Bill voids data center secrecy deals funded with public money

What it does

This bill voids predispute nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that prevent people from disclosing information about data center construction when a public official or public funds are involved. It also bars data center operators from receiving public incentives (tax breaks, grants, loans) if those incentives are conditioned on keeping construction details secret. The goal is to prevent governments from using taxpayer money to fund data centers while silencing public scrutiny of their environmental, labor, or community impacts.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to restore public disclosure rights and prevent governments from using public incentives to silence information about publicly-funded infrastructure projects. It is fundamentally a transparency and democratic accountability mechanism, not a deregulation or subsidy.

What the text implies

• May significantly reduce the use of confidentiality agreements in public-private data center partnerships, potentially exposing proprietary technical or business information that operators consider sensitive.
• Could affect state and local economic development strategies that rely on confidentiality to attract data center investment by preventing jurisdictions from offering incentives conditioned on secrecy.
• May increase litigation risk for data center operators and public agencies by removing contractual barriers to disclosure of disputes, settlements, or conduct related to construction.
• Exemption for confidential filings with utility commissions preserves a narrow channel for sensitive information, but the bill's broad voiding of NDAs may still chill voluntary disclosure of environmental or safety data.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Citizens gain the right to know how public money is being spent on data center projects and what environmental, labor, or community impacts those projects carry. Removing gag clauses tied to public incentives increases democratic accountability and prevents governments from using taxpayer funds to silence legitimate public scrutiny.

Named in the bill

data center operators, Federal government, State governments, Tribal governments, local governments, public utility commissions, public officials

Where it stands

2 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 1 Republicans.

• Sep 24, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Sep 24, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.