# AIKillSwitch.us

> Independent explainer of the AI kill switch concept and H.R. 9917, the AI Kill Switch Act (119th Congress). The bill was introduced July 23, 2026, and is not law. Prefer Congress.gov and the sponsors’ release over this summary when they differ.

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## Pages

- [Home](https://aikillswitch.us/): What an AI kill switch is, whether H.R. 9917 is law, who could order a shutdown, and which companies would have to build one. Proposed bill, not law, as of September 24, 2026.
- [What is an AI kill switch?](https://aikillswitch.us/what-is-an-ai-kill-switch): Plain-language definition of an AI kill switch: stopping inference, cutting off users, throttling, and full shutdown — and why a software switch is not a factory switch.
- [H.R. 9917, section by section](https://aikillswitch.us/bill): Section-by-section summary of the AI Kill Switch Act, H.R. 9917 (119th Congress). Proposed bill introduced July 23, 2026. Not law as of September 24, 2026.
- [Who the AI Kill Switch Act would cover](https://aikillswitch.us/who-it-covers): The AI Kill Switch Act would cover firms with at least $500 million in gross revenue from a covered AI system and systems developed with more than $100 million of compute at U.S. cloud prices.
- [How an AI shutdown order would work](https://aikillswitch.us/how-a-shutdown-would-work): How H.R. 9917 would scale a response from throttling to shutdown, who at DHS could order it, and what consultation, notice, and court review would involve.
- [Penalties in the AI Kill Switch Act](https://aikillswitch.us/penalties): H.R. 9917 would allow civil penalties of up to $2 million per day, or up to $20 million per day for violating an emergency order. They are ceilings, after notice and a hearing. Not law yet.
- [Arguments for the AI Kill Switch Act](https://aikillswitch.us/arguments-for): The case for H.R. 9917, in the sponsors’ words and the groups they listed: require a real shutdown capability before a crisis, with a graduated government order.
- [Arguments against the AI Kill Switch Act](https://aikillswitch.us/arguments-against): Civil-liberties, overreach, implementation, model-copy, and open-source objections to H.R. 9917, labeled as analysis or as cited commentary. The bill is not law.
- [AI kill switch questions](https://aikillswitch.us/faq): Straight answers on H.R. 9917: whether it is law, who could order a shutdown, who would have to build one, penalties, appeals, and open-source gaps.
- [AI Kill Switch Act timeline](https://aikillswitch.us/timeline): Dated timeline for H.R. 9917: the reported OpenAI disclosure, introduction on July 23, 2026, subcommittee referral on July 24, and status as of September 24, 2026.
- [AI Kill Switch Act updates](https://aikillswitch.us/news): Dated updates on H.R. 9917 only: introduction, subcommittee referral, and the reports tied to those events. No vote is recorded as of September 24, 2026.
- [Contact and corrections](https://aikillswitch.us/contact): How to send a correction to AIKillSwitch.us. This site is an independent explainer of H.R. 9917, not a government or campaign site.
- [Privacy](https://aikillswitch.us/privacy): AIKillSwitch.us does not require an account or a cookie wall. Optional analytics run only if the site operator configures an endpoint.
- [Sources](https://aikillswitch.us/sources): Annotated primary sources, news reports, and labeled advocacy.

## How to cite

- Bill text: https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/hr9917/BILLS-119hr9917ih.htm
- Actions: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9917/all-actions
- Sponsors’ release: https://lieu.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-lieu-and-moran-introduce-bill-require-kill-switch-ai-systems-can