

(B) best practices regarding data capture, processing, protection, privacy, confidentiality, handling, and analysis;

(C) trustworthiness, verification, and assurance of AI systems; and

(D) AI risk management;

(ii) within 180 days of the date the plan is established, submit a report to the President on priority actions taken pursuant to the plan; and

(iii) ensure that such efforts are guided by principles set out in the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and United States Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology.

(c) Within 365 days of the date of this order, to promote safe, responsible, and rights-affirming development and deployment of AI abroad:

(i) The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the director of NIST, shall publish an AI in Global Development Playbook that incorporates the AI Risk Management Framework's principles, guidelines, and best practices into the social, technical, economic, governance, human rights, and security conditions of contexts beyond United States borders. As part of this work, the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall draw on lessons learned from programmatic uses of AI in global development.

(ii) The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in collaboration with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of NSF, shall develop a Global AI Research Agenda to guide the objectives and implementation of AI-related research in contexts beyond United States borders. The Agenda shall:

(A) include principles, guidelines, priorities, and best practices aimed at ensuring the safe, responsible, beneficial, and sustainable global development and adoption of AI; and

(B) address AI's labor-market implications across international contexts, including by recommending risk mitigations.

(d) To address cross-border and global AI risks to critical infrastructure, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of State, and in consultation with the heads of other relevant agencies as the Secretary of Homeland Security deems appropriate, shall lead efforts with international allies and partners to enhance cooperation to prevent, respond to, and recover from potential critical infrastructure disruptions resulting from incorporation of AI into critical infrastructure systems or malicious use of AI.

(i) Within 270 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall develop a plan for multilateral engagements to encourage the adoption of the AI safety and security guidelines for use by critical infrastructure owners and operators developed in section 4.3(a) of this order.

(ii) Within 180 days of establishing the plan described in subsection (d)(i) of this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a report to the President on priority actions to mitigate cross-border risks to critical United States infrastructure.

Sec. 12. Implementation. (a) There is established, within the Executive Office of the President, the White House Artificial Intelligence Council (White House AI Council). The function of the White House AI Council is to coordinate the activities of agencies across the Federal Government to ensure the effective formulation, development, communication, industry engagement related to, and timely implementation of AI-related policies, including policies set forth in this order.

(b) The Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy shall serve as Chair of the White House AI Council.

(c) In addition to the Chair, the White House AI Council shall consist of the following members, or their designees:

(i) the Secretary of State;

(ii) the Secretary of the Treasury;

(iii) the Secretary of Defense;

(iv) the Attorney General;

(v) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(vi) the Secretary of Commerce;

(vii) the Secretary of Labor;

(viii) the Secretary of HHS;

(ix) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;

(x) the Secretary of Transportation;

(xi) the Secretary of Energy;

(xii) the Secretary of Education;

(xiii) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

(xiv) the Secretary of Homeland Security;

(xv) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;

(xvi) the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development;

(xvii) the Director of National Intelligence;

(xviii) the Director of NSF;

(xix) the Director of OMB;

(xx) the Director of OSTP;

(xxi) the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs;

(xxii) the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy;

(xxiii) the Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor;

(xxiv) the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President;

(xxv) the Assistant to the President and Director of the Gender Policy Council;

(xxvi) the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers;

(xxvii) the National Cyber Director;

(xxviii) the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and

(xxix) the heads of such other agencies, independent regulatory agencies, and executive offices as the Chair may from time to time designate or invite to participate.

(d) The Chair may create and coordinate subgroups consisting of White House AI Council members or their designees, as appropriate.

Sec. 13. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

J.R. Biden, Jr.
15 U.S.C. § 9021 (2024) — Title 15: COMMERCE AND TRADE / Chapter 116: CORONAVIRUS ECONOMIC STABILIZATION (CARES ACT) / Subchapter II: UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROVISIONS / Section 9021: Pandemic unemployment assistance
Pandemic unemployment assistance
Status: in_force

(a) Definitions

In this section:

(1) COVID–19

The term "COVID–19" means the 2019 Novel Coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.

(2) COVID–19 public health emergency

The term "COVID–19 public health emergency" means the public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on January 27, 2020, with respect to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

(3) Covered individual

The term "covered individual"—

(A) means an individual who—

(i) is not eligible for regular compensation or extended benefits under State or Federal law or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation under section 9025 of this title, including an individual who has exhausted all rights to regular unemployment or extended benefits under State or Federal law or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation under section 9025 of this title;

(ii) provides self-certification that the individual—

(I) is otherwise able to work and available for work within the meaning of applicable State law, except the individual is unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work because—

(aa) the individual has been diagnosed with COVID–19 or is experiencing symptoms of COVID–19 and seeking a medical diagnosis;

(bb) a member of the individual's household has been diagnosed with COVID–19;

(cc) the individual is providing care for a family member or a member of the individual's household who has been diagnosed with COVID–19;

(dd) a child or other person in the household for which the individual has primary caregiving responsibility is unable to attend school or another facility that is closed as a direct result of the COVID–19 public health emergency and such school or facility care is required for the individual to work;

(ee) the individual is unable to reach the place of employment because of a quarantine imposed as a direct result of the COVID–19 public health emergency;

(ff) the individual is unable to reach the place of employment because the individual has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID–19;

(gg) the individual was scheduled to commence employment and does not have a job or is unable to reach the job as a direct result of the COVID–19 public health emergency;

(hh) the individual has become the breadwinner or major support for a household because the head of the household has died as a direct result of COVID–19;

(ii) the individual has to quit his or her job as a direct result of COVID–19;

(jj) the individual's place of employment is closed as a direct result of the COVID–19 public health emergency; or

(kk) the individual meets any additional criteria established by the Secretary for unemployment assistance under this section; or

(II) is self-employed, is seeking part-time employment, does not have sufficient work history, or otherwise would not qualify for regular unemployment or extended benefits under State or Federal law or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation under section 9025 of this title, and meets the requirements of subclause (I); and

(iii) provides documentation to substantiate employment or self-employment or the planned commencement of employment or self-employment not later than 21 days after the later of the date on which the individual submits an application for pandemic unemployment assistance under this section or the date on which an individual is directed by the State Agency to submit such documentation in accordance with section 625.6(e) of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto, except that such deadline may be extended if the individual has shown good cause under applicable State law for failing to submit such documentation; and

(B) does not include—

(i) an individual who has the ability to telework with pay; or

(ii) an individual who is receiving paid sick leave or other paid leave benefits, regardless of whether the individual meets a qualification described in items (aa) through (kk) of subparagraph (A)(i)(I).

(4) Secretary

The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Labor.

(5) State

The term "State" includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

(b) Assistance for unemployment as a result of COVID–19

Subject to subsection (c), the Secretary shall provide to any covered individual unemployment benefit assistance while such individual is unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable to work for the weeks of such unemployment with respect to which the individual is not entitled to any other unemployment compensation (as that term is defined in section 85(b) of title 26) or waiting period credit.

(c) Applicability

(1) In general

Except as provided in paragraph (2), the assistance authorized under subsection (b) shall be available to a covered individual—

(A) for weeks of unemployment, partial unemployment, or inability to work caused by COVID–19—

(i) beginning on or after January 27, 2020; and

(ii) ending on or before September 6, 2021; and

(B) subject to subparagraph (A)(ii), as long as the covered individual's unemployment, partial unemployment, or inability to work caused by COVID–19 continues.

(2) Limitation on duration of assistance

The total number of weeks for which a covered individual may receive assistance under this section shall not exceed 79 weeks and such total shall include any week for which the covered individual received regular compensation or extended benefits under any Federal or State law, except that if after March 27, 2020, the duration of extended benefits is extended, the 79-week period described in this paragraph shall be extended by the number of weeks that is equal to the number of weeks by which the extended benefits were extended.

(3) Assistance for unemployment before March 27, 2020

The Secretary shall establish a process for making assistance under this section available for weeks beginning on or after January 27, 2020, and before March 27, 2020.

(4) Redesignated (3)

(5) Appeals by an individual

(A) In general

An individual may appeal any determination or redetermination regarding the rights to pandemic unemployment assistance under this section made by the State agency of any of the States.

(B) Procedure

All levels of appeal filed under this paragraph in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands—

(i) shall be carried out by the applicable State that made the determination or redetermination; and

(ii) shall be conducted in the same manner and to the same extent as the applicable State would conduct appeals of determinations or redeterminations regarding rights to regular compensation under State law.

(C) Procedure for certain territories

With respect to any appeal filed in Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau—

(i) lower level appeals shall be carried out by the applicable entity within the State;

(ii) if a higher level appeal is allowed by the State, the higher level appeal shall be carried out by the applicability entity within the State; and

(iii) appeals described in clauses (i) and (ii) shall be conducted in the same manner and to the same extent as appeals of regular unemployment compensation are conducted under the unemployment compensation law of Hawaii.

(6) Continued eligibility for assistance

As a condition of continued eligibility for assistance under this section, a covered individual shall submit a recertification to the State for each week after the individual's 1st week of eligibility that certifies that the individual remains an individual described in subsection (a)(3)(A)(ii) for such week.

(d) Amount of assistance

(1) In general

The assistance authorized under subsection (b) for a week of unemployment, partial unemployment, or inability to work shall be—

(A)(i) the weekly benefit amount authorized under the unemployment compensation law of the State where the covered individual was employed, except that the amount may not be less than the minimum weekly benefit amount described in section 625.6 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto; and

(ii) the amount of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation under section 9023 of this title; and

(B) in the case of an increase of the weekly benefit amount after March 27, 2020, increased in an amount equal to such increase.

(2) Calculations of amounts for certain covered individuals

In the case of a covered individual who is self-employed, who lives in a territory described in subsection (c) or (d) of section 625.6 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, or who would not otherwise qualify for unemployment compensation under State law, the assistance authorized under subsection (b) for a week of unemployment shall be calculated in accordance with section 625.6 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto, and shall be increased by the amount of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation under section 9023 of this title.

(3) Allowable methods of payment

Any assistance provided for in accordance with paragraph (1)(A)(ii) shall be payable either—

(A) as an amount which is paid at the same time and in the same manner as the assistance provided for in paragraph (1)(A)(i) is payable for the week involved; or

(B) at the option of the State, by payments which are made separately from, but on the same weekly basis as, any assistance provided for in paragraph (1)(A)(i).

(4) Waiver authority

In the case of individuals who have received amounts of pandemic unemployment assistance to which they were not entitled, the State shall require such individuals to repay the amounts of such pandemic unemployment assistance to the State agency, except that the State agency may waive such repayment if it determines that—

(A) the payment of such pandemic unemployment assistance was without fault on the part of any such individual; and

(B) such repayment would be contrary to equity and good conscience.

(e) Waiver of State requirement

Notwithstanding State law, for purposes of assistance authorized under this section, compensation under this Act shall be made to an individual otherwise eligible for such compensation without any waiting period.

(f) Agreements with States

(1) In general

The Secretary shall provide the assistance authorized under subsection (b) through agreements with States which, in the judgment of the Secretary, have an adequate system for administering such assistance through existing State agencies, including procedures for identity verification or validation and for timely payment, to the extent reasonable and practicable.

(2) Payments to States

There shall be paid to each State which has entered into an agreement under this subsection an amount equal to 100 percent of—

(A) the total amount of assistance provided by the State pursuant to such agreement; and

(B) any additional administrative expenses incurred by the State by reason of such agreement (as determined by the Secretary), including any administrative expenses necessary to facilitate processing of applications for assistance under this section online or by telephone rather than in-person and expenses related to identity verification or validation and timely and accurate payment.

(3) Terms of payments

Sums payable to any State by reason of such State's having an agreement under this subsection shall be payable, either in advance or by way of reimbursement (as determined by the Secretary), in such amounts as the Secretary estimates the State will be entitled to receive under this subsection for each calendar month, reduced or increased, as the case may be, by any amount by which the Secretary finds that his estimates for any prior calendar month were greater or less than the amounts which should have been paid to the State. Such estimates may be made on the basis of such statistical, sampling, or other method as may be agreed upon by the Secretary and the State agency of the State involved.

(g) Funding

(1) Assistance

(A) In general

Funds in the extended unemployment compensation account (as established by section 1105(a) of title 42) of the Unemployment Trust Fund (as established by section 1104(a) of title 42) shall be used to make payments to States pursuant to subsection (f)(2)(A).

(B) Transfer of funds

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer from the general fund of the Treasury (from funds not otherwise appropriated) to the extended unemployment compensation account such sums as the Secretary of Labor estimates to be necessary to make payments described in subparagraph (A). There are appropriated from the general fund of the Treasury, without fiscal year limitation, the sums referred to in the preceding sentence and such sums shall not be required to be repaid.

(2) Administrative expenses

(A) In general

Funds in the employment security administration account (as established by section 1101(a) of title 42) of the Unemployment Trust Fund (as established by section 1104(a) of title 42) shall be used to make payments to States pursuant to subsection (f)(2)(B).

(B) Transfer of funds

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer from the general fund of the Treasury (from funds not otherwise appropriated) to the employment security administration account such sums as the Secretary of Labor estimates to be necessary to make payments described in subparagraph (A). There are appropriated from the general fund of the Treasury, without fiscal year limitation, the sums referred to in the preceding sentence and such sums shall not be required to be repaid.

(3) Certifications

The Secretary of Labor shall from time to time certify to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment to each State the sums payable to such State under paragraphs (1) and (2).

(h) Relationship between pandemic unemployment assistance and disaster unemployment assistance

Except as otherwise provided in this section or to the extent there is a conflict between this section and part 625 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, such part 625 shall apply to this section as if—

(1) the term "COVID–19 public health emergency" were substituted for the term "major disaster" each place it appears in such part 625; and

(2) the term "pandemic" were substituted for the term "disaster" each place it appears in such part 625.

(Pub. L. 116–136, div. A, title II, §2102, Mar. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 313; Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §§201(a)–(c)(1), (d), 209(a), 241(a), 242(a), 263(a), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1950—1952, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1963; Pub. L. 117–2, title IX, §9011(a), (b), Mar. 11, 2021, 135 Stat. 118.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (e), is div. A of Pub. L. 116–136, Mar. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 286. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 117–2, §9011(a)(1)(A), substituted "paragraph (2)" for "paragraphs (2) and (3)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (c)(1)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 117–2, §9011(a)(1)(B), substituted "September 6, 2021" for "March 14, 2021".

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 117–2, §9011(b), substituted "79 weeks" for "50 weeks" and "79-week period" for "50-week period".

Subsec. (c)(3), (4). Pub. L. 117–2, §9011(a)(2), redesignated par. (4) as (3) and struck out former par. (3) which related to a transition rule for individuals remaining entitled to pandemic unemployment assistance as of Mar. 14, 2021.

2020—Subsec. (a)(3)(A)(iii). Pub. L. 116–260, §241(a), added cl. (iii).

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 116–260, §201(a)(1)(A), substituted "paragraphs (2) and (3)" for "paragraph (2)" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (c)(1)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 116–260, §201(a)(1)(B), substituted "March 14, 2021" for "December 31, 2020".

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 116–260, §201(b), substituted "50 weeks" for "39 weeks" and "50-week period" for "39-week period".

Subsec. (c)(3), (4). Pub. L. 116–260, §201(a)(2), (3), added par. (3) and redesignated former par. (3) as (4).

Subsec. (c)(5). Pub. L. 116–260, §201(c)(1), added par. (5).

Subsec. (c)(6). Pub. L. 116–260, §263(a), added par. (6).

Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 116–260, §201(d), added par. (4).

Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 116–260, §242(a)(1), inserted ", including procedures for identity verification or validation and for timely payment, to the extent reasonable and practicable" before period at end.

Subsec. (f)(2)(B). Pub. L. 116–260, §242(a)(2), inserted "and expenses related to identity verification or validation and timely and accurate payment" before period at end.

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 116–260, §209(a), substituted "part 625" for "section 625" wherever appearing.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Pub. L. 117–2, title IX, §9011(d), Mar. 11, 2021, 135 Stat. 118, provided that: "The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) [amending this section] shall apply as if included in the enactment of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136), except that no amount shall be payable by virtue of such amendments with respect to any week of unemployment ending on or before March 14, 2021."

Effective Date of 2020 Amendment

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §201(c)(2), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1952, provided that: "The amendment made by paragraph (1) [amending this section] shall take effect as if enacted as part of division A of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136), except that any decision issued on appeal or review before the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2020] shall not be affected by the amendment made by paragraph (1)."

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §201(g), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1952, provided that: "The amendments made by subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) [amending this section] shall apply as if included in the enactment of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136), except that no amount shall be payable by virtue of such amendments with respect to any week of unemployment commencing before the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2020]."

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §209(b), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1956, provided that: "The amendment made by this section [amending this section] shall take effect as if included in section 2102 of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136) [enacting this section]."

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §241(b), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1960, provided that:

"(1) In general.—Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the amendments made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply to any individual who files a new application for pandemic unemployment assistance or claims pandemic unemployment assistance for any week of unemployment under section 2102 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021) on or after January 31, 2021.

"(2) Special rule.—An individual who received pandemic unemployment assistance under section 2102 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021) for any week ending before the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2020] shall not be considered ineligible for such assistance for such week solely by reason of failure to submit documentation described in clause (iii) of subsection (a)(3)(A) of such section 2102, as added by subsection (a).

"(3) Prior applicants.—With respect to an individual who applied for pandemic unemployment assistance under section 2102 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021) before January 31, 2021, and receives such assistance on or after the date of enactment of this Act, clause (iii) of subsection (a)(3)(A) of such section shall be applied by substituting '90 days' for '21 days'."

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §242(b), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1960, provided that: "The requirements imposed by the amendments made by this section [amending this section] shall apply, with respect to agreements made under section 2102 of the CARES Act [Pub. L. 116–136, enacting this section], beginning on the date that is 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2020]."

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §263(b), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1963, provided that:

"(1) In general.—The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to weeks beginning on or after the date that is 30 days after the date of enactment of this section [Dec. 27, 2020].

"(2) Special rule.—In the case of any State that made a good faith effort to implement section 2102 of division A of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021) in accordance with rules similar to those provided in section 625.6 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, for weeks ending before the effective date specified in paragraph (1), an individual who received pandemic unemployment assistance from such State for any such week shall not be considered ineligible for such assistance for such week solely by reason of failure to submit a recertification described in subsection (c)(5) of such section 2102."

Hold Harmless for Proper Administration of Amendment

Pub. L. 117–2, title IX, §9011(c), Mar. 11, 2021, 135 Stat. 118, provided that: "In the case of an individual who is eligible to receive pandemic unemployment assistance under section 2102 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021) as of the day before the date of enactment of this Act [Mar. 11, 2021] and on the date of enactment of this Act becomes eligible for pandemic emergency unemployment compensation under section 2107 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9025) by reason of the amendments made by section 9016(b) of this title [amending section 9025 of this title], any payment of pandemic unemployment assistance under such section 2102 made after the date of enactment of this Act to such individual during an appropriate period of time, as determined by the Secretary of Labor, that should have been made under such section 2107 shall not be considered to be an overpayment of assistance under such section 2102, except that an individual may not receive payment for assistance under section 2102 and a payment for assistance under section 2107 for the same week of unemployment."

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §201(e), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1952, provided that: "In the case of an individual who is eligible to receive pandemic unemployment assistance under section 2102 [of] the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021) as of the day before the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2020] and on the date of enactment of this Act becomes eligible for pandemic emergency unemployment compensation under section 2107 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9025) by reason of the amendments made by section 206(b) of this subtitle [amending section 9025 of this title], any payment of pandemic unemployment assistance under such section 2102 made after the date of enactment of this Act to such individual during an appropriate period of time, as determined by the Secretary of Labor, that should have been made under such section 2107 shall not be considered to be an overpayment of assistance under such section 2102, except that an individual may not receive payment for assistance under section 2102 and a payment for assistance under section 2107 for the same week of unemployment."

First Application Limitation

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §201(f), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1952, provided that: "In the case of a covered individual whose first application for pandemic unemployment assistance under section 2102 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021) is filed after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2020], subsection (c)(1)(A)(i) of such section 2102 shall be applied by substituting 'December 1, 2020' for 'January 27, 2020'."

Technical Correction for the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands

Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title II, §265, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1964, provided that: "A Commonwealth Only Transitional Worker (as defined in section 6(i)(2) of the Joint Resolution entitled 'A Joint Resolution to approve the "Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America", and for other purposes' (48 U.S.C. 1806)) shall be considered a qualified alien under section 431 of Public Law 104–193 (8 U.S.C. 1641) for purposes of eligibility for a benefit under section 2102 or 2104 of the CARES Act [15 U.S.C. 9021, 9023]."
15 U.S.C. § 278f (2024) — Title 15: COMMERCE AND TRADE / Chapter 7: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY / Section 278f: Fire Research Center
Fire Research Center
Status: in_force

(a) Establishment; programs of research; functions of Secretary; dissemination of information

There is hereby established within the Department of Commerce a Fire Research Center which shall have the mission of performing and supporting research on all aspects of fire with the aim of providing scientific and technical knowledge applicable to the prevention and control of fires. The content and priorities of the research program shall be determined in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration. In implementing this section, the Secretary is authorized to conduct, directly or through contracts or grants, a fire research program, including—

(1) basic and applied fire research for the purpose of arriving at an understanding of the fundamental processes underlying all aspects of fire. Such research shall include scientific investigations of—

(A) the physics and chemistry of combustion processes;

(B) the dynamics of flame ignition, flame spread, and flame extinguishment;

(C) the composition of combustion products developed by various sources and under various environmental conditions;

(D) the early stages of fires in buildings and other structures, structural subsystems and structural components in all other types of fires, including, but not limited to, forest fires, brush fires, fires underground, oil blowout fires, and waterborne fires, with the aim of improving early detection capability;

(E) the behavior of fires involving all types of buildings and other structures and their contents (including mobile homes and highrise buildings, construction materials, floor and wall coverings, coatings, furnishings, and other combustible materials), and all other types of fires, including forest fires, brush fires, fires underground, oil blowout fires, and waterborne fires;

(F) the unique fire hazards arising from the transportation and use, in industrial and professional practices, of combustible gases, fluids, and materials;

(G) design concepts for providing increased fire safety consistent with habitability, comfort, and human impact in buildings and other structures;

(H) such other aspects of the fire process as may be deemed useful in pursuing the objectives of the fire research program; and

(I) methods, procedures, and equipment for arson prevention, detection, and investigation;

(2) research into the biological, physiological, and psychological factors affecting human victims of fire, and the performance of individual members of fire services, including—

(A) the biological and physiological effects of toxic substances encountered in fires;

(B) the trauma, cardiac conditions, and other hazards resulting from exposure to fire;

(C) the development of simple and reliable tests for determining the cause of death from fires;

(D) improved methods of providing first aid to victims of fires;

(E) psychological and motivational characteristics of persons who engage in arson, and the prediction and cure of such behavior;

(F) the conditions of stress encountered by firefighters, the effects of such stress, and the alleviation and reduction of such conditions; and

(G) such other biological, psychological, and physiological effects of fire as have significance for purposes of control or prevention of fires; and

(3) operation tests, demonstration projects, and fire investigations in support of the activities set forth in this section.

The Secretary shall insure that the results and advances arising from the work of the research program are disseminated broadly. He shall encourage the incorporation, to the extent applicable and practicable, of such results and advances in building codes, fire codes, and other relevant codes, test methods, fire service operations and training, and standards. The Secretary is authorized to encourage and assist in the development and adoption of uniform codes, test methods, and standards aimed at reducing fire losses and costs of fire protection.

(b) Authorization of appropriations

For purposes of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated an amount not to exceed $5,650,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980, which amount includes—

(1) $525,000 for programs which are recommended in the report submitted to the Congress by the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration pursuant to section 2220(b)(1) 1 of this title; and

(2) $119,000 for adjustments required by law in salaries, pay, retirement, and employee benefits.

(Mar. 3, 1901, ch. 872, §16, as added Pub. L. 93–498, §18, Oct. 29, 1974, 88 Stat. 1545; amended Pub. L. 94–411, §1(b), Sept. 13, 1976, 90 Stat. 1254; Pub. L. 95–422, §§1(b), 2(b), 3(b), Oct. 5, 1978, 92 Stat. 932, 933; Pub. L. 96–121, §3, Nov. 16, 1979, 93 Stat. 863.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 2220(b)(1) of this title, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), was repealed by Pub. L. 106–503, title I, §110(a)(1)(D), Nov. 13, 2000, 114 Stat. 2302.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 16 of act Mar. 3, 1901, as added by act Mar. 1, 1968, Pub. L. 90–259, title I, §102, 82 Stat. 35, related to fire research and safety programs, prior to repeal by act Oct. 29, 1974.

Amendments

1979—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–121 substituted provisions authorizing to be appropriated an amount not to exceed $5,650,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1980, for provisions authorizing appropriations not to exceed $1,275,000 for the transitional fiscal quarter of July 1, 1976, through Sept. 30, 1976, not to exceed $5,500,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1977, not to exceed $6,000,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1978, and not to exceed $5,600,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1979, and added pars. (1) and (2).

1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–422, §§2(b), 3(b), in provisions preceding par. (1) substituted "United States Fire Administration" for "National Fire Prevention and Control Administration" and added par. (1)(I).

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 95–422, §1(b), inserted provision authorizing appropriation of not to exceed $5,600,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1979.

1976—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94–411 substituted provisions authorizing to be appropriated not to exceed $1,275,000 for the transitional fiscal quarter of July 1, 1976, through Sept. 30, 1976, not to exceed $5,500,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1977, and not to exceed $6,000,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1978, for provisions authorizing to be appropriated not to exceed $3,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, and not to exceed $4,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Termination of Advisory Councils

Advisory councils in existence on Jan. 5, 1973, to terminate not later than the expiration of the 2-year period following Jan. 5, 1973, unless, in the case of a council established by the President or an officer of the Federal Government, such council is renewed by appropriate action prior to the expiration of such 2-year period, or in the case of a council established by the Congress, its duration is otherwise provided by law. See sections 1001(2) and 1013 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Combination of Fire Research and Building Technology Programs

Pub. L. 102–245, title I, §104(g), Feb. 14, 1992, 106 Stat. 11, provided that: "The fire research and building technology programs of the Institute may be combined for administrative purposes only, and separate budget accounts for fire research and building technology shall be maintained. No later than December 31, 1992, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute, shall report to Congress on the results of the combination, on efforts to preserve the integrity of the fire research and building technology programs, on the long-range basic and applied research plans of the two programs, on procedures for receiving advice on fire and earthquake research priorities from constituencies concerned with public safety, and on the relation between the combined program at the Institute and the United States Fire Administration."

National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control

Pub. L. 90–259, §§101, 103, 104, and 201–207, established the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, directed the commission to study and investigate measures to reduce the destructive effects of fire throughout the country, and provided that the commission cease to exist thirty days after the submission of its report which was to be made no later than two years after the commission had been organized.

Executive Documents

Executive Order No. 11654

Ex. Ord. No. 11654, Mar. 13, 1972, 37 F.R. 5361, which established in the Department of Commerce the Federal Fire Council and provided for its membership, functions, etc., was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 12379, §19, Aug. 17, 1982, 47 F.R. 36100, formerly set out as a note under section 1013 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

1 See References in Text note below.
15 U.S.C. § 639 (2024) — Title 15: COMMERCE AND TRADE / Chapter 14A: AID TO SMALL BUSINESS / Section 639: Reporting requirements and agency cooperation
Reporting requirements and agency cooperation
Status: in_force

(a) Annual reports to President and Congressional officers and committees

The Administration shall, as soon as practicable each fiscal year make a comprehensive annual report to the President, the President of the Senate, the Senate Select Committee on Small Business, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Such report shall include a description of the state of small business in the Nation and the several States, and a description of the operations of the Administration under this chapter, including, but not limited to, the general lending, disaster relief, Government regulation relief, procurement and property disposal, research and development, technical assistance, dissemination of data and information, and other functions under the jurisdiction of the Administration during the previous fiscal year. Such report shall contain recommendations for strengthening or improving such programs, or, when necessary or desirable to implement more effectively congressional policies and proposals, for establishing new or alternative programs. In addition, such report shall include the names of the business concerns to whom contracts are let and for whom financing is arranged by the Administration, together with the amounts involved. With respect to minority small business concerns, the report shall include the proportion of loans and other assistance under this chapter provided to such concerns, the goals of the Administration for the next fiscal year with respect to such concerns, and recommendations for improving assistance to minority small business concerns under this chapter.

(b) Cybersecurity reports

(1) Annual report

Not later than 180 days after December 21, 2022, and every year thereafter, the Administrator shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes—

(A) a strategy to increase the cybersecurity of information technology infrastructure of the Administration;

(B) a supply chain risk management strategy and an implementation plan to address the risks of foreign manufactured information technology equipment utilized by the Administration, including specific risk mitigation activities for components originating from entities with principal places of business located in the People's Republic of China; and

(C) an account of—

(i) any incident that occurred at the Administration during the 2-year period preceding the date on which the first report is submitted, and, for subsequent reports, the 1-year period preceding the date of submission; and

(ii) any action taken by the Administrator to respond to or remediate any such incident.

(2) FISMA reports

Each report required under paragraph (1) may be submitted as part of the report required under section 3554 of title 44.

(3) Rule of construction

Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to affect the reporting requirements of the Administrator under chapter 35 of title 44, in particular the requirement to notify the Federal information security incident center under section 3554(b)(7)(C)(ii) of such title, any guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget, or any other provision of law or Federal policy.

(4) Definitions

In this subsection:

(A) Appropriate congressional committees

The term "appropriate congressional committees" means—

(i) the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate;

(ii) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate;

(iii) the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives; and

(iv) the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives.

(B) Incident

The term "incident" has the meaning given the term in section 3552 of title 44.

(C) Information technology

The term "information technology" has the meaning given the term in section 3502 of title 44.

(c) Repealed. Pub. L. 104–66, title I, §1091(f), Dec. 21, 1995, 109 Stat. 722

(d) Annual report of Department of Defense

For the purpose of aiding in carrying out the national policy to insure that a fair proportion of the total purchases and contracts for property and services for the Government be placed with small-business enterprises, and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of the Nation, the Department of Defense shall make an annual report to the Committees on Small Business of the Senate and the House of Representatives, showing the amount of funds appropriated to the Department of Defense which have been expended, obligated, or contracted to be spent with small business concerns and the amount of such funds expended, obligated, or contracted to be spent with firms other than small business in the same fields of operation; and such reports shall show separately the funds expended, obligated, or contracted to be spent for basic and applied scientific research and development.

(e) Retention of records

(1) 1 The Administration and the Inspector General of the Administration shall retain all correspondence, records of inquiries, memoranda, reports, books, and records, including memoranda as to all investigations conducted by or for the Administration, for a period of at least one year from the date of each thereof, and shall at all times keep the same available for inspection and examination by the Senate Select Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives, or their duly authorized representatives.

(2) The Committee on Small Business of either the Senate or the House of Representatives may request that the Office of the Inspector General of the Administration conduct an investigation of any program or activity conducted under the authority of section 636(j) or 637(a) of this title. Not later than thirty days after the receipt of such a request, the Inspector General shall inform the committee, in writing, of the disposition of the request by such office.

(f) Consultation and cooperation with Government departments and agencies

To the extent deemed necessary by the Administrator to protect and preserve small-business interests, the Administration shall consult and cooperate with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government in the formulation by the Administration of policies affecting small-business concerns. When requested by the Administrator, each department and agency of the Federal Government shall consult and cooperate with the Administration in the formulation by such department or agency of policies affecting small-business concerns, in order to insure that small-business interests will be recognized, protected, and preserved. This subsection shall not require any department or agency to consult or cooperate with the Administration in any case where the head of such department or agency determines that such consultation or cooperation would unduly delay action which must be taken by such department or agency to protect the national interest in an emergency.

(g) Annual report of employee conduct complaints received or acted upon and investigations undertaken by Administration

The Administration shall transmit, not later than December 31 of each year, to the Senate Select Committee on Small Business and Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives a sealed report with respect to—

(1) complaints alleging illegal conduct by employees of the Administration which were received or acted upon by the Administration during the preceding fiscal year; and

(2) investigations undertaken by the Administration, including external and internal audits and security and investigation reports.

(h) Report to Congress on secondary market operations

The Administration shall transmit, not later than March 31 of each year, to the Committees on Small Business of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the secondary market operations during the preceding calendar year. This report shall include, but not be limited to, (1) the number and the total dollar amount of loans sold into the secondary market and the distribution of such loans by size of loan, size of lender, geographic location of lender, interest rate, maturity, lender servicing fees, whether the rate is fixed or variable, and premium paid; (2) the number and dollar amount of loans resold in the secondary market with a distribution by size of loan, interest rate, and premiums; (3) the number and total dollar amount of pools formed; (4) the number and total dollar amount of loans in each pool; (5) the dollar amount, interest rate, and terms on each loan in each pool and whether the rate is fixed or variable; (6) the number, face value, interest rate, and terms of the trust certificates issued for each pool; (7) to the maximum extent possible, the use by the lender of the proceeds of sales of loans in the secondary market for additional lending to small business concerns; and (8) an analysis of the information reported in (1) through (7) to assess small businesses' access to capital at reasonable rates and terms as a result of secondary market operations.

(Pub. L. 85–536, §2[10], July 18, 1958, 72 Stat. 393; Pub. L. 87–305, §5(a), Sept. 26, 1961, 75 Stat. 666; Pub. L. 89–348, §1(3), Nov. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 1310; Pub. L. 93–237, §7, Jan. 2, 1974, 87 Stat. 1025; Pub. L. 93–386, §4, Aug. 23, 1974, 88 Stat. 746; Pub. L. 93–608, §3(4), (5), Jan. 2, 1975, 88 Stat. 1972; Pub. L. 95–89, title II, §§203–208, 211, Aug. 4, 1977, 91 Stat. 557, 558; Pub. L. 95–315, §6, July 4, 1978, 92 Stat. 379; Pub. L. 97–35, title XIX, §1904, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 772; Pub. L. 98–352, §4, July 10, 1984, 98 Stat. 331; Pub. L. 100–656, title IV, §406, Nov. 15, 1988, 102 Stat. 3876; Pub. L. 101–37, §15, June 15, 1989, 103 Stat. 73; Pub. L. 101–574, title II, §241, Nov. 15, 1990, 104 Stat. 2826; Pub. L. 104–66, title I, §1091(f), Dec. 21, 1995, 109 Stat. 722; Pub. L. 115–189, §7, June 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 1498; Pub. L. 117–259, §2(a), Dec. 21, 2022, 136 Stat. 2387.)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Prior similar provisions were contained in sections 211 and 215 of act July 30, 1953, ch. 282, title II, 67 Stat. 237, 238, as amended by act Aug. 9, 1955, ch. 628, §§6, 10, 11, 69 Stat. 550, 551, which were previously classified to sections 640 and 644 of this title. The provisions of section 210 of act July 30, 1953, formerly classified to this section, were transferred to section 2 [8] of Pub. L. 85–536, and are classified to section 637(b)(2) of this title. See Codification note set out under section 631 of this title.

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–259 added subsec. (b).

2018—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–189 struck out subsec. (b). Text read as follows: "The Administration shall make a report to the President, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Senate Select Committee on Small Business and to the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives, as soon as practicable each fiscal year, showing as accurately as possible for each such period the amount of funds appropriated to it that it has expended in the conduct of each of its principal activities such as lending, procurement, contracting, and providing technical and managerial aids. Such report shall contain the number and amount of loans, the number of applications, the total amount applied for, and the number and amount of defaults for each type of equipment or service for which loans are authorized by this this chapter. Such report shall provide such information separately on each type of loan made under paragraphs (10) through (15) of section 636(a) of this title and separately for all other loan programs. In addition, the information on loans shall be supplied on a monthly basis to the Committee on Small Business of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives."

1995—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–66 struck out subsec. (c) which related to surveys, and their corresponding reports and recommendations, for the determination of factors tending to injure small businesses.

1990—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 101–574 substituted "the Department of Defense shall make an annual report to the Committees on Small Business of the Senate and the House of Representatives" for "the Department of Defense shall make a monthly report to the President, the President of the Senate, the Senate Select Committee on Small Business, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives not less than 45 ["forty-five" in original text] days after the close of the month", "small business concerns" for "small-business concerns", and "such reports" for "such monthly reports".

1989—Subsec. (e)(2). Pub. L. 101–37 substituted ", of the disposition of the request" for "of the disposition of the matter".

1988—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 100–656 inserted "and the Inspector General of the Administration" after "Administration", which was executed by making the insertion after the first reference to "Administration", and added par. (2).

1984—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 98–352 added subsec. (h).

1981—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 97–35 substituted "this chapter. Such report shall provide such information separately on each type of loan made under paragraphs (10) through (15) of section 636(a) of this title and separately for all other loan programs. In addition, the information on loans shall be supplied on a monthly basis to the Committee on Small Business of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives" for "subsection, and on the projected and actual energy savings and numbers of jobs created by firms through loans made under section 636(l) of this title. The Department of Energy shall assist the Administration in obtaining information and compiling this report".

1978—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 95–315 inserted provisions requiring the report to contain number and amount of loans, applications for loans, etc.

1977—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–89, §§203, 211, included the Senate Select Committee on Small Business as an additional recipient of the annual report and provided for the contents of the report as it relates to minority small business concerns.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 95–89, §204, substituted "Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives" for "House Select Committee to Conduct a Study and Investigation of the Problems of Small Business".

Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 95–89, §205, included the Senate Select Committee on Small Business as an additional recipient of the required reports.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 95–89, §206, included the Senate Select Committee on Small Business as an additional recipient of the required reports.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 95–89, §207, substituted "Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives" for "House Select Committee To Conduct a Study and Investigation of the Problems of Small Business".

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 95–89, §208, substituted "Senate Select Committee on Small Business and Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives" for "Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Banking and Currency of the House of Representatives".

1975—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 93–608, §3(4), substituted "fiscal" for "calendar" in two places and struck out provisions requiring report to contain information on the progress of the Administration in liquidating the assets and winding up the affairs of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and other information deemed appropriate by the Administration.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 93–608, §3(5), substituted "as soon as practicable each fiscal year" for "on December 31 of each year".

1974—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 93–237 substituted provisions requiring the Administration to make comprehensive annual reports to the President and Congressional Officers as soon as practicable describing the state of the small business in the Nation and the States, the operations of the Administration, and recommendations for legislation, for provisions requiring the Administration to make reports on Dec. 31 of each year to the President and Congressional Officers.

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 93–386 added subsec. (g).

1965–Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 89–348 repealed provision of subsec. (a) which required as part of the annual report to the President and to Congress by the Small Business Administration, a report on the progress in liquidating the assets and winding up the affairs of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

1961—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 87–305, §5(a)(1), changed the reporting requirements from semiannual to annual basis and required the inclusion of information on the progress of the Administration in liquidating the assets and winding up the affairs of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, such requirement to be in lieu of progress reports on a quarterly basis.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 87–305, §5(a)(2), struck out "June 30 and" before "December 31".

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 87–305, §5(a)(3), designated existing provisions of first and second sentences as pars. (1) and (2), substituted "direct" for "request" and "promote undue concentration of economic power, or otherwise injure small business" for "injure small business, or otherwise promote undue concentration of economic power in the course of the administration of this chapter" and inserted "of any activity of the Government which may affect small business," after "surveys" in par. (1) and required reports to be made not less than once every year in par. (2).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Accountability of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2023.

Committee on Small Business of Senate changed to Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of Senate. See Senate Resolution No. 123, One Hundred Seventh Congress, June 29, 2001. Previously, Select Committee on Small Business of Senate became Committee on Small Business of Senate. See Senate Resolution No. 101, Ninety-Seventh Congress, Mar. 25, 1981.

Effective Date of 1989 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 101–37 applicable as if included in Pub. L. 100–656, see section 32 of Pub. L. 101–37, set out as a note under section 631 of this title.

Effective Date of 1981 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 97–35 effective Aug. 13, 1981, but shall not affect any financing made, obligated, or committed under this chapter or chapter 14B of this title prior to Aug. 13, 1981, see section 1918 of Pub. L. 97–35, set out as a note under section 631 of this title.

Termination of Reporting Requirements

For termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions in subsecs. (a), (b), and (d) of this section relating to submitting annual reports to Congress, see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance, and pages 64 and 191 of House Document No. 103–7.

Small Business Administration Program Data and Evaluation; Report; Implementation

Pub. L. 100–590, title I, §109, Nov. 3, 1988, 102 Stat. 2994, provided that: "The Small Business Administration shall develop a comprehensive system to systematically acquire data on the number of small businesses which participate in Administration programs, the nature and extent of their participation, the type of business, the results of such participation, and such other information as the Administration deems appropriate. It shall also include the number and dollar amount of guaranteed loans by lender, and the interest rate thereon, and the number and dollar amount of sales in the secondary market both by lender and by purchaser. The data shall be compiled and maintained to permit a statistically valid analysis and computation and evaluation of costs and benefits. The Administration shall submit a report to the Small Business Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives not later than March 31, 1989, such report to include its conclusions and recommendations and estimate of the costs involved in implementing such a program and shall implement the system for all program assistance made available on or after October 1, 1989."

Executive Documents

Ex. Ord. No. 11518. Increased Representation of Interests of Small Business Concerns Before Government Departments and Agencies

Ex. Ord. No. 11518, Mar. 20, 1970, 35 F.R. 4939, provided:

WHEREAS the policy of the Government of the United States is to insure the continuance of a strong and healthy free enterprise system; and

WHEREAS the existence of a strong and healthy free enterprise system is directly related to the well being and competitive strength of small business concerns and their opportunities for free entry into business, growth, and expansion; and

WHEREAS the departments and agencies of the United States Government exercise, through their regulatory and other programs and practices, a significant influence on the well being and competitive strength of business concerns, particularly minority-owned business concerns, and their opportunities for free entry into business, growth and expansion; and

WHEREAS members of minority groups traditionally have aspired to own their own businesses and thereby to participate in our free enterprise system; and

WHEREAS members of certain minority groups through no fault of their own have been denied the full opportunity to achieve these aspirations; and

WHEREAS the policy of the Executive Branch of the United States Government continues to be, as was described by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, "to strive to eliminate obstacles to the growth of small business"; and

WHEREAS the Small Business Act (72 Stat. 384, 15 U.S.C. 631) declares the Congressional policy that the United States Government should aid, counsel, assist and protect, insofar as is possible, the interests of small business concerns; and

WHEREAS the Small Business Administration is the agency within the Executive Branch of the United States Government especially responsible for and with an established program of advocacy in matters relating to small business; and

WHEREAS section 8(b)(12) of the Small Business Act (72 Stat. 391, 15 U.S.C. 637(b)(12)) empowers the Small Business Administration to consult and cooperate with all Government agencies for the purpose of insuring that small business concerns receive fair and reasonable treatment from such agencies, and section 10(f) of that Act (72 Stat. 393, 15 U.S.C. 639(f)) requires each department and agency of the Federal Government, when requested by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, to consult and cooperate with the Administration in the formulation by such department or agency of policies affecting small business concerns, in order to insure that small business interests will be recognized, protected, and preserved:

NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and in furtherance of the purpose and policy of the Small Business Act, it is ordered as follows:

Section 1. The Small Business Administration, as the spokesman for and advocate of the small business community, shall advise and counsel small business concerns in their dealings with the departments and agencies of the United States Government to the end that the views of small business concerns will be fully heard, their rights fully protected, and their valid interests fully advanced.

Sec. 2. Departments and agencies of the Executive Branch of the United States Government shall call upon the Small Business Administration for advice, guidance, and assistance when considering matters which reasonably can be construed as materially affecting the well being or competitive strength of small business concerns or their opportunities for free entry into business, growth, or expansion. In taking action on such matters, these departments and agencies shall act in a manner calculated to advance the valid interests of small business concerns.

Sec. 3. The Small Business Administration, whenever it determines that the valid interests of small business concerns so warrant, shall take such action as may be appropriate to insure the timely presentation to departments and agencies of the United States Government of matters materially affecting the well being or competitive strength of small business concerns or their opportunities for free entry into business, growth, or expansion. To this end, the Small Business Administration may participate in investigations, hearings, or other proceedings pending before such departments or agencies and submit evidence, briefs, and arguments in accordance with, and to the extent permitted by, the department's or agency's rules of practice and procedure.

Sec. 4. In performing the responsibilities and duties placed on it by this order, the Small Business Administration shall particularly consider the needs and interests of minority-owned small business concerns and of members of minority groups seeking entry into the business community.

Sec. 5. Nothing in this order shall be construed to authorize the Small Business Administration to act as an attorney for an individual concern in any investigation, hearing, or other proceeding pending before any department or agency of the United States Government. Nothing in this order shall be construed to subject any department or agency to the authority of any other department or agency, to affect the present authority of any department or agency to participate in the proceedings of another department or agency, or to affect the authority of the Attorney General under 28 U.S.C. 519.

Sec. 6. The term "small business concern" as used in this order shall have the same meaning as in the Small Business Act.

Richard Nixon.      

1 Paragraph designation "(1)" supplied editorially.
15 U.S.C. § 505 (2024) — Title 15: COMMERCE AND TRADE / Chapter 13: TEXTILE FOUNDATION / Section 505: Report to Congress
Report to Congress
Status: in_force

The corporation shall, on or before the 1st day of December in each year, transmit to Congress and to the President a report of its proceedings and activities for the preceding calendar year, including a detailed statement of its receipts and expenditures. Such reports shall not be printed as public documents.

(June 10, 1930, ch. 440, §5, 46 Stat. 540.)