New York AI Bill Sponsors Expected Possible Amendment Talks With Hochul
New York legislators always expected the potential for amendment negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on recently passed comprehensive AI legislation, Assemblymember Alex Bores (D) said in a recent interview with Privacy Daily. Now running for the U.S. Congress, Bores also told us he will prioritize legislating on federal privacy, AI safety and personal data control if elected.
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Sponsor of the Responsible AI Safety and Education (Raise) Act (A-6453), Bores is running in a crowded Democratic field for New York’s 12th congressional district. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D) announced he won’t seek re-election in November 2026, bringing his tenure to an end in January 2027 after more than 30 years in Congress.
Bores said Raise Act sponsors have had informal discussions with Hochul’s office and hope to begin formal negotiations “soon.”
Hochul's office said in a statement Monday: "The Governor will review the legislation."
About one-third of New York bills enter into the chapter amendment process, which allows the governor’s office to negotiate changes with the legislature. Bores said sponsors always expected that with the Raise Act, given the fast-evolving nature of AI.
“I am very optimistic we’re going to have some version of it,” he said, but the “exact contours” are unclear. Bores is expecting conversations about how to align the bill with both California’s newly signed AI law, SB-53, and the European code of practice. “I’m excited for those conversations.”
Bores said ultimately there should be a federal standard on AI. House Republicans’ attempt to establish a 10-year moratorium blocking states from regulating AI was “one of the worst ideas I’ve seen come out of government,” he said. Congress hasn’t shown any inclination for establishing a national standard, he said: “If they’re not even going to attempt to solve the problem, banning states from doing so is so befuddling.”
Bores said Congress has fallen short on promises to set a national standard with a federal privacy law, despite the uproar following Facebook’s 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, which resulted in a $5 billion data privacy settlement with the FTC. Bores is hopeful New York will soon see movement on a state privacy law. The Empire State in 2019 failed to move the New York Privacy Act, which was compared to the California Consumer Privacy Act.
“It just needs to be very strongly prioritized,” said Bores. “I think in the past we’ve let other sorts of things bubble up, and I think there is a consensus we can reach if everyone puts their head down and prioritizes it this year.”
Bores said he will champion federal legislation modeled after the New York Digital Choice Act (A-8963), which would establish consumer rights over social media data. Bores said the bill will create platform interoperability and force companies to compete for consumer data. Bores noted Utah signed its own version of the bill in March, signaling the potential for bipartisan support at the federal level.
Other candidates for New York’s 12th congressional district include Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former President John F. Kennedy; Assemblymember Micah Lasher (D); New York City Councilman Erik Bottcher; victim rights attorney Laura Dunn; nonprofit executive Liam Elkind; former financial executive Alan Pardee; and attorney Jami Floyd.