{"id":8190,"date":"2026-04-10T19:17:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/tech-bills-of-the-week-boosting-export-controls-ai-focused-workforce-development-and-more-nextgov-fcw\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T19:17:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:17:29","slug":"tech-bills-of-the-week-boosting-export-controls-ai-focused-workforce-development-and-more-nextgov-fcw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/tech-bills-of-the-week-boosting-export-controls-ai-focused-workforce-development-and-more-nextgov-fcw\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech bills of the week: Boosting export controls; AI-focused workforce development; and more – Nextgov\/FCW"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jarmo Piironen\/Getty Images <\/span><\/p>\n

Stay Connected
By Alexandra Kelley<\/a> and Edward Graham<\/a><\/span><\/span>
Matching export controls<\/strong>
A group of bipartisan senators introduced a companion bill to an earlier House measure<\/a> that updates semiconductor export control laws to ensure that adversaries cannot purchase key pieces of technology and equipment for semiconductor manufacturing from either the U.S. or its allies.\u00a0
The Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware Act, introduced on Wednesday, aims to harmonize export controls among the U.S. and its allies to ensure that critical technologies do not fall into the hands of adversarial nations, like China.\u00a0
Introduced by Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Andy Kim, D-N.J., the MATCH Act is also cosponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. On the House side, companion legislation was introduced by Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash.
\u201cIdaho and America are at the leading edge of semiconductor innovation. It is vital we maintain this position by strengthening our export controls and closing loopholes that our adversaries exploit to obtain critical technologies like semiconductor manufacturing equipment,\u201d Risch said in a press release<\/a>. \u201cThe MATCH Act will prevent adversaries from undermining the U.S. semiconductor industry and threatening our national security.\u201d
The bill targets the essential, or \u201cchokepoint,\u201d inputs for semiconductor manufacturing as the main subject of the new export controls. If passed, it would prohibit the sale of these chokepoints from the U.S. and allies to countries of concern.\u00a0
Prepping the U.S. workforce for AI<\/strong>
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., introduced a measure on Monday to reauthorize and update the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include new provisions that enhance the country\u2019s workforce development in the AI era.\u00a0
A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 hinges on facilitating access for adult learners to apprenticeships, sector partnerships and employer-led training, all housed within the Department of Labor.\u00a0
The bill also allocates funding for upskilling workers through \u201cindividual training accounts,\u201d hands-on learning and other employer-led and industry-centric initiatives.\u00a0
\u201cThe workforce is evolving rapidly, and legislation designed over a decade ago is no longer meeting today\u2019s demands,\u201d Walberg said in a press release<\/a>. \u201cThis bill modernizes a struggling and underutilized workforce development system, delivering reforms that strengthen participant outcomes and ensure greater accountability for taxpayer dollars. This is a win for employers, job seekers, and taxpayers alike.\u201d
A second piece of legislation also<\/a> seeks to update the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Introduced on Monday by Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., the amendment focuses on adding a \u201cWorkforce data quality initiative\u201d to the larger 2014 law.\u00a0
Expanding the timeframe for penalizing export control violations<\/strong>
A House measure introduced<\/a> on Wednesday seeks to strengthen export control laws by extending the timeframe for addressing violations of U.S. law and clarifying that \u201ca civil case is considered commenced when a charging letter is issued.\u201d
The proposal \u2014 from Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., and Joaquin Castro, D-Texas \u2014 would increase the statute of limitations for export control violations from five years to 10 years \u201cfor both civil enforcement actions and criminal prosecutions.\u201d
The legislation comes amid a recent bipartisan, bicameral push<\/a> to enhance U.S. export controls so that adversarial nations, like China, cannot easily gain access to sensitive technologies or semiconductor manufacturing equipment made in America.\u00a0
\u201cAs bad actors develop sophisticated tactics to get around U.S. export controls and put our national security at risk, it\u2019s essential that U.S. authorities have the legal tools they need to fulfill their missions,\u201d Mackenzie said in a statement. \u201cThis bipartisan bill updates our laws to match today\u2019s challenges, giving law enforcement more time to investigate complex cases and enforce accountability for those undermining American interests.\u201d
Making data centers pay for increasing energy demands<\/strong>
Democrats in the House and Senate introduced legislation<\/a> on Thursday to place the onus of high electricity costs on data centers, rather than making surrounding residents shoulder the financial burden of high power demands.\u00a0
The bill \u2014 introduced in the House by Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and in the upper chamber by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. \u2014 is in response to the growing electrical needs of data centers powering artificial intelligence technologies. While these centers underpin many of the emerging capabilities transforming public and private sectors, they require massive amounts of energy to operate, which can strain electrical grids and hike up bills.
The proposal, called the Power for the People Act, would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to require that data centers pay for local transmission upgrades that have previously been passed down to local communities, as well as create \u201ca data center load queue\u201d to help offset the electrical demands of the centers. The bill would also direct the Energy Department, as well as state regulatory authorities and nonregulated electric utilities, to work to create \u201cdata center rate classes\u201d to assign appropriate costs to the centers.
\u201cFamilies are already paying higher prices for everything from groceries to healthcare, to gas, to utilities \u2014 they shouldn\u2019t be forced to also shoulder the costs for companies building data centers,\u201d Tonko said in a statement. \u201cOur Power for the People Act balances the need for data center development without pushing those costs onto consumers.\u201d
Upgrading and expanding access to quantum research facilities<\/strong>
House lawmakers want to give researchers and scientists working within quantum information sciences and technologies the necessary tools to ensure the U.S. is leading in quantum-based systems.\u00a0
Introduced on Thursday by Reps. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., and Jim Baird, R-Ind., the Quantum Instrumentation for Science and Engineering Act directs the National Science Foundation to award grants that fund shared research facilities and specialized equipment used by universities, startups and laboratories.
The bill seeks to amend the National Quantum Initiative Act \u2013\u2013 which expired in 2023 \u2013\u2013 to permit NSF to outfit qualifying research facilities and laboratories with the equipment and resources necessary to field QIST research and development.\u00a0
It also seeks to expand access to said facilities and labs to better enable information sharing and hands-on learning experiences for students.\u00a0
\u201cQuantum science is among the world\u2019s fastest-growing areas of research, and leading in quantum research carries significant implications for innovation, our economy, and our national security,\u201d Baird said in the press release<\/a>. \u201cThe U.S. has led the world in quantum science for years. By further investing in this research, this legislation will help ensure we maintain our global competitive advantage.\u201d <\/use> <\/svg>
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Jarmo Piironen\/Getty Images Stay Connected By Alexandra Kelley and Edward Graham Matching export controlsA group of bipartisan senators introduced a companion bill to an earlier House measure that updates semiconductor export control laws to ensure that adversaries cannot purchase key pieces of technology and equipment for semiconductor manufacturing from either the U.S. or its allies.\u00a0The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}