The committee voted to refer Senate Bill 2, a measure concerning artificial intelligence, to the floor after members debated potential economic consequences and enforcement provisions.

Sen. Kissel said he had previously reviewed the bill in the General Law Committee and voted against it there, and he echoed testimony he received from Commissioner O'Keefe of the Department of Economic and Community Development that the measure could cause businesses to shy away from establishing operations in Connecticut. Kissel said he spoke with the president of the University of Connecticut and stressed the need for a “meeting of the minds” among the majority, minority and the administration before the state adopts major policy for artificial intelligence. “I can't support this because I don't want us to miss an opportunity,” he said, likening AI’s potential to the industrial revolution.

Sen. Ciccarella aligned with Kissel’s concerns and said she would also vote no. Representative Osborne supported voting the bill out of committee, calling it a “work in progress” and urging it be given life so stakeholders — including the governor and proponents — could continue to refine it.

The chair noted that the bill was referred to Judiciary in part because of enforcement and penalty provisions (including attorney-general enforcement in section 10 and a “deepfake” unlawful-dissemination offense in section 28). After brief discussion the committee took a roll-call vote and referred the bill to the floor.

Why it matters: Committee members voiced a tension common in AI policy: protecting consumers, victims of deepfakes and other harms while avoiding regulatory choices that could deter private investment and university research.

Procedure: A motion to refer the bill to the floor (JF) carried on a roll-call vote. The committee record shows the motion was moved by Senator Pluck and seconded by Representative Pizzino.