U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act to establish a public-private partnership for near-term quantum application development and acceleration. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with Senator Blackburn that will do just that by helping further quantum computing research and allow our country to reap the benefits of this game changing technology.”
Introduce and support legislation to establish a public-private Quantum Sandbox partnership or program to accelerate near-term quantum and quantum-hybrid application development and help commercialize quantum computing research in the United States.
Occurrences
Evidence
Congress.gov lists S.1344 as introduced April 8, 2025, sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, with latest action: read twice and referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The tracker status is Introduced, not passed or enacted.
The introduced bill states that Blackburn, for herself and Mr. Luján, introduced S.1344. Its purpose is to amend the National Quantum Initiative Act to establish a public-private partnership for near-term quantum application development and acceleration.
S.1344 defines a quantum sandbox as a program for quantum-information-science application innovation focused on near-term use cases and demonstrations, proofs of concept, and pilots. It would require Commerce and NIST to establish a public-private partnership for quantum application acceleration.
Congress.gov's actions page shows one action for S.1344: on April 8, 2025, it was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Luján's official Senate biography says he has represented New Mexico in the U.S. Senate since January 2021 and sits on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
Assessments
Lujan materially fulfilled the promise as worded because it was to introduce and support legislation, not necessarily to secure enactment of the program. S.1344, the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act of 2025, was introduced on April 8, 2025 with Lujan listed as a co-introducer/cosponsor, and its text closely matches the promised public-private quantum sandbox partnership for near-term quantum application development. The bill remained only introduced and referred to committee, so it did not establish the program in law, but the campaign commitment was framed around introducing and supporting the legislation.