CALIFORNIA — Rep. Ro Khanna introduced a Data Center Bill of Rights resolution in August 2026 to grant communities authority over data center placement and energy costs. The California Democrat called for the measure during an interview on NBC.

The resolution would allow communities to reject increases in electric bills associated with data centers. "You can’t shove a data center down the throats of a local community," he said. He also noted that even technology leaders understand the need for a pause to ensure regulations are correct.

He said that even the technology leaders understand that there needs to be a pause so that we can get this right. He believes it needs regulation. The bill was sponsored by Khanna, a Democrat from California, and no cosponsors are listed on record.

Why It Matters

The introduction of the Data Center Bill of Rights shows growing legislative attention to the local impacts of artificial intelligence infrastructure. With 71% of Americans opposing local construction of AI data centers in a March Gallup survey, the resolution addresses public concern over community autonomy and resource management.

The bill seeks to balance technological advancement with local control by mandating transparency and allowing communities to reject projects that affect residential areas or increase utility costs. This approach contrasts with the immediate federal moratorium proposed by other lawmakers, offering a framework for local decision-making rather than a nationwide halt.

Timeline

August 2026: Rep. Khanna introduced the Data Center Bill of Rights resolution (H.RES.1471) and discussed it during an interview on NBC.

What's New

Additional reporting indicates that the bill, H.RES.1471, expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that every American and community impacted by the construction or operation of an artificial intelligence data center should have the right to transparency and local autonomy. It outlines specific rights, including the right to ban data centers in residential areas and within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, hospitals, and other sensitive locations.

According to inquirer.com, Khanna stated that he is hoping for bipartisan support for the bill and that the legislation would give communities the right to reject data centers through a transparent community process. He also emphasized the need for data centers to use clean energy, disclose water consumption, and pay their fair share of state and local taxes.

A similar bill, the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, was proposed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, which would enact an immediate federal moratorium on data center construction until other safeguards are passed into law, according to inquirer.com. The bill was sponsored by Khanna, a Democrat from California, and no cosponsors are listed on record, according to govwatch.app.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the specific details of the data center bill rights. The primary source notes that Rep. Khanna called for a "Data Center Bill of Rights" during an interview on NBC, while the U.S. House of Representatives resolution states that the bill, H.RES.1471, expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that every American and community impacted by the construction or operation of an artificial intelligence data center should have the right to transparency and local autonomy.

On the issue of residential communities, he said he introduced a Data Center Bill of Rights, saying it should never be in a residential community or farmland, and a local community should have the say of whether to do it, whereas the resolution outlines the broader sense of the House regarding transparency and local autonomy.

On energy requirements, the resolution provides the general framework of transparency and autonomy, while the U.S. House of Representatives resolution states that the Data Center Bill of Rights resolution would require data centers to use clean energy.

Regarding public opposition, the resolution outlines the legislative rights, while the Gallup survey, March 2026, found that 71% of Americans somewhat or strongly opposed local construction of AI data centers.