Cooley Analysis Maps 127 Active AI Bills Across US States as Legislative Season Peaks

# Cooley Analysis Maps 127 Active AI Bills Across US States as Legislative Season Peaks

With 1,561 AI-related bills introduced across 45 states in 2026 alone, the American experiment in regulating artificial intelligence is producing something that looks less like coherent policy and more like a compliance obstacle course. A sweeping analysis published April 24 by law firm Cooley, titled "State AI Laws -- Where Are They Now?," catalogues the current status of state-level AI legislation and finds a regulatory landscape defined by overlapping mandates, shifting deadlines, and mounting tension between state ambition and federal preemption threats.

The Cooley assessment arrives at a moment of peak legislative activity. According to tracking by Troutman Pepper Locke, which has published fourteen weekly updates on state AI bills this year, at least 127 active bills across more than 30 states are advancing through committee hearings, floor votes, and conference negotiations as spring legislative deadlines approach. The numbers represent a sharp acceleration from 2025, when 38 states enacted some form of AI legislation -- itself a record year.

"What we are seeing is not just volume but velocity," said Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "States are not waiting for Washington. They are building regulatory frameworks one bill at a time, and companies are going to have to deal with dozens of different compliance regimes simultaneously."

The Patchwork Deepens

The Cooley analysis highlights several key dynamics shaping the 2026 legislative season. Colorado, which passed one of the first comprehensive AI accountability laws in 2024, is already revising its approach. A March 2026 working group draft would repeal and reenact the state's AI law with a narrower focus on automated decision-making technology, resetting the effective date to January 1, 2027. The pivot signals what Cooley describes as a broader movement away from expansive "high-risk AI" frameworks toward more targeted, decision-focused models.

California, meanwhile, continues to operate at industrial scale. Having enacted 18 AI-related laws across 2023 and 2024, the state now faces a cascade of compliance effective dates landing in 2026 and beyond. California committees advanced chatbot, pricing, disclosure, employment, and health care AI bills in the week of April 14 alone. Governor Gavin Newsom added to the complexity with Executive Order N-5-26, directing state agencies to draft AI safety requirements for vendors doing business with the state.

Connecticut delivered one of the most closely watched votes of the month when its Senate passed Senate Bill 5 by a 32-to-4 margin on April 21. The omnibus measure regulates developers of frontier AI models, establishes a state AI sandbox for companies to test new technologies, and creates new rules around youth social media and chatbot use.

"What we are doing is we are putting in important protections," said Connecticut State Senator James Maroney, the bill's sponsor and co-chair of the General Law Committee, during floor debate. The bill now heads to the House with session deadlines looming.

Chatbots, Elections, and Health Care

The Transparency Coalition, which tracks AI legislation across all 50 states, reported in its April 24 update that 78 chatbot-specific bills are active in 27 states. The focus on conversational AI safety has already produced concrete results: Idaho and Oregon signed chatbot safety laws in early April, and Nebraska became the fourth state to enact such a law this year when Governor Jim Pillen signed the Conversational AI Safety Act.

Beyond chatbots, two legislative categories are commanding outsized attention. Election-related AI bills, targeting deepfakes and synthetic media in campaign contexts, are advancing in multiple states ahead of the 2026 midterm cycle. Health care AI bills passed the Colorado, Louisiana, and Rhode Island Houses during the week of April 14, reflecting growing concern about algorithmic decision-making in medical settings.

Washington State marked what advocates called a landmark moment when Governor Bob Ferguson signed two AI safety and transparency bills in Olympia before a gathering of parents, advocates, and lawmakers. Utah finished its abbreviated seven-week session with nine AI bills signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox, an extraordinary output for one of the nation's shortest legislative calendars.

The Federal Shadow

All of this state activity unfolds beneath a looming federal question. The White House National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, released earlier this year, urged Congress to enact sweeping legislation that would preempt certain state AI laws, specifically targeting provisions that the administration argues risk stifling innovation or imposing undue burdens on developers.

Cooley's analysis notes that the preemption debate is already influencing state legislative strategy. Some states are deliberately drafting bills to survive potential federal override by focusing on consumer protection and civil rights frameworks that historically resist preemption. Others are racing to establish facts on the ground before any federal law can take effect.

"The compliance challenge is not theoretical anymore," said Sarah Pearce, a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth who specializes in AI governance. "Companies operating in multiple states are building legal and technical infrastructure to manage what is effectively a 50-jurisdiction regulatory regime. That is expensive, it is complex, and it creates real pressure for some kind of federal floor."

What Comes Next

The next six weeks will be decisive. Arizona is close to becoming the third state after Utah and Washington to pass an AI provenance bill. Iowa is advancing a chatbot measure through conference. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called a special legislative session to consider his proposed AI Bill of Rights, which passed the Senate during the regular session but stalled in the House.

For companies deploying AI systems, the Cooley analysis carries a clear if uncomfortable message: the regulatory environment is not simplifying. With 127 bills in active play and legislative deadlines clustering in May and June, the state-level AI compliance burden is set to expand significantly before any federal framework arrives to rationalize it.