Bills · HR 8306
IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS
House BillHR 8306Foreign Trade and International Finance
SCALE Act
This bill requires the government to annually measure the chip-making abilities of rival nations and limit U.S. exports to only those chips that are slightly more advanced than what those rivals can build on their own.AI-written
INTRO APR 15· LAST ACTION APR 15
READING
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tl;dr
AI-writtenSets a 'moving ceiling' on AI chip exports to rivals, banning the sale of any hardware more than 10% faster than what those countries can already manufacture themselves.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS
STEP 2 / 8Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed House
Passed Senate
Conference
To President
Became Law
WHAT THE BILL DOES
AI-writtenIn the global race for AI supremacy, the country with the most computing power has a significant military and economic advantage. Currently, the U.S. uses export bans to keep its best tech out of the hands of rivals, but those rivals are working hard to build their own chips. If they succeed, they might stop needing American tech entirely, giving them total control over their own AI development.
This bill attempts to find a middle ground: it 'crowds out' foreign competitors by allowing them to buy mid-range U.S. chips, which keeps them from feeling the need to build their own industries from scratch. However, it strictly blocks them from getting anything significantly more powerful than what they can already build, ensuring the U.S. keeps a permanent lead in 'cutting-edge' technology.
KEY PROVISIONS
4AI-extractedPROVISION 01
Requires the government to set specific metrics for AI hardware, including processing power and memory bandwidth.
This creates a standard, technical yardstick to measure exactly how 'smart' or powerful a chip is.
PROVISION 02
Mandates an annual assessment of the 'indigenous' (local) chip-making capabilities of rival nations.
It forces the U.S. to stay updated on exactly how close rivals are to catching up technologically.
PROVISION 03
Limits exports to a level no higher than 110% of what a rival country can produce locally in large quantities.
This creates an automatic, sliding scale for trade that adjusts as foreign technology improves.
PROVISION 04
Sets a policy to prevent any adversary from reaching 'parity' (equal total computing power) with the United States.
It establishes a legal goal to ensure the U.S. always has more total AI 'brainpower' than its rivals.
SPONSORSHIP
1 + 0
R· Michigan
YRS IN OFFICE
11
BILLS LED
49
ACTION TIMELINE
2 EVENTSAPR 15
Introduced in House
APR 15
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
BILL INFO
TypeHouse Bill
NumberHR 8306
Congress119th
StatusIn Committee
IntroducedApr 15, 2026
Last actionApr 15, 2026
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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · INTELLIGENCE (PERMANENT SELECT) COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED APR 15, 2026
House BillHR 8306Foreign Trade and International Finance
SCALE Act
This bill requires the government to annually measure the chip-making abilities of rival nations and limit U.S. exports to only those chips that are slightly more advanced than what those rivals can build on their own.AI-written
INTRODUCED APR 15, 2026· LAST ACTION APR 15, 2026
PASSAGE CHANCES
—%
READING
13 min
COSPONSORS
0
COMPLEXITY
Moderate
