These major issues have brought together Democrats and Republicans in states

Unlike the deep partisan divides grinding Congress to a halt, Democrats and Republicans at the state level are coming together on some of the most significant issues of the 2026 legislative season.

Legislators in most states want to regulate artificial intelligence and curb the sprawling, electricity-hungry data centers that make AI possible in the first place.

Big tech has "scrambled the typical ideological alignments of the left and the right," says David Primo, a professor of political science and business administration at the University of Rochester in New York. "Conservatives and liberals are saying, 'Well, here's an opportunity for us to stop what we think is a problem.'"

And while the two parties remain far apart on many issues — like tax policy, Primo says — it's not just big tech that has Republicans and Democrats aligned.

Regulating artificial intelligence

Ron DeSantis of Florida and Kathy Hochul of New York, two governors on opposite sides of the political spectrum, sound a lot alike when it comes to reining in AI.

DeSantis, a Republican, is backing legislation in Florida called the Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights. The proposal, working its way through the state Senate, makes it illegal to use a person's name, image or likeness without their consent, requires anyone under 18 to have parental permission to engage with companion chatbots and mandates that bots remind users they're not talking to humans.

"I really fear that if this is not addressed in an intelligent and proper way, you know, it could set off an age of darkness and deceit," DeSantis said when proposing the bill package. Tech companies have to be regulated, he says, because they have prioritized profits over user safety.

New York already requires chatbots to identify themselves as non-humans. This year, Hochul is pushing to further limit them. She wants to ban chatbots within social media apps for kids under 18. Other proposals would limit the way bots can interact with young people.

"We're going to disable certain companion features. You've heard about these, right?" she asked an audience gathered at her high school alma mater earlier this year.

"Under our proposals, we're removing that burden from parents and placing the responsibility where it belongs — on the shoulders of the app companies and the platforms themselves."

Late last year, Trump issued an executive order trying to prevent states from regulating AI on their own. But Republicans and Democrats in states are pressing ahead anyway. Nearly every state has a proposal to regulate AI. They range from requiring humans to oversee AI decisions about employees to blocking AI surveillance that could be used to set different prices for consumers.

Data center pushback 

As the public's appetite for AI grows, so does the need for more data centers to handle the massive computing demands. That's a concern in states because data centers require substantial amounts of electricity and water to operate.

In Florida, lawmakers are raising issues about effects on the power grid and water use, and the possibility of passing higher utility costs along to residents, which the Republican-led state Senate is working to address. DeSantis says he thinks many of the arguments in favor of data centers, such as the idea that they'll drive job creation or lower property tax rates, are largely overblown.

South Dakota wants to make sure the state can't overrule local governments when it comes to regulating data centers. Oklahoma is also considering bills to limit the impact of data center growth.

As with the AI debate, Trump and most states have found themselves on opposite sides of the data center fight, too. Trump has largely been supportive of their growth, but says tech companies have to pay their own way. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the president said, "We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs; they can build their own power plants as part of their factory." His administration wants to require tech companies building new centers to pay more for electricity to control price increases affecting consumers.

Democratic lawmakers in New York and Maine are proposing a temporary ban on data centers, as are Republicans in Oklahoma.

The bill in New York is fairly new, but Hochul has announced the state's Public Service Commission will take a close look at the issue to ensure that data centers are "paying their fair share."  

In Colorado, a proposal would require data centers to use renewable energy for their operations. And many states, led by Republicans and Democrats alike, are considering expanding nuclear energy to help power AI.

Tech companies are opposing many of these proposals and putting money into political campaigns. They say it would be impossible to follow different laws in each state and that regulations could stifle innovation that could benefit the public.

Housing

Nationwide, the rising cost of housing is also a concern for both parties. In Florida, a bill to loosen restrictions on accessory dwelling units received full bipartisan support in the state Senate. DeSantis wants to address the affordable housing crisis by cutting property taxes. That isn't sitting well with Democrats in the state who say they worry about the impact on local governments. They say decreasing property insurance rates would be a better path.

Lawmakers in New York and other states are trying to streamline environmental regulations. Dozens of states are considering proposals to cut building regulations, strengthen tenants' rights and improve conditions in rental housing. In other words, when it comes to housing, lawmakers across the political spectrum are embracing ideas usually popular with one party or the other.

Transcript

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

Unlike in Congress right now, Republicans and Democrats and state capitals agree on some major issues this year. In many places, lawmakers want to regulate the many ways companies and people use artificial intelligence, and they want to curb the sprawling, electricity-hungry data centers that make AI possible in the first place. To talk about some of the big trends this legislative season, we're joined by Samuel King with WXXI and the New York Public News Network in Albany and Regan McCarthy of WFSU in Tallahassee, Florida. Welcome.

REGAN MCCARTHY, BYLINE: Hi, thank you.

SAMUEL KING, BYLINE: Great to be here.

RASCOE: Starting with AI, Regan, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is a Republican who's often aligned with President Trump, but it seems like not necessarily on AI. What's DeSantis been doing as the session gets going there?

MCCARTHY: Yeah. So DeSantis has unveiled what he's calling an AI bill of rights, and several parts of that plan have just passed in the Florida Senate. And that proposal includes making it illegal to use a person's name, image or likeness without their consent. It also includes protections for kids, like requiring parental consent before minors can engage with companion chatbots and requiring the bots to remind people that they aren't human. And so, as you mentioned, this is an area where President Trump and DeSantis may be headed in different directions. Trump issued an executive order trying to limit what states can do about AI on their own. DeSantis worries giving AI companies a free pass could be dangerous.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RON DESANTIS: I really fear that if this is not addressed in an intelligent and proper way, you know, it could set off an age of darkness and deceit.

MCCARTHY: So almost every state has a proposal to regulate AI, and some examples include making sure humans oversee decisions AI makes about employees or blocking AI surveillance that could be used to set different prices for different consumers.

RASCOE: Samuel, how about in New York? Your state is run by Democrats, but is it looking similar there?

KING: Yeah, Ayesha. Some of the things we're hearing sound similar to what we're hearing in Florida. Governor Kathy Hochul has thrown her support behind legislation aimed at online safety. The proposals expand age verification requirements, including for online gaming and social media platforms and seek to keep strangers from contacting kids online by placing privacy settings on those platforms at their highest levels by the fall. New York has already required chatbots to identify themselves, and this year is looking at more limits on how they work on social media. Here's Hochul speaking at her high school alma mater, just outside Buffalo, earlier this year.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KATHY HOCHUL: Under our proposals, we're removing that burden from parents and placing the responsibility where it belongs - on the shoulders of the app companies and the platforms themselves.

KING: A lot of states led by both parties have bills about how kids can interact with chatbots. Some are looking at regulating how AI is used in mental health treatment, like Maine, but these could also face a lot of opposition from big AI companies and maybe President Trump.

RASCOE: Of course, when you talk about AI and other internet activity, that's related to another big issue both parties are looking at, and that's data centers. What are the concerns there?

KING: This has become a major issue because of power and environmental concerns across the country. To operate, the centers require a large amount of electricity and fresh water. So opponents believe they are driving up the cost of energy for everyone. Democratic lawmakers in New York, for example, are proposing a temporary ban on data centers. That bill hasn't seen much movement yet, but Hochul has announced the state's Public Service Commission will take a close look at the issue to ensure that data centers are, quote, "paying their fair share." Meanwhile, Maine legislators are looking at a ban on new large data centers. While in Colorado, a proposal would require data centers to at least use renewable energy for their operations. Meanwhile, the White House, a lot like the AI battle Regan mentioned, has largely been supportive of data centers, and reports say the administration is trying to get the big tech companies to voluntarily agree to commitments preserving electricity and water.

MCCARTHY: Yeah. So those data centers are a big concern for Republican-led states, too, including here in Florida, where lawmakers are raising concerns about issues like the impact on the power grid, water use, and the possibility of passing higher utility costs along to residents, even the possibility of noise pollution. So the Senate is working to put some protections in place now to address that. DeSantis says he thinks a lot of the arguments in favor of data centers, like the idea that they'll drive jobs or lower property tax rates, are largely overinflated. And one other thing worth noting is that amid this energy use discussion, lawmakers across the country are looking into the possible expansion of nuclear energy. That includes restarting or building new kinds of nuclear reactors.

RASCOE: OK. Well, we should know that there are tens of thousands of bills lawmakers file every year. What are some of the other big issues?

MCCARTHY: Yeah. So here's where you'll start to see a bit more of that partisan divide. So one of the big-ticket issues in Florida is immigration. And while many blue states are putting rules in place to limit immigration enforcement efforts, many red states, like Florida, are looking into more rules to crack down on people who are in the country illegally. For example, Florida is looking into proposals to reduce access to mortgages or changing how it administers its driver's license tests. And Florida's also got some measures this session to expand firearm access. One proposal would allow certain faculty to carry guns on college and university campuses. And while housing affordability is a major issue across the country, one of the ways Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to address that is by cutting property taxes. That's a big concern for Democrats here who worry about the impact to local governments and say decreasing property insurance rates would be a better path.

RASCOE: Samuel, what are the other concerns out there in blue-state New York?

KING: Well, one is housing. They want to keep people here so they can afford housing and not go to states like Florida, so they're looking at streamlining some environmental regulations. Other states are looking at zoning. Immigration remains a huge issue. States like New York and Maryland are trying to limit local law enforcement cooperation with ICE after what happened in Minnesota. And states are grappling with the potential impact of H.R.1, Trump's big tax and spending bill. In New York, there's a bit of a reprieve for this budget cycle as some of the Medicaid and other cuts don't take effect until next year, but there could be potential cuts to Medicaid and other social programs in future years. So groups are trying to get their request in now because the money may not be there next year.

RASCOE: That's Samuel King in Albany and Regan McCarthy in Tallahassee. Thank you so much.

MCCARTHY: Thank you.