Comment Integrity and Management Act of 2024
Key claim: Requires federal agencies to verify that public comments on proposed rules are submitted by humans, allows agencies to post single representative copies of mass form comments, and mandates policies to manage computer-generated submissions.
Abstract
(HR7528 · 118th Congress) Comment Integrity and Management Act of 2024 This bill establishes requirements with respect to the submission of mass comments and computer-generated comments in the federal rulemaking process. Specifically, the bill requires federal agencies to verify, to the greatest extent possible at the time a public comment is submitted, whether the comment has been submitted by a human being. An agency also must determine whether comments are mass comments and may publish on the docket only a single representative copy of such comments or a single copy of one variation of mass comments that use standardized but not identical language. If the agency publishes only a single copy of a mass comment, the agency also must indicate the number of mass comments submitted that were identical or substantively identical to the representative copy or variation that the agency published. Additionally, each agency must establish a policy with respect to the posting and consideration of computer-generated comments and mass-comments during the agency’s rulemaking process. The Office of Management and Budget must issue guidance for implementing the requirements of this bill, and the Government Accountability Office must report on the identification and effect of computer-generated comments in the rulemaking process. Latest action (2024-12-17): Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 712.
Why this matters
The proposal addresses automated participation in federal rulemaking rather than regulating AI models generally, placing implementation responsibilities on agencies and their commenting systems. Human-submission verification and representative posting of mass form comments could change how users submit comments and how coordinated campaigns appear in public dockets; the bill’s introduced status means these changes are not established requirements.