Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s proposal for an “AI Bill of Rights” garnered bipartisan support in the state legislature on Wednesday, bringing the governor closer to a potential confrontation with the Trump administration and its federal approach to the issue.
The legislation, which outlines protections for consumers and parents, unanimously passed the Florida Senate Commerce and Tourism subcommittee as President Donald Trump warned against a state-by-state approach to regulation.
DeSantis has doubted that his bill would conflict with Trump’s policies but maintained his right to implement the law amid threats of federal lawsuits and funding cuts.
DeSantis announced his proposal Dec. 4, 2025, and it was filed to the state legislature Dec. 22, 2025. His legislation now sits in the Florida Senate Appropriations subcommittee, where it will face another vote.
Trump signed his order, called Ensuring A National Policy Framework For Artificial Intelligence, on Dec. 11, 2025. Trump’s order established a litigation task force dedicated to challenging state AI laws while also directing the executive branch to condition federal funding on how onerous state AI laws are.
The Florida governor has previously defended his state’s right to draw up its own regulations on AI.
“We have a right to do this,” DeSantis said at an AI roundtable last month just days after Trump’s executive order.
Federal preemption states that a higher-level law supersedes a lower one if they are in conflict, but DeSantis has said he thinks his policies will be consistent with Trump’s.
In the Florida AI Bill of Rights, some of the measures include prohibiting state or local government agencies from using Chinese-created AI tools; preventing AI from using a citizen’s name, image, or likeness without their consent; and requiring consumers to be notified whenever they are interacting with AI.
Additionally, the legislation states that parents would have increased control over their children, such as requiring AI chatbot platforms to allow access to conversations a child has with an AI and notifying them if their child shows concerning behavior.
DeSantis also included measures aimed at protecting Floridians from being burdened with the costly price of AI data centers. The bill would prevent construction of a data center on agricultural land and prohibit utility companies from charging residents more for electricity, gas, and water.
“I don’t know that people really make direct arguments against the things I outlined. Think about how many people you know—Republican, Independent, Democrat—that would object to this stuff,” DeSantis said at the December roundtable. “Not a lot of people would. It’s just, it’s not partisan.”
Trump has previously said a 50-state patchwork of rules on AI would be too burdensome and stifle innovation.
“To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation. But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative,” Trump wrote in his executive order.
Trump has conceded his legislation shall not preempt “lawful” existing state regulations on AI.
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