WASHINGTON — OpenAI is backing a bipartisan House proposal that would require major artificial intelligence companies to open their development processes to independent safety assessors, a notable endorsement from one of the industry’s most influential firms. Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, said Tuesday that the company supports a central provision of the FRONTIER Act, legislation sponsored by Reps. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Lori Trahan, D-Mass. The bill would create what its backers describe as the first federal framework for AI safety. Under the proposal, leading AI laboratories would be required to work with “independent verification organizations,” or IVOs. Those outside groups would assess whether companies are developing their models safely, rather than leaving the industry to rely solely on internal reviews. Lehane said he discussed the provision with one of the bill’s sponsors during a meeting on Capitol Hill Monday. He said OpenAI wanted to make clear that it could support the independent-assessment requirement. “I think it was important for them to hear that and hear it from us,” Lehane said, according to remarks provided to reporters. “We wanted to be really clear about that.” The endorsement comes as Congress considers how to oversee increasingly capable AI systems and how to ensure that safety claims can be tested by parties without a direct financial stake in a company’s products. The bill’s bipartisan sponsorship reflects an effort to develop federal rules in an area where lawmakers have yet to establish a comprehensive national standard. The proposal would focus on top AI companies and their most advanced models. The information available about the measure did not specify which organizations would qualify as IVOs, how assessors would be selected or what penalties companies could face for failing to comply. OpenAI’s support could give the measure additional momentum, but it does not guarantee passage. Any final law would still need approval from both chambers of Congress and the president.