# 119-s-4749: JAWBONE Act

119-s-4749, JAWBONE Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4749
- As of: 2026-09-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4749
- Congress: 119
- Title: JAWBONE Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-06-11
- Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-19

## Summary

**Blocks federal coercion of platforms and AI providers.** This bill would bar agencies and officials from coercing broadcasters, interactive computer services, or AI system providers to take content actions and would create a federal private right of action to sue for relief. - Platforms, AI providers, and broadcasters would gain a new federal cause of action to sue agencies or officials for coercion. Courts could award compensatory damages, attorney fees, and equitable relief, but not punitive damages. - Agencies would have to log and transmit "covered communications" to an OSTP-run public portal under new NIST standards. NIST must issue standards within 1 year and agencies must report new or previously unreported communications at least every 120 days. - Federal employees sued may elect Department of Justice representation and the United States would indemnify verdicts or settlements except where a court finds willful and wanton conduct. State attorneys general could sue on behalf of residents as parens patriae.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ban on federal pressure, private suits: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would make it unlawful for federal agencies or their employees to coerce broadcasters, online platforms, or AI providers to add, remove, or change content or how content is presented. The agency or employee would have to prove any exception, like a lawful investigation or a cou…
- Public portal for agency communications: benefit, medium. If enacted, OSTP would set up a central public portal to log covered communications from federal officials to broadcasters, online platforms, and AI providers. NIST would have to issue technical standards within one year and review them at least every two years. Agencies would have to send new or p…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act
- 119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026
- 119-s-2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4749 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4749)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891)
- [119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4668)
- [119-s-2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2975)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4749 (as of 2026-09-19).