Representative McMorris Rodgers Helps Pass Advanced Tech Package Through House

The American Competitiveness on More Productive Emerging Tech Economy (American COMPETE) Act, passed through the House of Representatives Tuesday.

5th District Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers had joined Illinois Representative Bobby Rush in introducing the legislation.

McMorris Rodgers told fellow Representatives, "Today the stakes for our global leadership could not be higher. To lead a new era of innovation, the American COMPETE Act is an important first step that incentivizes free market ingenuity by reducing barriers for the deployment of tech like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and block chain."

Introduced on August 31st, the American COMPETE Act is a package of legislation made up of provisions from nine previously introduced bills.

McMorris Rodgers added that one of the proposals incorporated in the package is drawn from another piece of legislation she introduced, the GAINS Act.

"It would direct the Department of Commerce to look at adoption barriers and spur deployment of A.I. here in America. It also includes an assessment of vulnerabilities in A.I. supply chain and recommendations to address identified risk, especially from China."

The bipartisan legislation made it unanimously through committee, and passed by a voice vote in the House of Representatives.