In the race against time before Congress adjourns, a significant development has taken place. X CEO Linda Yaccarino has announced that her company worked with the authors of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) to update the bill. This move seems to be a strategic play to gain the support of Republican House leaders who have been standing in the way of the bill becoming law.

Elon Musk's Impact on Government Output

It's not uncommon for outside stakeholders to influence pending legislation, but the fact that the bill's sponsors, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), have acknowledged X's input indicates its potential significance. Elon Musk and his companies are increasingly taking on important roles in shaping government policies.For instance, in the case of KOSA, the changes made under X's leadership strengthen the bill while safeguarding free speech online. As stated in a joint statement by Blumenthal and Blackburn, "Led by X, the new changes made to the Kids Online Safety Act strengthen the bill while safeguarding free speech online and ensuring it is not used to stifle expression."These changes aim to eliminate the false narrative that the bill could be weaponized against Americans. By clarifying that the bill cannot be used to enforce platforms' duty of care based on protected speech and narrowing the scope of the duty of care with respect to certain disorders, KOSA is being refined to address concerns.Yaccarino previously endorsed the bill on behalf of X earlier this year. While CEOs of other tech companies like Meta and Google have not been as vocal, KOSA supporters point to tech lobbying as a key obstacle.However, Republican leadership in the House has also emerged as a hurdle. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expressed concerns about the details of the bill, worrying about unintended consequences. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) is seen as potentially even more difficult to win over, with concerns about the scope of the duty of care.The Kids Online Safety Act aims to make the internet safer for kids by imposing a duty of care on tech platforms. It passed overwhelmingly in the Senate over the summer but has stalled in the House. Critics feared that it could be used against disliked speech or lead to a more restricted internet due to platforms' fears of legal risk.With the updated bill, there is hope that it can overcome these obstacles and make progress towards becoming law. The efforts of Elon Musk and X in collaborating with the bill's authors show the potential for private entities to play a crucial role in shaping important legislation.