HB0091-Ban on Government Social Scoring with AI

***LAC is the Legislative Action Committee of the RWSC (Republican Women of Sheridan County).  Below is the main message showing our position and reasons why we support or oppose a bill.   

We oppose HB0091 - Ban on Government Social Scoring AI, and believe it should be sent to the interim or tabled for the following reasons: 

· This bill should be tabled and referred to the interim to consider the impact it will have on Wyoming citizens and agencies, especially law enforcement. The language requires extensive amending to strike an appropriate balance between protecting individual rights while supporting the safety of our citizens.

· Despite the name of the bill, it has little to do with “social scoring” and focuses primarily on banning governmental profiling which could impede law enforcement investigations and state agencies’ use of certain software. The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police Executive director supports “careful study” and “a lot more knowledge” than the language in the bill provides.

· House Minerals Committee members questioned the impact of prohibiting biometric data including facial recognition, fingerprints, retinal scans, etc. If biometric data is prohibited, this bill may also hinder a coroner’s ability to identify remains. 

· There has been no serious discussion as to why certain government entities such as the University of Wyoming, community colleges/districts and specified healthcare agencies are excluded from the bill.

· Legislators have questioned why this bill consists of only 5 of the 30 pages from the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act. Some have also questioned the necessity of this bill since provisions in this bill may already be protected by the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions.

Thank you!