Key point: Last week, chatbot bills crossed chambers in Virginia and Washington, Tennessee’s Senate passed a health care-related AI bill, a Utah bill drew the attention of the Trump administration, and a new bill was introduced to amend California’s AI Transparency Act.

Below is the fifth update on the status of proposed state AI legislation in 2026. These posts track state AI bills that can directly or indirectly affect private-sector AI developers and deployers. These posts do not track AI bills that focus on government use of AI; insurance; workgroups; education; legal settings; name, image, and likeness; deepfakes; CSAM and sexual material; and election interference. As always, the contents provided below are time-sensitive and subject to change.

What’s New

2026 is looking like the year of the chatbot bill. Last week, chatbot bills passed out of the Virginia and Washington Senates. Meanwhile, chatbot bills advanced out of committees in Utah, Arizona, and Hawaii, and new bills were introduced in six states.

Turning to disclosure/provenance bills, Washington’s House passed HB 1170. The bill requires covered providers to make available a provenance detection tool, offer the user the option to include a manifest disclosure in certain GenAI created content, and include a latent disclosure in such content. The bill is based on California’s AI Transparency Act. That law was passed two years ago, was amended last year, and a bill was introduced last week to amend it again.

Meanwhile, Utah’s HB 276 passed out of committee and is on floor votes. The bill does several things but, as it relates to the scope of our post, it enacts the Digital Content Provenance Standards Act.

In other Utah news, according to Axios, the AI Transparency Act (HB 286) has drawn the attention of the Trump administration, which reportedly sent the Utah Senate majority leader a letter stating that the bill “goes against the Administration’s AI Agenda.” The bill is sponsored by a Republican House member and Republican senator (who also is the majority assistant whip). It was voted unanimously out of the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee but has not been called for a final House floor vote. Part of the AI Transparency Act focuses on child safety, including requiring large frontier developers that operate covered chatbots to write, implement, comply with, and clearly and conspicuously publish on their websites a child protection plan. Child safety was an area thought safe from the Trump executive order. When that order was originally signed, Utah leaders expressed skepticism that it would impact their 2026 AI bills. It appears this may be the first public test of the order’s impact on state legislation.

Moving to health-related bills, the Tennessee Senate passed a bill that prohibits a person from developing or deploying an AI system that advertises or represents to the public that such system is or is able to act as a qualified mental health professional.

We also saw lawmakers file five new pricing-related bills, four employment bills, and two health bills.

Looking ahead, the deadline for bills to cross chambers in Washington and Virginia is February 17 followed by Kansas on February 19 and Arizona on February 20.

More details on those bills, plus updates on all bill movements last week, are in the post below.

High Risk / Consequential Decisions

These bills regulate AI in high-risk situations such as financial services or health care and can require disclosures, assessments, and consumer rights.

Washington’s HB 2157 was placed on second reading.

In New Hampshire, a committee voted 16-0 that HB 1725 was inexpedient to legislate, effectively killing the bill. Similarly, in Virginia, a subcommittee recommended laying HB 999 on the table.

In Arizona, a sole Democrat introduced HB 4098.

Chatbot

These bills come in different varieties but, in general, they regulate AI interacting directly with individuals. For example, chatbots that act as companions or interact with individuals in a commercial or health care setting.

We continue to see momentum with chatbot bills. In Washington, SB 5984 (companion chatbots) passed the Senate. Its companion bill (HB 2225) is on second reading in the House.

In Virginia, SB 796 (AI Chatbots and Minors Act) unanimously passed out of the Senate General Laws Committee and is on floor votes. Meanwhile, a subcommittee recommended laying HB 669 on the table.

In Utah, HB 438 passed out of committee and is on floor votes.

Arizona’s HB 2311 also passed out of a committee.

In Hawaii, an amended SB 3001 passed out of two committees. Its companion bill (HB 2502), which passed out of committee last week, passed a second House floor reading. Meanwhile, HB 1782 passed through a second reading but now has a July 1, 3000, effective date.

Turning to new bills, another bill (AB 1988) to amend California’s companion chatbot law was introduced. The bill requires a companion chatbot to take certain actions if it detects a credible crisis expression, including encouraging the user to seek immediate human support, and, if the companion chatbot detects that a user is reaffirming or escalating the credible crisis expression or detects a subsequent credible crisis expression, requires the companion chatbot to initiate a crisis interruption pause of 20 minutes. 

New bills also were introduced in Illinois (HB 5044), Maryland (SB 827 / HB 1250), South Carolina (H 5138), Kentucky (HB 641), and Idaho (S 1297).

Pricing

These bills deal with the use of AI to set prices and in some cases deal with employment.

Five states are considering new bills in this category. In Iowa, SF 2278 prohibits personalized algorithmic pricing and surveillance pricing at certain food retail establishments.

Rhode Island’s H 7764 prohibits the use of algorithmic pricing by landlords to determine the amount of rent to charge a residential tenant.

Utah’s SB 293 regulates consumer pricing.

Colorado’s HB 1210 regulates surveillance pricing and wage setting.

Finally, another pricing bill was introduced in Maryland (HB 1475). It is the sixth such bill filed in the state this year.

Disclosures

These bills generally require organizations to identify when content is generated by AI or otherwise make disclosures regarding the use of GenAI.

Washington’s HB 1170 passed the House on February 13. The bill requires covered providers to make available a provenance detection tool, offer the user the option to include a manifest disclosure in certain GenAI created content, and include a latent disclosure in such content.

In California, Senator Becker introduced SB 1000. The bill amends California’s AI Transparency Act to, among other things, delete the user threshold from the definition of “covered provider,” replace the term “AI detection tool” with “disclosure verification tool,” delete the requirement that a covered provider offer the user the option to include a manifest disclosure in content, and require a covered provider to include in the latent disclosure whether the content is generated or modified by AI.

In Virginia, a subcommittee recommended laying HB 713 on the table. Last week, its companion Senate bill was continued to 2027.

Provenance

These bills require entities to make disclosures regarding the data used to train AI.

In Utah, HB 276 passed out of committee and is on floor votes.

Employment

These bills regulate the use of AI in employment settings such as hiring, firing, promotion, compensation or displacement issues.

In Virginia, a subcommittee recommended laying HB 1514 on the table. The bill had previously passed through the General Laws committee by a 21-0 vote.

In California, lawmakers are considering two new bills — AB 1883 (workplace surveillance tools) and AB 1898 (workplace AI tools). New York’s legislature is now considering A 10251. The bill limits the use of automated decision systems in connection with employment.

Rhode Island lawmakers are considering H 7767. The bill creates a comprehensive statutory framework to address and regulate the use of AI in the workplace.

Health

These bills focus on the use of AI in health care.

The Tennessee Senate unanimously passed SB 1580. The bill prohibits a person from developing or deploying an AI system that advertises or represents to the public that such system is or is able to act as a qualified mental health professional.

In Colorado, four Democrat lawmakers introduced HB 1195, which regulates the use of AI in psychotherapy services.

In Rhode Island, a group of 10 Democrat senators introduced the Use of AI by Healthcare Providers Notification Act (S 2570).

Personhood

These bills generally provide that AI cannot be granted legal status or deemed a person under state law.

Oklahoma’s HB 3546  passed out of the Government Modernization and Technology Committee.

AI Bill of Rights

These bills cover multiple issues such as chatbots and providing individuals with rights relating to AI.

Florida’s S 482 is scheduled for a February 18 hearing in the Senate Appropriations committee.

Frontier Models

These bills apply to frontier models and the bills commonly apply only to global-scale tech corporations.

There were no developments last week for this category.

Other

Maryland lawmakers are considering two new bills in this category. HB 1261 establishes child safety and data privacy requirements for certain toys featuring AI. HB 1399 establishes requirements for consumer reporting agencies that use algorithmic systems to assemble or evaluate consumer credit information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties.