Federal · House Bill · 119th Congress, 2nd Session
HR7826
H.R. 7826 — To amend the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 to provide for a special allocation of certain awards of financial assistance to historically Black Colleges and Universities relating to national artificial intelligence research institutes, and for other purposes

Status ● Introduced Effective N/A Passage Likelihood L

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority
No enforcement mechanism created by this bill. The bill amends federal research funding allocation provisions administered by federal agency heads (including the Secretary of Energy) under the existing National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020.
Private Right of Action
No private right of action. Enforcement is exclusive to the designated authority.
Penalties
No damages or remedies provisions. This is a federal research funding allocation bill.

What This Bill Requires

Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.

Statutory Text
Analysis & Obligations
Section 1
Short Title

This Act may be cited as the ''HBCU AI Research Leadership Act''.

Establishes the short title of the Act as the HBCU AI Research Leadership Act.

Section 2(a)
Special Allocation for HBCUs Relating to National AI Research Institutes
Government

(a) 1 Paragraph (1) of section 5201(b) of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9431(b)) is amended— (1) by striking ''Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this purpose, the Secretary of Energy,'' and inserting the following: ''(A) AWARDS.—Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this purpose, the Secretary of Energy,''; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: ''(B) SPECIAL ALLOCATION FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.—In awarding financial assistance under subparagraph (A), the agency head shall designate not less than ten percent of such assistance for the Institutes to eligible historically Black colleges or universities (or consortia thereof), which may include partnerships with other institutions of higher education, to establish and support Institutes.''.

This section amends Section 5201(b)(1) of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. § 9431(b)) to require that federal agency heads designate not less than ten percent of financial assistance awarded for national AI research institutes to eligible historically Black colleges and universities, or consortia thereof. HBCUs may include partnerships with other institutions of higher education to establish and support such institutes.

This provision directs federal spending allocation and does not create private-sector compliance obligations. The obligation falls on federal agency heads distributing AI research institute funding.

Compliance actions 1 item
1
Federal agency heads must designate not less than ten percent of financial assistance awarded for national AI research institutes to eligible historically Black colleges or universities (or consortia thereof).
Section 2(b)
Definition of Historically Black College and University

(b) Section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (11) as paragraphs (6) through (12), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following new paragraph: ''(5) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITYhistorically Black college and universityThe term 'historically Black college and university' has the meaning given the term 'part B institution' in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).15 U.S.C. § 9401(5).—The term 'historically Black college and universityhistorically Black college and universityThe term 'historically Black college and university' has the meaning given the term 'part B institution' in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).15 U.S.C. § 9401(5)' has the meaning given the term 'part B institution' in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).''.

This section amends Section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. § 9401) to insert a definition of historically Black college and university, cross-referencing the meaning of 'part B institution' in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). The amendment also redesignates existing paragraphs to accommodate the new definition.

Passage Likelihood

Low
Status Introduced
Chamber No passage
Committee No action
Majority party (No data)
Bipartisan No
Prior session None

Legislative History

2026-03-05 Introduced in House
2026-03-05 Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Entry Last Reviewed

2026-05-20
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