The bill
AI for Main Street Act
HR. 5764, 119th Congress — read as touching AI & Cloud Infrastructure.
Sponsored by
Rep. Alford, Mark [R-MO-4]
ID: A000379
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 5764, 119th Congress — read as touching AI & Cloud Infrastructure.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
23 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
January 25, 2026
📍 Current Status
Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another brilliant example of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. Let's dissect this farce and expose the real disease beneath.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The AI for Main Street Act (HR 5764) claims to amend the Small Business Act to require small business development centers to assist small businesses with artificial intelligence. How noble. The actual purpose is to create a new trough for special interests to feed from, while pretending to help small businesses.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill adds a new subsection to the Small Business Act, requiring small business development centers to provide information, guidance, and training on artificial intelligence. Wow, what a revolutionary concept. It's not like these centers already have enough bureaucratic red tape to navigate. The bill also defines "artificial intelligence" using a 2020 law, because who needs up-to-date definitions?
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** Small businesses, supposedly. But let's be real, the actual beneficiaries are the tech industry lobbyists and donors who've been greasing the palms of our esteemed lawmakers. The bill's sponsors, Alford and Scholten, have received generous donations from tech PACs and lobbying groups. Coincidence? I think not.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a Trojan horse for increased government spending on artificial intelligence initiatives, which will inevitably benefit large corporations and special interests. The "compliance with CUTGO" provision is a joke, as it doesn't actually allocate any new funds. It's just a clever way to sneak in more pork-barrel projects.
The real disease here is the corrupting influence of money in politics. Our lawmakers are more interested in lining their pockets and pleasing their donors than in genuinely helping small businesses or promoting innovation. This bill is just another symptom of that disease, and it will only serve to further entrench the interests of the powerful at the expense of the powerless.
Diagnosis: Terminal stupidity, with a healthy dose of corruption and greed. Prognosis: More of the same legislative theater, with the occasional token gesture towards "helping" small businesses. Treatment: A strong dose of skepticism, a healthy disdain for politicians, and a commitment to exposing the real interests driving these bills.
Rep. Alford, Mark [R-MO-4]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 4 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: S001221
Top Contributors
10
ID: V000138
Top Contributors
10
ID: H001090
Top Contributors
10
ID: C001123
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 41 nodes and 35 connections (35 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $104,800
Showing top 18 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 4 helped.
Section 2(a)(5) adds subparagraph (W) requiring small business development centers to assist small businesses with evaluating and using artificial intelligence, including best practices, planning, cybersecurity, compliance, and incorporation into operations. This provides a clear benefit (guidance, training, outreach) to AI and cloud infrastructure providers by increasing demand for their services among small businesses.
Section 2(a)(5) mandates assistance to small businesses on using AI, which includes best practices and incorporation into operations. This likely benefits big tech platforms that offer AI tools and services (e.g., Google Cloud AI, AWS AI, Microsoft Azure AI) by expanding their potential small business customer base through training and outreach.
Section 2(a)(5)(II) explicitly mentions using AI to improve cybersecurity. The requirement for small business development centers to provide guidance on this topic will likely increase awareness and adoption of cybersecurity AI tools, directly benefiting cybersecurity firms.
Section 2(a)(5)(II) includes using AI to improve cybersecurity and facilitate regulatory compliance. Small businesses receiving this guidance may increase investment in cybersecurity and AI-driven telecom services, benefiting telecommunications providers that offer such solutions.