Which bills regulate AI chatbots and protect minors online, and who is behind them? Map the sponsors and cosponsors across the GUARD Act (S. 3062), the CHAT Act, and related bills, with the party split and current status, cited to the official record.

Key AI Chatbot and Minor Protection Bills

Three major legislative vehicles regulate AI chatbots and protect minors online, with distinct sponsor coalitions and current status:

Senate Bills

S. 3062 - GUARD Act (Reported)

  • Sponsor: Sen. Josh Hawley [R-MO]
  • Party split: 11 Democrats, 9 Republicans (20 cosponsors total)
  • Democratic cosponsors: Warner (VA), Kelly (AZ), Blumenthal (CT), Murphy (CT), Gallego (AZ), Welch (VT), Hassan (NH), Cortez Masto (NV), Kaine (VA), Gillibrand (NY), Whitehouse (RI), Durbin (IL), Coons (DE), Booker (NJ)
  • Republican cosponsors: Britt (AL), Lee (UT), Lankford (OK), Cotton (AR), Ricketts (NE), Blackburn (TN)
  • Status: Reported by committee, placed on Senate Legislative Calendar (Calendar No. 406, May 11, 2026)
  • Focus: Age verification and prohibition on minors using AI companions designed to simulate emotional interaction

S. 2714 - CHAT Act (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Sen. Jon Husted [R-OH]
  • Cosponsors: 1 (Sen. Bernie Moreno [R-OH])
  • Status: Referred to Commerce Committee (Sept. 4, 2025)
  • Focus: Age verification, parental account requirements, suicidal ideation detection

S. 4199 - Youth AI Privacy Act (Reported)

  • Sponsor: Sen. Edward Markey [D-MA]
  • Cosponsors: None
  • Status: Reported by Commerce Committee with amendment (Aug. 5, 2026)
  • Focus: Prohibits profiling, targeted advertising, and compulsive-use design features targeting minors

House Bills

H.R. 7757 - KIDS Act (Passed House)

  • Sponsor: Rep. Brett Guthrie [R-KY-2]
  • Cosponsors: 1 (Rep. Frank Pallone [D-NJ])
  • Status: Passed House, received in Senate (July 13, 2026)
  • Focus: Comprehensive platform safeguards including AI chatbot disclosure requirements (must identify as AI, provide crisis hotline info)

H.R. 8623 - GUARD Act (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Rep. Blake Moore [R-UT-1]
  • Party split: 4 Democrats, 3 Republicans (7 cosponsors total)
  • Democratic cosponsors: Foushee (NC), Craig (MN), Boyle (PA)
  • Republican cosponsors: Edwards (NC), Lawler (NY), Owens (UT), Patronis (FL)
  • Status: Referred to Judiciary and Energy & Commerce (April 30, 2026)
  • Focus: Companion to Senate S. 3062; age verification and prohibition on minor use of AI companions

H.R. 7218 - CHAT Act (Referred)

  • Sponsor: Rep. Michael Lawler [R-NY-17]
  • Cosponsors: None
  • Status: Referred to Energy & Commerce (Jan. 22, 2026)
  • Focus: House companion to Senate S. 2714

Coalition Patterns

The GUARD Act (S. 3062) shows the strongest bipartisan support with 20 cosponsors spanning both chambers and both parties - notably including prominent Democrats (Durbin, Gillibrand, Blumenthal) and Republicans (Hawley, Cotton, Blackburn). The CHAT Act variants remain narrower, with minimal cosponsorship. The Youth AI Privacy Act (S. 4199) stands alone as a Democratic-led privacy-focused alternative. The KIDS Act (H.R. 7757) is the only bill to pass a chamber, with broad platform safeguards beyond chatbots alone.

Sources:

Sources

  1. H.R. 6489 § 1 - SAFE BOTs Act (Congress.gov)
  2. S. 3062 § 1 - GUARD Act (Congress.gov)
  3. H.R. 5360 § 2 - AWARE Act (Congress.gov)
  4. H.R. 8623 § 1 - GUARD Act (Congress.gov)
  5. S. 4199 § 1 - Youth AI Privacy Act (Congress.gov)
  6. H.R. 9619 § 4 - People-First Chatbot Act (Congress.gov)
  7. S. 4678 (b) - SIMS Act (Congress.gov)
  8. S. 5117 § 1 - Senior Chatbot Protection Act of 2026 (Congress.gov)
  9. S. 5154 § 1 - CHAT Act 2.0 (Congress.gov)
  10. S. 2714 § 1 - CHAT Act (Congress.gov)
  11. S. 4855 (B) - (ii) - SAFE KIDS Act (Congress.gov)
  12. H.R. 7218 § 1 - CHAT Act (Congress.gov)
  13. H.R. 7757 § 406 - KIDS Act (Congress.gov)
  14. S. 1748 § 5 - Kids Online Safety Act (Congress.gov)
  15. H.R. 6484 (A) - (C) - Kids Online Safety Act (Congress.gov)
  16. Sen. Warner, Mark R. (D-VA) (Congress.gov)
  17. Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd (R-AL) (Congress.gov)
  18. Sen. Kelly, Mark (D-AZ) (Congress.gov)
  19. Sen. Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT) (Congress.gov)
  20. Sen. Murphy, Christopher (D-CT) (Congress.gov)

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