Scialabba, D’Orsie, Leadbeter to Introduce AI Legislative Package
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania is uniquely positioned to become a national leader in the rapidly developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) arena. Reps. Joe D’Orsie (R-Manchester), Robert Leadbeter (R-Columbia) and Stephenie Scialabba (R-Butler) are planning to introduce legislation that will incentivize new investment in the Commonwealth and encourage new business development without regulatory red tape.
“Pennsylvania should be center stage when it comes to emerging technology. As chair of the Pennsylvania Artificial Intelligence Opportunity Task Force, I’ve been prioritizing discussion and collaboration this spring between industry leaders and lawmakers with the goal of fostering thoughtful legislative ideas that encourage opportunity, not stifle it,” said Scialabba. “Those conversations have informed the creation of this legislation which seeks to attract and retain business and spur substantial innovation investments in Pennsylvania.”
This two-bill legislative package includes:
• An AI Development Tax Credit, which seeks to expand the existing Semiconductor Manufacturing Tax Credit to include a new AI Development Tax Credit to encourage AI companies to stay in Pennsylvania and encourage new companies to establish operations in the Commonwealth.
• The creation of an Artificial Intelligence Consortium, which will be tasked with vetting potential regulatory barriers, convening important AI stakeholders, and recommending legislation that both provides important guardrails and encourages innovation and opportunity in the AI field.
“The time to seize the opportunity that AI innovation provides is today, not tomorrow,” said Leadbeter. “We know this kind of emerging technology translates to family-sustaining jobs not just in the tech sector, but in energy, agriculture, and the service industry. Ideas like the AI Development Tax Credit put communities like mine first by signaling to AI innovators that rural Pennsylvania is open for business.”
“There are already a growing number of start-ups in Pennsylvania investing heavily in this field, but perhaps the biggest risk to AI innovation is the impulse to overregulate, stunting growth and discouraging innovation,” said D’Orsie. “As legislators, we must make sure entrepreneurs and innovators, regardless of industry, have an easy path to doing business in the Commonwealth.”
The lawmakers are currently seeking co-sponsors for the legislation.