Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders applauds removal of AI moratorium from ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A portion of the “Big Beautiful Bill” that had Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders concerned has been removed.

The governor said on Tuesday that the AI moratorium in the bill had been removed. Had it remained in place, states would not have been able to create AI-regulating laws for 10 years.

The moratorium was removed from the bill in a 99-1 vote, according to Sanders’ office.

“This is a monumental win for state leaders, President Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill, and the American people,” the governor said. “We will now be able to protect our kids from the harms of completely unregulated AI.”

The governor published an opinion piece in the Washington Post last week listing her issues with the bill. This included a list of AI-related laws that the Arkansas legislature passed in its most recent session and signed into law by the governor.

In 2025, Sanders signed Act 927, intended to create basic AI intellectual property protections; Act 159, to protect Arkansans from the non-consensual use of their image and likeness in AI-generated content; and Act 977, which was intended to expand Arkansas’ child sexual abuse materials law to include materials created through AI. 

The governor had also joined a group of 17 Republican governors who sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (La-04) asking to remove the moratorium.

The governor extended special thanks to Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) for leadership in getting the vote removing the moratorium passed.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin also gave his support to the AI moratorium provision being removed from the bill.