H.R. 7697

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7697 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7697

To establish an international strategy for AI research and development 
to improve outdated electrical grids, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 25, 2026

Mr. Hernandez (for himself, Mr. Liccardo, and Mrs. Grijalva) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish an international strategy for AI research and development 
to improve outdated electrical grids, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``International AI Energy Grid 
Modernization Strategy Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Electrical grids around the world are facing increasing 
challenges due to aging infrastructure, growing energy demands, 
and accelerating climate-related risks.
(2) Many electrical grids lack the resilience and 
flexibility needed to withstand natural disasters, extreme 
weather events, or long-term climate disruptions.
(3) The threat of cyber attacks on critical energy 
infrastructure is escalating, with adversarial actors targeting 
electrical grid operations, data systems, and control networks 
that were not originally designed for modern digital threats.
(4) Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies present a 
transformative opportunity to modernize electrical grids by 
enabling predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, anomaly 
detection, autonomous system restoration, and the integration 
of distributed energy resources.
(5) International collaboration in the research, 
development, and responsible deployment.
(6) Advancing these innovations is not only vital to energy 
security and climate adaptation but also critical to global 
economic development, public health, and national security.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should actively engage with international organizations, such as 
the International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy 
Agency, to support global coordination on AI applications for secure, 
resilient, and sustainable advanced energy technologies for electrical 
grids, including AI-enabled grid management tools, which can accelerate 
global grid modernization, enhance grid resilience, and establish 
shared cybersecurity protocols.

SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENERGY GRID 
MODERNIZATION.

(a) Development.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall develop 
and implement a comprehensive international strategy to advance the 
research, development, and deployment of AI-enabled technologies for 
the modernization and resilience of electrical grids worldwide. Such 
strategy shall include measures to--
(1) strengthen partnerships with allied and partner 
countries, academic institutions, and private-sector 
stakeholders to modernize and digitalize electrical grids;
(2) accelerate the development, testing, and deployment of 
AI-enabled grid technologies to improve reliability, enhance 
grid resilience, detect and respond to cyber threats, and 
integrate renewable energy resources and distributed energy 
resources;
(3) promote equitable access to advanced grid modernization 
tools in developing and vulnerable regions, including natural 
disaster-prone areas;
(4) support workforce development and technical training 
related to AI, cybersecurity, and smart-grid operations; and
(5) facilitate coordination across relevant Federal 
departments and agencies as appropriate, including the 
Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, and 
Department of Commerce.
(b) Authorization.--To carry out the objectives described in 
paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (a), the Secretary of State is 
authorized to support programs, projects, and activities that--
(1) facilitate international research partnerships focused 
on AI applications that enhance the stability, flexibility, and 
resilience of electrical grids;
(2) promote demonstration and validation of AI-enabled grid 
management systems capable of real-time monitoring, predictive 
analytics, and autonomous system restoration;
(3) launch pilot projects to evaluate the security, 
scalability, and performance of AI tools for grid modernization 
in diverse environments;
(4) encourage public-private partnerships to 
commercialization and deployment of advanced energy 
technologies for electrical grids; and
(5) provide technical assistance, education, and workforce 
training to strengthen local capacity for AI-enabled grid 
operations.
(c) International Cooperation.--The Secretary of State, in 
consultation with the heads of relevant Federal departments and 
agencies, shall seek to establish cooperative agreements with allied 
and partner countries to support joint research, technology transfer, 
capacity-building, and deployment of AI-enabled grid modernization 
tools, provided that such agreements--
(1) further the international strategy described under 
subsection (a);
(2) involve only research not requiring access to 
classified information or military-specific AI systems; and
(3) comply with all applicable United States export-control 
laws, including the Export Administration Regulations (parts 
730 through 774 of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations) and 
the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (subchapter M of 
chapter I of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations).

SEC. 4. REPORT.

Not later than 540 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary of State shall 
submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a 
report describing progress made in implementing the strategy developed 
pursuant to section 3, including--
(1) partnerships established under such strategy, including 
the number, type, and participating countries or organizations;
(2) research, development, and demonstration activities 
conducted under such strategy, including AI-enabled grid 
technologies developed, tested, or deployed;
(3) outcomes of pilot projects, including assessments of 
security, scalability, performance, and any measurable 
improvements to grid reliability or resilience;
(4) advancements in AI-enabled cybersecurity tools, 
including capabilities for intrusion detection, anomaly 
detection, and system restoration;
(5) technical assistance, workforce development, or 
capacity-building activities, including the number of trainings 
conducted and the number of personnel trained;
(6) progress on the integration of renewable energy 
resources and distributed energy resources through AI-enabled 
systems;
(7) international cooperation agreements negotiated or 
implemented under the strategy;
(8) any challenges encountered in implementing the 
strategy;
(9) recommendations for improving such implementation; and
(10) metrics evaluating changes in the resilience of 
electrical grids as a result of such implementation, to the 
extent data is available.
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