Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
Introduced
Summary
Algorithmic accountability is the core goal. The Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2025 would require the Federal Trade Commission to police high‑impact algorithms by making covered companies run ongoing impact assessments and submit public summary reports.
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- Consumers and families would gain a public, searchable repository and annual summaries that identify algorithms affecting critical decisions like housing, employment, health, and show how to contest, correct, or opt out.
- Covered businesses and developers that meet size or data thresholds — for example $50 million in average annual receipts or $250 million in equity value plus identifying information on more than 1,000,000 consumers — would have to document testing, data sources, performance metrics, differential impacts, and mitigation steps in submitted impact assessments and summary reports.
- Researchers, regulators, and state enforcers would get anonymized, machine‑readable annual reports and a quarterly‑updated repository to study trends and harms, and State attorneys general could bring civil actions for violations with the FTC able to intervene.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
More tech staff at the FTC
If enacted, the FTC would set up a Bureau of Technology led by a Chief Technologist. The Chair would hire at least 50 staff within 2 years and could use special hiring rules. The Chair could also add 25 staff to enforcement. Congress could provide “such sums as are necessary” to fund these hires. This would add technical capacity to oversee algorithms.
Public site and yearly reports on algorithms
If enacted, the FTC would build a public website that shows limited, standard info about covered algorithms. It would start work within 180 days after the FTC issues rules and launch the site within 180 days after the rules take effect. The site would be searchable, updated every quarter, and include links to contest or opt out where offered. The FTC would also publish a public, machine-readable annual report within 1 year after the rules take effect and every year after. Congress could provide “such sums as are necessary” to fund this work.
Stronger enforcement by FTC and states
If enacted, breaking these rules would be illegal, and helping someone break them would also be illegal. The FTC would treat violations like breaking an unfair-or-deceptive-practice rule and could use its usual penalties. State attorneys general could sue in federal court for their residents and usually must notify the FTC before filing. The FTC could join those cases or appeal. These tools would add more ways to enforce the rules.
New risk checks and reports for algorithms
If enacted, covered companies would need to run impact assessments before and after they deploy covered algorithms. They would have to file an initial summary before launch and a yearly summary after that. The FTC would write the rules within 2 years, and the rules would start 2 years after they are issued. Assessments would include testing, privacy checks, data sources, guard rails, and staff training, to the extent possible. Companies would keep records for 3 years after they stop using the tool.
Which companies and algorithms would be covered
If enacted, this bill would set which algorithms and companies are covered. It would cover machine learning and similar tools that make or shape important decisions. It would define “critical decisions” like jobs, school, utilities, housing, health care, and financial services. A company would be covered if it uses a covered algorithm and has over $50,000,000 in average yearly receipts (or $250,000,000 in equity) and data on more than 1,000,000 people or devices. It would also cover firms with over $5,000,000 in receipts (or $25,000,000 in equity) if the tool is built for bigger users, and firms that met these tests in the last 3 years. Dollar limits would rise each year with CPI-U after the first fiscal year following enactment.
FTC guidance, coordination, and 5-year reviews
If enacted, the FTC would publish guidance, templates, and training to help firms know if they are covered and how to comply. The FTC would update these materials over time. The agency would review its rules at least every 5 years. It would share summary reports securely with NIST, OSTP, and other regulators to inform standards. The bill would not override state, tribal, city, or local laws.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large]
VT • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Barragan
CA • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]
MO • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11]
OH • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Davis (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17]
PA • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]
AL • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4]
NC • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Jackson (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
IL • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33]
TX • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Wilson (FL)
FL • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Espaillat
NY • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Cohen
TN • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Trahan
MA • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
MA • D
Sponsored 10/6/2025
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Sponsored 10/6/2025
Ocasio-Cortez
NY • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 4/16/2026
McClellan
VA • D
Sponsored 4/29/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov