Illinois Clears Landmark AI Safety Bill
A near unanimous vote sends the legislation to the governor.
A near unanimous vote sends the legislation to the governor.
May 29, 2026 – A landmark artificial intelligence safety bill cleared the Illinois legislature Wednesday, setting a potential new national standard for regulating the country's most powerful AI companies.
The bill, SB 315, passed the House 110-0 and the Senate 52-5. It would require frontier AI companies, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, to create, publish, and annually update plans addressing severe or catastrophic risks from their models.
Governor says operators must pay for grid upgrades and face new transparency requirements.
The state has now awarded planning grants to 18 Tribal communities.
An SIA attorney expects the FCC to seek more comment on the issue 'sometime this summer'
The move by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine comes as the industry is under pressure to pay the full costs of its vast networks.