H.R. 7334: National Commission on Robotics Act
Sponsor
Jay Obernolte
Republican · CA-23
The U.S. needs a robotics strategy with a deadline
Why it matters
18 experts, two years, one national plan for robots. H.R. 7334 creates a temporary commission to work out how the United States builds, buys, and staffs its robotics industry, and it puts every step on a clock — including a rule that erases any seat a leader fails to fill within 45 days.
H.R. 7334 does one thing. It sets up a temporary panel called the Commission on American Leadership in Robotics and gives it two years to tell Congress and the President what the country should do about robots.
The review is broad. It covers how robots are deployed in factories, stores, and other businesses, how the country recruits and trains robotics talent, what other governments are doing to get ahead, and how much of the robot supply chain depends on other countries. The commission can add any other robotics topic it considers appropriate.
The commission advises: it reports to Congress and the President, and nothing in the bill lets it write regulations or direct spending. Whatever it recommends would still need a new law or agency action to take effect.
The 18 seats are divided among five people. The Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Senate Minority Leader each pick three members, and the President picks six. Every member has to be a recognized expert in robotics or in how businesses and governments use it.
Any leader who misses the 45-day appointment deadline loses those picks for good, and the commission gets smaller by that many seats. The commission starts work with whoever has been named.
The schedule after that is fixed. The Secretary of Commerce has 30 days after enactment to establish the commission. An interim report is due one year later and a final report at two years. The commission then stays open 18 months to follow up before it shuts down — about three and a half years from start to finish if every deadline is met.
The bill does not set a budget. The commission would run on staff, office space, and services lent by the Department of Commerce and other agencies, plus donated goods and services from outside groups. Donations of money are not allowed.
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Feb 3, 2026
Referred to Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. for review
H.R. 7334 Bill Summary
What H.R. 7334 actually does.
A national robotics review, due in two years
The commission would examine robotics as it relates to commerce, economic competitiveness, and national security. An interim report is due one year after the commission is established and a final report with recommendations at two years. Both go to the President, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
Eighteen expert seats, split five ways
The Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader each appoint three members, and the President appoints six. Members must be recognized experts in robotics or its uses in the private or public sector. The Speaker and Senate Majority Leader jointly name the Chair; the two minority leaders jointly name the Vice Chair.
Late appointments are forfeited
Appointments are due 45 days after the commission is established. If an appointment is not made by then, the authority to make it expires and the commission's size drops by the number of unfilled seats.
Factories, supply chains, and talent are on the agenda
The review must cover U.S. competitiveness in robotics, deployment in industrial, retail, and commercial settings, foreign governments' robotics policies, partnerships with industry and universities, programs to recruit robotics talent, and supply chain risks, including policies to increase robot manufacturing in the United States.
Robots are defined broadly, down to ground vehicles
The definition takes in programmable industrial arms, mechanisms that move or handle objects with some autonomy, machines that sense their surroundings and act on them, and remotely operated or sensor-driven machines that travel on the ground, which the bill also calls unmanned ground vehicle systems.
Agencies supply the staff, space, and information
The Secretary of Commerce must assign a liaison and, if the commission asks, the services of a federally funded research center. Agencies may lend employees at no charge and must hand over information the Chair requests. The General Services Administration has 30 days to find spare federal office space; if it cannot, the commission may lease its own.
No cash gifts, and a cap on consultant pay
The commission may accept donated services, goods, and property from outside groups, but not money. Gifts must be documented and conflicts of interest avoided. Outside experts and consultants cannot be paid more per day than a senior federal official at Level IV of the Executive Schedule.
The commission closes when its work is done
Members serve for the life of the commission and can be removed only for cause, after notice and a three-quarters vote of the members. The commission terminates 18 months after it submits its final report.
Who benefits from H.R. 7334?
Companies that build robots in the United States
The commission has to look at the domestic robotics market, supply chain dependencies, and policies to increase robot manufacturing here. Its recommendations could shape what Congress does next for the industry.
Manufacturers, retailers, and warehouses that use robots
Deployment in industrial, retail, and commercial settings is named in the review. Businesses that buy and run these machines would have a federal panel studying what speeds up or slows down adoption.
Engineers, technicians, and students headed into robotics
The review covers incentives and programs to attract and recruit robotics talent, including in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
Universities and research organizations
The commission must consider partnerships with academic institutions, and the Secretary of Commerce may bring in an independent nonprofit institute with expertise in competitiveness and technology to support the work.
Lawmakers writing technology policy
Congress and the President would receive an interim report at one year and final recommendations at two, written by experts rather than assembled bill by bill.
Who is affected by H.R. 7334?
The four congressional leaders and the President
Each has 45 days after the commission is established to name their members. Seats not filled by then are eliminated rather than held open.
The Department of Commerce
The Secretary must establish the commission within 30 days of enactment, assign a liaison, and provide a federally funded research center's services on request. The department may also cover administrative services, staff, facilities, and funds without being reimbursed.
Other federal agencies
Agencies must cooperate fully, furnish information when the Chair asks, and may lend employees to the commission at their own expense. The General Services Administration must find office space within 30 days.
The people appointed to the commission
Members are treated as federal employees and must follow House and Senate ethics rules. They serve until the commission ends unless removed for cause by the leader who appointed them, with a three-quarters vote of their fellow members.
Workers in jobs where robots are being added
The bill does not direct the commission to study job losses. Its workforce item is about recruiting robotics talent. The commission could take up displacement under its authority to examine other robotics matters, but nothing requires it to.
HR7334 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Feb 3, 2026
Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
About the Sponsor
Jay Obernolte
Republican, California's 23rd congressional district · 5 years in Congress
Committees: Science, Space, and Technology, the Budget, Energy and Commerce
View full profile →
Cosponsors (2)
This bill has 2 cosponsors: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 2 states: Ohio, Virginia.
Committee Sponsors
Education and Workforce Committee
0 of 37 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Foreign Affairs Committee
0 of 53 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Energy and Commerce Committee
2 of 54 committee members cosponsored
Science, Space, and Technology Committee
0 of 40 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
84 Republicans across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 7334 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Education and Workforce
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Introduced
- Feb 3, 2026
Referred to Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. for review
Feb 3, 2026
Official Sources
Official congressional page for the National Commission on Robotics Act, with status, cosponsors, and committee referrals.
The Government Publishing Office's authenticated text of the bill as introduced on February 3, 2026.
House Committee Repository entry for the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee legislative hearing that listed H.R. 7334 among the bills under review.
The Department of Commerce lab that develops performance measures and standards for manufacturing robots, inside the department the bill puts in charge of standing up the commission.
The Manufacturing USA institute for advanced robotics in manufacturing, an existing federal partnership with industry and universities of the kind the commission is told to examine.
The federal statute on staffing and pay for temporary organizations, which the bill uses to set pay for the commission's Executive Director and staff.
Current Executive Schedule rates, including Level IV, the ceiling the bill sets on daily pay for the commission's outside experts and consultants.
Who is lobbying on H.R. 7334?
4 organizations lobbying on this bill
AGILITY ROBOTICS, INC. | 4 |
FANUC AMERICA CORPORATION | 2 |
BOSTON DYNAMICS, INC. | 1 |
ASSOCIATION FOR ADVANCING AUTOMATION | 1 |
Showing 1-4 of 4 organizations
H.R. 7334 Common Questions
What does H.R. 7334, the National Commission on Robotics Act, do?
It creates a temporary 18-member panel, the Commission on American Leadership in Robotics, to review where the United States stands in robotics and recommend what Congress and the federal government should do. The commission advises. It has no power to regulate.
Who would sit on the national robotics commission?
Eighteen recognized experts in robotics or its uses. The Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader each appoint three. The President appoints six.
What happens if a robotics commission seat isn't filled on time?
The seat disappears. Appointments are due 45 days after the commission is established. Any pick not made by then expires, and the commission shrinks by that many members instead of waiting.
When would the robotics commission report, and how long would it last?
An interim report is due one year after the commission is established and a final report at two years. The commission shuts down 18 months after the final report, so the whole effort runs about three and a half years.
What would the robotics commission actually study?
U.S. competitiveness in robotics, how robots are used in factories, stores, and other businesses, what other countries are doing, partnerships with industry and universities, recruiting robotics talent, and supply chain risks — including how to build more robots in the United States.
Will the commission look at robots replacing workers?
The bill doesn't require it. The one workforce item is about attracting and recruiting robotics talent, including in science and engineering fields. The commission may take up any other robotics matter it considers appropriate, so job displacement could be studied, but that is its call.
What counts as a robot under H.R. 7334?
Programmable industrial arms, mechanisms that move or handle objects with some autonomy, machines that sense their surroundings and act on them, and remotely operated ground vehicles. Aerial drones are not named, though the list is written as examples rather than a complete definition.
How much would the robotics commission cost, and who pays?
The bill names no dollar amount. The Department of Commerce and other agencies may supply staff, space, and funds without reimbursement. Outside groups can donate goods and services but not money, and every gift has to be documented.
Based on H.R. 7334 bill text
Full Bill Text
Get notified when H.R. 7334 moves
Committee votes, floor action, cosponsor changes — straight to your inbox.
Bill alerts + Legisletter's monthly briefing. Unsubscribe anytime.
Science, Technology, Communications Bills
9 related bills we're tracking
AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025
Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 622.
Sep 16, 2026
Scientific Integrity Act
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Feb 6, 2025
Kids Online Safety Act
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Aug 5, 2026
Sunshine Protection Act of 2025
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Jul 15, 2026
GUARDRAILS Act
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Mar 20, 2026
Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Dec 2, 2025
TAKE IT DOWN Act
Became Public Law No: 119-12.
May 19, 2025
States' Right to Regulate AI Act
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Dec 17, 2025
ACERO Act
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Feb 24, 2026
Trending Right Now
Bills gaining momentum across Congress
ASAP Act
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 40 - 0.
Sep 16, 2026
Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act of 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Mar 3, 2025
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
May 7, 2025
Tracking Science, Technology, Communications in Congress? Monitor bills, track cosponsor momentum, and launch advocacy campaigns — all from one advocacy platform.