Matzie: House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee approves bills on mechanical insulation, AI content disclosure

Rep. Robert Matzie    March 27, 2024 | 1:23 PM

HARRISBURG, March 27 – The House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee on Tuesday approved two bills, including legislation to promote the use of an energy-efficient insulating material and a measure that would alert consumers that the digital content they are viewing was generated by artificial intelligence, Majority Chairman Rob Matzie announced.

Matzie, D-Beaver, said the committee unanimously passed an amended version of H.B. 491, which would facilitate the use of mechanical insulation on pipes, equipment and machinery by clarifying that the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission may not reject an electric distribution company’s required energy efficiency and conservation plan solely because the plan involves mechanical insulation.

“We want to encourage use of building materials that save energy, save costs and protect workers, and mechanical insulation does all of those things,” Matzie said. “We’ve been working on this bill for some time, and I’m glad it’s finally headed to the full House for consideration.”

Matzie said H.B. 1598 – which was approved by a bipartisan majority of the committee – would help safeguard consumers by requiring a disclosure on all AI generated content.

“The use of artificial intelligence is becoming more and more of a consumer protection issue because it can impact the reliability of information folks receive,” Matzie said. “The bill we advanced today would let people know that the content they’re reading on their phone or computer was generated by AI, so they can make more informed decisions and avoid being misled.”

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ATTENTION EDITORS AND ASSIGNMENT DESKS: Video of the hearing is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka2Hwkwh6ns&ab_channel=Pa.HouseVideo

Matzie’s comments about the meeting are available here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/smmxhrgwigqxjd8l9hpwp/032624-Matzie-Consumer-Protection.mp4?rlkey=d1fr7wqb09fwvzx6ne3oc6fbs&dl=0