HR7110-119

What This Bill Does

The Eliminating Bias in Algorithmic Systems Act of 2026 creates a civil-rights oversight framework for federal algorithm use and regulation. Covered algorithms include machine learning, natural language processing, artificial intelligence, or similarly complex computational processes that may materially affect access to agency programs, federally regulated economic opportunities, or protected rights. Protected characteristics include race, color, ethnicity, national origin, nationality, immigration status, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, disability, limited English proficiency, biometric information, familial or marital status, source of income, income level, age, veteran status, genetic information, medical conditions, and other federally protected classifications. Each covered agency must have an office of civil rights employing experts and technologists focused on bias, discrimination, and other harms. Within one year and every two years after that, each office must report to jurisdictional committees on algorithmic risks, mitigation steps, stakeholder engagement, and recommendations. DOJ's Civil Rights Division must establish an interagency working group on covered algorithms and civil rights within one year, with each covered agency civil-rights office as a member.

Who Benefits and How

People affected by federal or federally regulated algorithms, civil-rights advocates, consumer protection organizations, workers' organizations, technical experts, academic researchers, and congressional oversight committees benefit from dedicated agency expertise, regular reporting, stakeholder engagement, and an interagency working group. Agency civil-rights offices benefit from explicit authority to hire technologists and study algorithmic harms.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Covered agencies, agency civil-rights offices, federal program managers, procurement teams, agency technologists, DOJ Civil Rights Division staff, and companies whose algorithms are funded, procured, regulated, or overseen by agencies face new reporting, assessment, stakeholder engagement, and mitigation burdens. Agencies must evaluate algorithmic harms across many protected characteristics and produce biennial reports.

Key Provisions

• Defines covered algorithms to include AI, machine learning, natural language processing, and similarly complex computational processes with material effects.
• Defines protected characteristics broadly, including race, sex, disability, limited English proficiency, biometric information, source of income, age, veteran status, genetic information, and medical conditions.
• Requires covered agencies to maintain civil-rights offices with bias, discrimination, harm, and technology expertise.
• Requires covered agency civil-rights offices to submit algorithmic-bias reports within one year and every two years thereafter.
• Requires DOJ Civil Rights Division to establish an interagency working group on covered algorithms and civil rights.