H. Rpt. 119-503 accompanies technology or telecommunications legislation titled "Small Business Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act". Tech bills address data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, broadband access, digital platforms, or communications regulation. The Science, Space, and Technology Committee's report explains the technology policy challenge, the regulatory or legislative response, and potential effects on consumers, tech companies, national security, or innovation. Tech reports often grapple with rapidly evolving technologies and their novel legal questions.
Official report text. Use Ctrl+F / Cmd+F to search within the document.
House Report 119-503 - SMALL BUSINESS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ADVANCEMENT ACT
[House Report 119-503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 119-503
======================================================================
SMALL BUSINESS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ADVANCEMENT ACT
_______
February 20, 2026.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Babin, from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3679]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 3679) to require the Director of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop
resources for small businesses in utilizing artificial
intelligence, and for other purposes, having considered the
same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and
recommends that the bill as amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 3
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 3
Legislative History.............................................. 3
Section-by-Section............................................... 3
Related Committee Hearings....................................... 4
Committee Consideration.......................................... 4
Roll Call Votes.................................................. 5
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch..................... 7
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the
Committee...................................................... 7
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 7
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 7
Federal Advisory Committee Act................................... 7
Unfunded Mandate Statement....................................... 7
Earmark Identification........................................... 7
Committee Cost Estimate.......................................... 7
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures 8
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................ 8
Changes to Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 8
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Artificial Intelligence
Advancement Act''.
SEC. 2. RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO UTILIZE ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE.
Section 22A of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act
(15 U.S.C. 278h-1) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (i); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following new
subsection:
``(h) Development of Resources for Small Businesses in Utilizing
Artificial Intelligence.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Director shall, in carrying out subsection
(a), develop or identify, and disseminate (in accordance with
paragraph (4)), resources for small business concerns (as such
term is defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 632)) relating to artificial intelligence. Such
resources may include technical standards, best practices,
benchmarks, methodologies, procedures, or processes for the
understanding, adoption, or integration of artificial
intelligence.
``(2) Requirements.--The Director shall ensure that the
resources described in paragraph (1) satisfy the following:
``(A) Are generally applicable and usable by a wide
range of small business concerns.
``(B) Include elements that promote basic
understanding, identification, and adoption of proper
use cases of artificial intelligence.
``(C) Include case studies of practical application
across a range of business sizes and types.
``(D) Are technology-neutral and relevant to
technologies that are accessible and suitable for small
businesses.
``(E) Are based on international voluntary standards
as applicable, and are consistent with the Stevenson-
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C.
3701 et seq.).
``(F) Include recommendations and references to
existing Federal educational resources, including the
risk management framework under subsection (c), privacy
and cybersecurity risk management frameworks
established by the Institute, and activities relating
to the national cybersecurity awareness and education
program under section 303 of the Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 7443).
``(3) Review and update of resources.--Not later than two
years after the date of the enactment of this subsection and
not less frequently than once every two years thereafter, the
Director shall carry out the following:
``(A) Review the resources described in paragraph
(1).
``(B) Update such resources as the Director considers
appropriate.
``(4) Dissemination and use of training resources.--The
Director shall coordinate with the Administrator of the Small
Business Administration regarding the distribution and use
through the resource partners of the Small Business
Administration of the resources described in paragraph (1).
``(5) Voluntary resources.--The use of the resources
described in paragraph (1) shall be considered voluntary.
``(6) Report.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than four years after
the date of the enactment of this subsection, the
Director shall submit to the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a report on the
development, identification, dissemination, and use of
the resources described in paragraph (1), including
updates made pursuant to paragraph (3).
``(B) Contents.--The report under subparagraph (A)
shall include the following:
``(i) A list of the resources described in
paragraph (1), including updates made pursuant
to paragraph (3).
``(ii) Relevant feedback from recipients of
such resources, and disseminators of such
resources pursuant to paragraph (4).
``(iii) Recommendations to Congress for
further actions to help with the utilization of
artificial intelligence by small business
concerns.''.
Purpose and Summary
H.R. 3679, the Small Business Artificial Intelligence
Advancement Act, directs the National Institute of Standards
and Technology to develop resources for small businesses to
help them better understand and utilize artificial intelligence
systems. The bill amends the National Institute of Standards
and Technology Act.
Background and Need for Legislation
Small businesses sometimes face a steep learning curve in
implementing new technologies, including artificial
intelligence. Ensuring that small businesses know how to use
and adopt artificial intelligence is critical to helping them
prosper.
H.R. 3679 directs the National Institute of Standards and
Technology to develop or identify voluntary resources for small
businesses to utilize artificial intelligence. This includes
technical standards and best practices to help small businesses
understand, adopt, and integrate artificial intelligence. These
voluntary resources will help ensure small businesses are not
left behind as artificial intelligence develops and the
opportunities for small businesses to benefit increase.
H.R. 3679 amends the National Institute of Standards and
Technology Act, which outlines the National Institute of
Standards and Technology's responsibilities.
Legislative History
H.R. 3679 was introduced on June 3, 2025, by Rep. Collins
(R-GA) and is cosponsored by Reps. Stevens (D-MI), Gillen (D-
NY), and Vindman (D-VA), and Gottheimer (D-NJ).
On June 11, 2025, the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology met to consider H.R. 3679. Chairman Babin moved that
the Committee favorably report the bill, H.R. 3679, to the
House of Representatives with the recommendation that the bill
be favorably approved. The motion was agreed to by a vote of 35
yeas to 0 nays.
In the 118th Congress, Rep. Collins introduced the bill on
July 30, 2024. On September 11, 2024, the Committee considered
the bill and ordered it reported favorably by voice vote.
Section-by-Section
Section 1. Short title
The short title of this legislation is ``Small Business
Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act.''
Section 2. Resources for small businesses to utilize artificial
intelligence
This section amends the section on standards for artificial
intelligence in the National Institute of Standards and
Technology Act, adding a subsection for the development of
voluntary resources for small businesses in utilizing
artificial intelligence.
This subsection directs the National Institute of Standards
and Technology to develop or identify resources, including
technical standards and best practices, to help small business
understand, adopt, or integrate artificial intelligence. These
resources are to be updated every two years.
Related Committee Hearings
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(6) of rule XIII, the following
hearing was used to develop or consider H.R. 3679.
On April 8, 2025, the Subcommittee on Research and
Technology held a hearing entitled DeepSeek: A Deep Dive.
Members and witnesses discussed the AI advancements made by the
People's Republic of China (PRC) and the steps the U.S. needs
to take to stay ahead of the PR, including ways that the U.S.
can support small businesses in artificial intelligence.
Witnesses:
Mr. Adam Thierer, Resident Senior Fellow,
Technology and Innovation, R Street Institute
Mr. Gregory Allen, Director, Wadhwani Center
for AI & Advanced Technologies, Center for Strategic
and International Studies
Dr. Julia Stoyanovich, Institute Associate
Professor of Computer Science & Engineering, Tandon
School of Engineering; Associate Professor of Data
Science, Center for Data Science; Director, Center for
Responsible AI, New York University
Mr. Tim Fist, Director of Emerging
Technology Policy, Institute for Progress
On February 5, 2025, the Committee held a hearing entitled
The State of U.S. Science and Technology: Ensuring U.S. Global
Leadership. Members and witnesses discussed the state of the
U.S.'s science and technology enterprise and strategies for
maintaining U.S. leadership, including in artificial
intelligence.
Witnesses:
The Honorable Heather Wilson, President, The
University of Texas at El Paso and Former Secretary of
the U.S. Air Force
The Honorable Walter Copan, Vice President
for Research and Technology Transfer, Colorado School
of Mines and Former Director of the National Institute
of Standards and Technology
Dr. Sudip Parikh, Chief Executive Officer
and Executive Publisher, American Association for the
Advancement of Science
Mr. Samuel Hammond, Chief Economist,
Foundation for American Innovation
Committee Consideration
On June 11, 2025, the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology met to consider H.R. 3679.
Rep. Foushee (D-NC) offered and withdrew an amendment.
Rep. Foster (D-IL) offered an amendment to ensure the
guidance NIST produced pursuant to this Act included the
cybersecurity and privacy risk management frameworks. The
amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
Chairman Babin moved that the Committee favorably report
the bill, as amended, to the House of Representatives with the
recommendation that the bill be approved. The motion was agreed
to by a vote of 35 yeas to 0 nays, a reporting quorum being
present.
Roll Call Votes
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the
record votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments
thereto. The following reflects the record votes taken during
the Committee consideration:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that H.R. 3679 does not relate to the
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of
the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause
(2)(b)(1) of rule X, the Committee's oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of
this report.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
Pursuant to clause (3)(c)(4) of rule XIII, the goal of H.R.
3679 is to utilize the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) to develop resources for small businesses to
help them better understand and utilize artificial intelligence
systems.
Duplication of Federal Programs
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, the Committee
finds that no provision of H.R. 3679 establishes or
reauthorizes a program of the Federal Government known to be
duplicative of another Federal program, including any program
that was included in a report to Congress pursuant to section
21 of Public Law 111-139 or identified in the most recent
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
Federal Advisory Committee Act
The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within
the definition of section 5(b) of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act.
Unfunded Mandate Statement
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act.
Earmark Identification
Pursuant to clauses 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the
Committee finds that H.R. 3679 does not include any
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff
benefits.
Committee Cost Estimate
Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee
adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII, the Committee
finds that H.R. 3679 would result in no new or increased budget
authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or
revenues.
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(3) of rule
XIII and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974,
the Committee has received the following cost estimate for H.R.
3679 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 3679 would require the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) to develop and disseminate resources for
small businesses relating to artificial intelligence. NIST
would be required to review and update these resources every
two years and to report to the Congress within four years of
enactment.
Based on the cost of similar activities, CBO expects that
NIST would need two people, at an annual per-person cost of
about $235,000 in 2025, to produce and distribute the required
materials. On that basis and accounting for anticipated
inflation, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3679 would cost
$2 million over the 2025-2030 period. Any related spending
would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Margot Berman.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italics, and existing law in which no
change is proposed is shown in roman):
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY ACT
* * * * * * *
SEC. 22A. STANDARDS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
(a) Mission.--The Institute shall--
(1) advance collaborative frameworks, standards,
guidelines, and associated methods and techniques for
artificial intelligence;
(2) support the development of a risk-mitigation
framework for deploying artificial intelligence
systems;
(3) support the development of technical standards
and guidelines that promote trustworthy artificial
intelligence systems; and
(4) support the development of technical standards
and guidelines by which to test for bias in artificial
intelligence training data and applications.
(b) Supporting Activities.--The Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology may--
(1) support measurement research and development of
best practices and voluntary standards for trustworthy
artificial intelligence systems, which may include--
(A) privacy and security, including for
datasets used to train or test artificial
intelligence systems and software and hardware
used in artificial intelligence systems;
(B) advanced computer chips and hardware
designed for artificial intelligence systems;
(C) data management and techniques to
increase the usability of data, including
strategies to systematically clean, label, and
standardize data into forms useful for training
artificial intelligence systems and the use of
common, open licenses;
(D) safety and robustness of artificial
intelligence systems, including assurance,
verification, validation, security, control,
and the ability for artificial intelligence
systems to withstand unexpected inputs and
adversarial attacks;
(E) auditing mechanisms and benchmarks for
accuracy, transparency, verifiability, and
safety assurance for artificial intelligence
systems;
(F) applications of machine learning and
artificial intelligence systems to improve
other scientific fields and engineering;
(G) model documentation, including
performance metrics and constraints, measures
of fairness, training and testing processes,
and results;
(H) system documentation, including
connections and dependences within and between
systems, and complications that may arise from
such connections; and
(I) all other areas deemed by the Director to
be critical to the development and deployment
of trustworthy artificial intelligence;
(2) produce curated, standardized, representative,
high-value, secure, aggregate, and privacy protected
data sets for artificial intelligence research,
development, and use;
(3) support one or more institutes as described in
section 5201(b) of the National Artificial Intelligence
Initiative Act of 2020 for the purpose of advancing
measurement science, voluntary consensus standards, and
guidelines for trustworthy artificial intelligence
systems;
(4) support and strategically engage in the
development of voluntary consensus standards, including
international standards, through open, transparent, and
consensus-based processes; and
(5) enter into and perform such contracts, including
cooperative research and development arrangements and
grants and cooperative agreements or other
transactions, as may be necessary in the conduct of the
work of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology and on such terms as the Director considers
appropriate, in furtherance of the purposes of this
division.
(c) Risk Management Framework.--Not later than 2 years after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall work
to develop, and periodically update, in collaboration with
other public and private sector organizations, including the
National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, a
voluntary risk management framework for trustworthy artificial
intelligence systems. The framework shall--
(1) identify and provide standards, guidelines, best
practices, methodologies, procedures and processes
for--
(A) developing trustworthy artificial
intelligence systems;
(B) assessing the trustworthiness of
artificial intelligence systems; and
(C) mitigating risks from artificial
intelligence systems;
(2) establish common definitions and
characterizations for aspects of trustworthiness,
including explainability, transparency, safety,
privacy, security, robustness, fairness, bias, ethics,
validation, verification, interpretability, and other
properties related to artificial intelligence systems
that are common across all sectors;
(3) provide case studies of framework implementation;
(4) align with international standards, as
appropriate;
(5) incorporate voluntary consensus standards and
industry best practices; and
(6) not prescribe or otherwise require the use of
specific information or communications technology
products or services.
(d) Participation in Standard Setting Organizations.--
(1) Requirement.--The Institute shall participate in
the development of standards and specifications for
artificial intelligence.
(2) Purpose.--The purpose of this participation shall
be to ensure--
(A) that standards promote artificial
intelligence systems that are trustworthy; and
(B) that standards relating to artificial
intelligence reflect the state of technology
and are fit-for-purpose and developed in
transparent and consensus-based processes that
are open to all stakeholders.
(e) Data Sharing Best Practices.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall, in
collaboration with other public and private sector
organizations, develop guidance to facilitate the creation of
voluntary data sharing arrangements between industry, federally
funded research centers, and Federal agencies for the purpose
of advancing artificial intelligence research and technologies,
including options for partnership models between government
entities, industry, universities, and nonprofits that
incentivize each party to share the data they collected.
(f) Best Practices for Documentation of Data Sets.--Not later
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Director shall, in collaboration with other public and private
sector organizations, develop best practices for datasets used
to train artificial intelligence systems, including--
(1) standards for metadata that describe the
properties of datasets, including--
(A) the origins of the data;
(B) the intent behind the creation of the
data;
(C) authorized uses of the data;
(D) descriptive characteristics of the data,
including what populations are included and
excluded from the datasets; and
(E) any other properties as determined by the
Director; and
(2) standards for privacy and security of datasets
with human characteristics.
(g) Testbeds.--In coordination with other Federal agencies as
appropriate, the private sector, and institutions of higher
education (as such term is defined in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), the Director may
establish testbeds, including in virtual environments, to
support the development of robust and trustworthy artificial
intelligence and machine learning systems, including testbeds
that examine the vulnerabilities and conditions that may lead
to failure in, malfunction of, or attacks on such systems.
(h) Development of Resources for Small Businesses in
Utilizing Artificial Intelligence.--
(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Director shall, in carrying out
subsection (a), develop or identify, and disseminate
(in accordance with paragraph (4)), resources for small
business concerns (as such term is defined in section 3
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) relating to
artificial intelligence. Such resources may include
technical standards, best practices, benchmarks,
methodologies, procedures, or processes for the
understanding, adoption, or integration of artificial
intelligence.
(2) Requirements.--The Director shall ensure that the
resources described in paragraph (1) satisfy the
following:
(A) Are generally applicable and usable by a
wide range of small business concerns.
(B) Include elements that promote basic
understanding, identification, and adoption of
proper use cases of artificial intelligence.
(C) Include case studies of practical
application across a range of business sizes
and types.
(D) Are technology-neutral and relevant to
technologies that are accessible and suitable
for small businesses.
(E) Are based on international voluntary
standards as applicable, and are consistent
with the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation
Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.).
(F) Include recommendations and references to
existing Federal educational resources,
including the risk management framework under
subsection (c), privacy and cybersecurity risk
management frameworks established by the
Institute, and activities relating to the
national cybersecurity awareness and education
program under section 303 of the Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 7443).
(3) Review and update of resources.--Not later than
two years after the date of the enactment of this
subsection and not less frequently than once every two
years thereafter, the Director shall carry out the
following:
(A) Review the resources described in
paragraph (1).
(B) Update such resources as the Director
considers appropriate.
(4) Dissemination and use of training resources.--The
Director shall coordinate with the Administrator of the
Small Business Administration regarding the
distribution and use through the resource partners of
the Small Business Administration of the resources
described in paragraph (1).
(5) Voluntary resources.--The use of the resources
described in paragraph (1) shall be considered
voluntary.
(6) Report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than four years
after the date of the enactment of this
subsection, the Director shall submit to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives and the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate a report on the development,
identification, dissemination, and use of the
resources described in paragraph (1), including
updates made pursuant to paragraph (3).
(B) Contents.--The report under subparagraph
(A) shall include the following:
(i) A list of the resources described
in paragraph (1), including updates
made pursuant to paragraph (3).
(ii) Relevant feedback from
recipients of such resources, and
disseminators of such resources
pursuant to paragraph (4).
(iii) Recommendations to Congress for
further actions to help with the
utilization of artificial intelligence
by small business concerns.
[(h)] (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute of
Standards and Technology to carry out this section--
(1) $64,000,000 for fiscal year 2021;
(2) $70,400,000 for fiscal year 2022;
(3) $77,440,000 for fiscal year 2023;
(4) $85,180,000 for fiscal year 2024; and
(5) $93,700,000 for fiscal year 2025.
* * * * * * *
[all]