New law requires disclosure when ads use AI. All 40 House no votes came from Republicans

Advertisers in Pennsylvania will have to tell people when they use artificial intelligence to make content about their goods or services, under a bill Gov. Josh Shapiro signed on Oct. 22, City & State Pennsylvania reported.

The Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act bars advertisers from making or spreading AI-generated or synthetic content that could falsely mislead people about what they are selling. Content made with AI must carry a "clear and conspicuous disclosure," according to City & State.

For shoppers, that means an AI-made product demo, testimonial-style video or altered image in an ad should come with a label. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Nick Pisciottano, an Allegheny County Democrat, called it a "major step for consumer protection in Pennsylvania," City & State reported.

What the records add

Who backed it. The bill page lists 16 co-sponsors: 11 Democrats and five Republicans (Sens. Tracy Pennycuick, Elder Vogel, Chris Gebhard, Michele Brooks and Frank Farry).

How long it took. The bill was introduced June 3, 2025, and became Act 99 of 2026 on Oct. 22, 506 days later. It spent 11 months in the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, which approved an amended version 11-0 on May 6, 2026. After the Senate passed it, the bill waited 115 days in the House Communications and Technology Committee before that committee approved it 26-0 on Oct. 5.

The Senate vote. The Senate passed it 48-2 on June 10. All 23 Democrats and 25 of 27 Republicans voted yes. The two no votes were Republican Sens. Jarrett Coleman and Dawn Keefer.

Two failed House amendments. On Oct. 6, House Republicans offered two amendments. One from Rep. Joshua Kail and one from Rep. Carl Metzgar each failed 100-103 on party-line votes, according to the House amendment list. Because the House made no changes, the bill did not need to go back to the Senate.

The House vote. The House roll call on Oct. 7 was 163-40:

• Democrats: 103 yes, 0 no
• Republicans: 60 yes, 40 no

The Republican no votes included Metzgar, the House Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, Rep. Rob Kauffman, and Reps. Kerry Benninghoff, Russ Diamond, Kate Klunk and Jonathan Fritz. Kail, whose amendment had failed the day before, voted yes. The roll call doesn't record why members voted as they did, and none of the reporting we found explained the House split.

A gap before signing. After the House vote on Oct. 7, the bill was signed by the presiding officers on Oct. 20 and presented to the governor on Oct. 21, according to its history. Shapiro signed it the next day.

What happens next

The law is enforced as an unfair method of competition, according to its title on the bill page, which describes it as providing "for enforcement and penalties." The bill text on that page spells out when it takes effect and what penalties apply.

Act 99 was one of 58 bills Shapiro signed on Oct. 22. Our roundup lists others, and City & State's list of seven includes new penalties for swatting and a grant program for investigating online crimes against children, which we cover here.