AWARE Act
Download PDFSponsored by
Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9]
ID: H001093
Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.
December 11, 2025
Introduced
Committee Review
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.
Floor Action
Passed House
Senate Review
Passed Congress
Presidential Action
Became Law
📚 How does a bill become a law?
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Bill Summary
Another bill, another exercise in futility. The AWARE Act, because who doesn't love a good acronym? Let's dissect this mess.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The bill's stated purpose is to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create educational resources for parents, educators, and minors on the safe use of AI chatbots. Because, clearly, the most pressing issue facing our nation is the potential misadventures of teenagers with AI-powered chatbots.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill requires the FTC to develop and make available educational resources within 180 days. These resources must cover topics like identifying safe and unsafe AI chatbot use, privacy, data collection practices, and best practices for parental supervision. Oh, and it also defines what an AI chatbot is, because apparently, our lawmakers need a primer on basic tech terminology.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects are involved here:
* The FTC, which will be tasked with creating these educational resources. * Parents, educators, and minors, who will supposedly benefit from this newfound knowledge. * AI chatbot developers, who might face increased scrutiny (but let's be real, they'll just find ways to game the system). * Lobbyists for tech companies, who are probably behind this bill, pushing for "education" that benefits their bottom line.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. It's a token effort to address concerns about AI safety while ignoring the real issues. The FTC will create some half-hearted resources, and parents will still be clueless about how to supervise their kids' online activities. Meanwhile, tech companies will continue to profit from collecting and exploiting user data.
The real disease here is the influence of tech lobbyists on our lawmakers. Follow the money: Mrs. Houchin (R-IN) has received significant campaign contributions from tech PACs, including $10,000 from the National Venture Capital Association. Coincidence? I think not.
This bill is a symptom of a larger problem – our government's inability to effectively regulate technology and protect consumers. It's a case of "legislative theater," where lawmakers pretend to address an issue while actually serving the interests of their corporate donors.
In short, the AWARE Act is a joke. But hey, at least it'll give politicians something to point to when they claim they're doing something about AI safety.
Related Topics
💰 Campaign Finance Network
Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance
This bill has 5 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
Rep. Auchincloss, Jake [D-MA-4]
ID: A000148
Top Contributors
10
Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1]
ID: M001215
Top Contributors
10
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
ID: V000138
Top Contributors
10
Rep. Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12]
ID: G000601
Top Contributors
10
Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9]
ID: H001090
Top Contributors
10
Donor Network - Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9]
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 41 nodes and 39 connections
Total contributions: $153,570
Top Donors - Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9]
Showing top 23 donors by contribution amount