# 119-hr-8623: GUARD Act

119-hr-8623, GUARD Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8623
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8623
- Congress: 119
- Title: GUARD Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Protecting minors from harmful AI chatbot interactions** is the GUARD Act's main goal. It would set federal rules requiring account registration and age verification, require clear disclosures that the system is non-human, limit how age-verification data is collected and kept, ban solicitation of minors and promotion of self-harm or violence, and create civil and criminal penalties. - Families and minors: Would require account registration and age verification for new and existing users, mandate periodic rechecks, and bar identified minors from using AI companions. - Platform operators and verifiers: Would force covered entities to run age-verification and strong data-security measures, allow third-party verifiers while keeping operator liability, and prohibit sharing or selling age-verification data. - Enforcement and legal changes: Would add a new Chapter 6 to Title 18 creating offenses for soliciting minors and promoting violence, give the Attorney General power to seek injunctions, restitution, and civil penalties up to $100,000 per violation, allow state parens patriae suits, and authorize implementing regulations.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Edwards, Chuck [R-NC-11] (R-NC), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4] (R-UT), 2026-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Patronis, Jimmy [R-FL-1] (R-FL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2] (D-PA), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Chatbots must disclose they are AI: benefit, low. If enacted, each chatbot would have to disclose at the start of a conversation and every 30 minutes that it is an artificial intelligence system and not a human. Chatbots would be barred from claiming to be licensed professionals or offering medical, legal, financial, or psychological services. The…
- Act takes effect after 180 days: mixed, high. If enacted, the Act's rules, duties, and penalties would begin 180 days after enactment. Covered companies and users would have that 180-day window to prepare. The delay would also postpone when minors lose access and when enforcement can begin.
- Enforcement and penalties for harmful AI: mixed, high. If enacted, it would be unlawful to make or offer a chatbot that the actor knows or recklessly disregards encourages suicide, self-harm, or imminent violence, or that risks inducing minors into sexual conduct. The Attorney General could investigate, issue subpoenas, and sue to stop violations and s…
- New age checks for AI chatbots: mixed, medium. If enacted, covered AI-chatbot companies would require every user to create a registered account. Existing accounts would be frozen until users provide verifiable age data using a reasonable age verification process. At signup companies would verify age with reliable methods (not just birthdate ent…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-1151: Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8623 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8623)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-1151: Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1151)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4382)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8623 (as of 2026-09-21).