Cleared committee · S.4749 · September 16, 2026
It cleared committee 18–10. Now get it to the floor.
On Wednesday morning the Senate Commerce Committee favorably reported the bipartisan Cruz–Wyden JAWBONE Act — and voted down, 13–15, a substitute that would have stripped AI systems out of the bill entirely. The next vote is the full Senate, and there is no date for it. Floor time is won by cosponsors, calls, and pressure on leadership. The calls you made this week landed. Here is the next set.
What happened · Executive Session 25 · Russell 253
18–10
Motion to favorably report S.4749, as amended by the Cruz substitute. Agreed to by roll call. Sens. Schatz and Markey recorded yes by proxy. The committee is 15 R – 13 D, so at least three Democrats voted yes.
13–15
Cantwell #1 — failed. A substitute that would have removed AI models as covered entities and struck the government-communications transparency portal (§§ 4–5). Chairman Cruz opposed it and asked colleagues to vote no.
Next
Senate floor. No date. Cruz committed to work with Ranking Member Cantwell before floor consideration to harmonize the bill with a separate catastrophic-risk AI bill. Sen. Schmitt's companion — allowing suits against the platforms themselves — is slated for the committee's next markup.
The record, in order.
- Chairman Cruz opened on the bill: named for the kind of censorship where government compels a third party to suppress someone else's speech; cited Murthy v. Missouri (2024), where censored Americans were held to lack standing; described the bill as protecting the First Amendment “without fear or favor to different kinds of speech.”
- Ranking Member Cantwell said she supports the core remedy — she cited the ABC/Jimmy Kimmel episode — but opposed the bill “today” because it covers AI models as entities and, in her view, would expose federal safety conversations with AI companies to suit.
- Cruz moved to favorably report S.4749 as amended by the Cruz substitute. Cantwell offered Cantwell #1, a substitute removing AI models from the bill.
- Cruz opposed: the amendment would “neuter the protections with respect to AI so the government has the ability to dictate the content.” He pointed to COVID-era suppression of dissent from the medical establishment and election-season pressure on political posts as the precedent, and said the same reflex is visible now with AI.
- Roll call on Cantwell #1: 13 yeas, 15 noes. Not agreed to. Cantwell said she had further amendments but would not offer them today.
- Roll call on the motion to report: 18 yeas, 10 noes. Favorably reported.
“The last time we saw censorship in public health it was at the height of COVID, when the government tried to suppress dissent from the medical establishment. … Judging from some of the panic going on right now, I can see the government trying to do something similar with AI.” Chairman Ted Cruz, opposing Cantwell #1 — as rendered by the committee's live closed captions; verify against the video before republishing in quotation marks.
Source: Senate Commerce Executive Session 25 archived video (1:16:57) and its English closed-caption track. Live captions are near-verbatim but not a certified transcript. Roll-call breakdowns by senator and the text of the Cruz substitute will be published by the committee; Congress.gov typically records committee action within one to three business days. This page will be updated when both land.
Step 1
Call both of your U.S. Senators. Two asks: cosponsor S.4749, and ask leadership for floor time.
Offices are open 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday. The week after a committee vote is when offices decide whether a bill is “alive” — the tally sheet you land on this week is the one the Senator sees when the whip asks.
A reported bill still needs floor time, and floor time goes to bills with a cosponsor list and a constituent record. Right now S.4749 has two names on it. If your Senator sits on Commerce, they voted this morning — thank a yes, and ask a no what it would take. Either way, ask them to sign on as a cosponsor and to tell the Majority Leader they want it scheduled.
30-second phone script
"Hi, my name is [your name] and I live in [city, state]. I'm calling about S.4749, the JAWBONE Act — the bipartisan Cruz–Wyden bill that Senate Commerce reported favorably 18–10 this week."
"It would let Americans sue when federal officials pressure platforms, broadcasters, or AI systems to suppress their lawful speech. It reaches attempted coercion, not just successful takedowns, and it gives Americans real discovery. The committee also rejected an amendment to take AI out of the bill — I'd like the Senator to keep it in."
"I'm asking Senator [last name] to cosponsor S.4749 and to ask Leader Thune to schedule a floor vote this fall. Please pass that on. Thank you."
If your Senator sits on Commerce, add: "I saw the committee voted this morning. Can you tell me how Senator [last name] voted?" — thank a yes; for a no, ask: "What would it take to get the Senator to yes before the floor?"
If you get voicemail: leave the same message. Include your ZIP code so they log you as a constituent. Every constituent contact goes on the tally sheet whether it's a person or a message.
Step 2
Send the email backup — takes ninety seconds.
After you call, send the same message in writing. It becomes part of the constituent file and forces a written response from the office — and a written cosponsorship request is what legislative staff forward to the Senator. Both Senators listed above have a contact form on their website; copy the message below and paste it in.
Senate offices accept mail through a form on their own site — not a mailto link. Copy the message, then click each “Contact form” link under your Senator's name and paste.
Step 3
Ask your House Representative to introduce a House companion.
The bill has now cleared Senate committee. A bill has to pass both chambers to become law, and there is still no House companion. Every House office that hears from constituents this week is more likely to raise its hand — and a Senate committee vote is exactly the signal that makes a Member willing to lead.
Find your U.S. House Representative in ninety seconds using the House lookup tool, then call the main office and use the script below.
30-second phone script — House Rep
"Hi, my name is [your name], I'm a constituent in [city, ZIP]. I'm calling to ask Representative [last name] to introduce a House companion to S.4749, the JAWBONE Act."
"It's a bipartisan Senate bill — Senator Cruz and Senator Wyden — that the Senate Commerce Committee just reported favorably, 18 to 10. It would let Americans sue when federal officials pressure platforms to suppress their speech. There is no House version yet, and the Senate bill now needs one."
"Please pass on that a constituent is asking Representative [last name] to lead on this. Thank you."
Step 4
Post the result. Tag your Senators. Bring five more people with you.
A committee vote is a public act on a public bill, and a bipartisan 18–10 is the kind of number that makes offices comfortable signing on. Post the result card, tag both of your Senators by handle, and ask five friends to make the same two calls.
Why this bill matters — from the founder.
The JAWBONE Act is the first serious federal bill I've seen that reaches this problem where it actually happens: the moment a federal official calls a platform. It reaches attempted coercion. It provides real discovery. It creates a courtroom door where the courts have so far refused to reach one. That's why I endorsed it publicly before the vote, and it's why I'm asking you to make these two calls now. What happened in committee this morning is also the argument this coalition has been making about AI, playing out in real time: the first amendment offered against the bill was an amendment to take AI out of it. The committee said no. The floor needs to hear the same thing.
Read the full endorsement → · Compare JAWBONE with the Remedies Act →