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Senate approves strike‑all amendment to social‑media and online‑services bill after policy fixes
Summary
The Senate debated and approved a strike‑all amendment that folded fixes to several previously passed bills (data privacy, digital equity, lottery/sports wagering clarifications) into Senate Bill 1295. Sponsors said changes protect minors while preserving access to federal funding for providers.
The Connecticut Senate debated and approved a strike‑all amendment (LCO 10466) to legislation titled broadly “concerning social media platforms and online services,” folding technical fixes and negotiated language from several prior measures into one amended bill.
Senator Maroney, who summarized the amendment on the floor, said the package contains negotiated fixes to earlier bills — including changes to knowledge‑standards for identifying minors online, addition of credit card data to a sensitive‑data definition with an exclusion for payment processing, and carving out entity‑level exemptions for HIPAA entities and nonprofits. Maroney told colleagues the amendment explicitly addresses a CUTPA (Connecticut Uniform Trade Practices Act) liability concern by clarifying that certain enforcement of the section will “not be deemed an unfair method of competition” under Conn. Gen. Stat. §42‑110b.
Other senators sought clarification about retail lottery vendor language, sports‑wagering cancellations for in‑person bets, state contracting preferences for low‑cost broadband participants and parental controls intended to let verified parents remove a minor’s social account. Senator Ciccarella pressed to ensure pricing caps and speed requirements were unchanged, and Maroney answered that core consumer protections in the underlying bills remained intact while some implementation dates were extended to 07/01/2026 to allow more time for compliance.
Senator Wong described parts of the amendment as a ‘‘bait and switch’’ for the original bill’s purpose — arguing that placing lottery and sports‑wagering provisions inside a social‑media bill seemed inconsistent with the bill’s stated goals — but he said he would vote in favor of the amended measure.
The chamber ordered immediate roll calls during the amendment consideration and adopted the amendment; the amended bill moved forward to subsequent votes and transmission processes described in the record.
What this means: Sponsors said the changes tailor the bills to avoid unintended consequences for hospitals, nonprofits and state contracts while retaining new protections for minors in online settings. The amendment also inserted small fixes for previously passed gambling and lottery provisions at the request of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation.
What remains: Implementation dates and some technical definitions will be finalized during committee rule‑making and implementation steps; supporters said they will monitor federal preemption and court rulings that have affected similar laws in other states.
