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Freshman lawmakers don’t often get much of a chance to shape policy, especially on a panel as seniority- and expertise-heavy as the House Financial Services Committee.

But Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) has managed to position herself in high-stakes debates around emerging technologies more than a few times, including in crypto and AI policy.

Start here: Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced a bipartisan, House-wide “task force” to study artificial intelligence in February.

There were a few names in this group from the financial services universe, including senior HFSC Reps. French Hill(R-Ark.) and Bill Foster (D-Ill.). But Pettersen’s name caught our eye.

Pettersen told us in an interview this week she didn’t ask to be tapped for the chamber’s AI task force, “but I’ve made my interest in this area known to leadership.” She’s also part of a similar working group consisting only of HFSC members announced in January.

“Things like AI create a ton of opportunity, but we have immediate threats on the horizon if we don’t get out ahead of it,” Pettersen said.

Bipartisan opportunities: Pettersen, who served in the Colorado House and Senate, has a state legislator’s mentality when it comes to Congress. That sometimes takes the form of deep frustration with congressional dysfunction.

But the Colorado Democrat has found a few areas for bipartisanship. She’s got a bill with Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) that would direct the Biden administration to issue a wide-ranging government report on the risks of AI.

“I hate ‘study bills,’ unless we actually don’t know the answers,” Pettersen said. But with AI, it’s “incredibly complicated on how we actually approach this.”

Pettersen is also pushing House leadership to do more here, telling us she’s asked both Johnson and Jeffries to host a classified briefing on AI’s national security risks.

Crypto cameo: When HFSC advanced two major pieces of crypto legislation in July 2023, Pettersen announced mid-markup she’d received a commitment from Republicans to more fully address the illicit finance risks of crypto.

The move was prescient, coming several months before crypto’s role in terror financing and money laundering was put under a global spotlight following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Pettersen is not an anti-crypto crusader, telling us she knows that cash is still “the preferred method” for drug traffickers and other criminal enterprises.

“But we do know that crypto and digital assets have been used for bad actors taking advantage of this system,” Pettersen said. “We need to make sure we get out ahead of it.”

For Pettersen, the focus on illicit finance here was personal and overlaps with a long running focus on public health. Pettersen’s mother struggled with an addiction to opioids for most of her life. “Going after the drug cartels, making sure that they’re not utilizing our financial system, is a big priority for me,” the Democrat told us.

Next steps: Don’t expect any of this policy to come together quickly, particularly under current leadership. But the process is on its way. Lawmakers in the House-wide AI task force convened for the first time on Friday to discuss priorities. Baby steps are still steps.

– Brendan Pedersen