---

Full Text of Letters Referenced in When You Write Your Legislators: Two Responses That Changed a Bill

---

These are the full text versions of letters referenced in ‘When You Write Your Legislators: Two Responses That Changed a Bill.’

Letter to Sen. Becky Massey (Jan 2026)

To: Senator Becky Massey, State Senator, District 6
425 Rep. John Lewis Way No., Suite 706
Cordell Hull Building
Nashville, TN 37243

Subject: Opposition to SB 1493 / HB 1455 – Concerns Regarding Privacy and Technical Overreach

Dear Senator Massey,

I am a Tennessee resident living in Shelby County with low vision that prevents me from driving. I rely on AI tools daily for accessibility assistance, information processing, and managing my business as an educational content creator serving over 39,000 students through online platforms. These tools are not luxury conveniences for me. They are essential infrastructure that allows me to work independently and contribute to Tennessee’s economy despite my disability.

SB 1493 / HB 1455 would either eliminate my access to these essential tools through geo-blocking, or subject my private business communications to state surveillance. As someone who both needs this technology and uses it professionally, I am writing to express my deep concern regarding this legislation, which seeks to criminalize the training of artificial intelligence for emotional support or human simulation.

While I understand the desire to protect vulnerable citizens from predatory technology, the current language of this bill is dangerously overbroad and creates a “Class A” felony for activities that are central to how modern technology functions. I urge you to reconsider this legislation for the following reasons:

• Infringement on Personal Privacy: This bill is practically unenforceable without unprecedented state surveillance. To prove “knowingly training” an AI for emotional support, the state would likely need to monitor the private digital conversations of Tennessee citizens. This is a massive expansion of government power into the private lives of Tennesseans.
• Economic Impact and Tech “Blacklisting”: If Tennessee becomes the only state where developers face 15–25 years in prison for standard AI development practices, major technology companies will likely geo-block our state. This will leave Tennessee students, researchers, and small businesses at a massive competitive disadvantage compared to the rest of the country.
• Criminalizing Comfort and Accessibility: Many people – including those with disabilities, veterans with PTSD, and the elderly – use AI for companionship and emotional regulation. This bill targets the very tools that provide comfort to the isolated, while doing nothing to address actual fraud or deception.
• First Amendment Concerns: Computer code and the training of models have been recognized by courts as protected forms of expression. This bill’s attempt to regulate the content of AI interactions is a likely violation of the First Amendment that will lead to costly, taxpayer-funded litigation.

The core of modern AI is that it learns and adapts through conversation. By criminalizing this process, Tennessee is effectively declaring war on the most significant technological advancement of our generation.

We do not ban telephones because scammers use them to defraud the elderly. We prosecute the scammers. This same logic should apply to AI technology: target the malicious actors, not the tool.

I ask that you oppose SB 1493 / HB 1455 in its current form and instead focus on regulations that target actual predatory human behavior – abuse, fraud, and exploitation – rather than criminalizing the technology itself.

Sincerely,

Christine P. Rose

Letter From Sen. Becky Massey (Jan 2026)

January 23, 2026

Ms. Christine Rose
(address redacted)

Dear Ms. Rose,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter on SB 1493. After meeting with experts in the field of AI, I will be amending the bill to eliminate the criminalization of human-like interactions with AI and remove any 1st Amendment concerns. This will enable me to focus on the intent of the bill, which is to protect children from harmful interactions with AI.

Thank you again for your letter and for sharing your story. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact my office at sen.becky.massey@capitol.tn.gov or 615-741-1648.

Sincerely,

Becky Massey
State Senator

Handwritten Note from Rep. Mark White (Jan 2026)

1-26-26

Ms Christine Rose,

Thank you for your contact and letter concerning HB 1455 by Rep. Littleton! I will take your points of concern and share this with the sponsor! Many such bills as this are designed to protect our school age children from social media! We live in a new age of technology!

Thank you again for sharing these concerns!

Sincerely,
Mark White

To return to the original blog post click here.