May 30, 2025
Group of small business owners sends letter to CT House Speaker demanding vote on AI bill
HBJ PHOTO | DAVID KRECHEVSKY
The State Capitol in Hartford.
A group of 18 small business owners have signed a letter that was sent to House Speaker Matthew Ritter (D-Hartford) demanding a vote on Senate Bill 2, which seeks to regulate artificial intelligence.
The 18 business owners, including three based out of state who do business in Connecticut, warned Ritter in the letter, which was shared exclusively with Hartford Business Journal, that the state will fall further behind Massachusetts and New York if it does not act on the bill.
“AI is happening with or without us,” the letter states. “While Connecticut debates, neighboring states (have) already locked in clear frameworks. Every delay hands competitors another advantage.”
Senate Bill 2 was approved in the state Senate on May 14 by a bipartisan vote of 32-4. The bill was passed late that night after its scope was narrowed in the hope of gaining the support of Gov. Ned Lamont, who has raised objections to the bill.
Many business leaders and organizations have opposed portions of the original bill, stating that it could curb innovation and cause businesses to locate outside of the state.
Ritter said Friday he received the letter from the small businesses and that the legislation is still being reviewed. “The governor has indicated his opposition to the bill and we are still working to find compromise,” he said.
Sen. Paul Cicarella (R-North Haven), the ranking Senate Republican on the General Law Committee, said the revised bill maintains significant consumer protections while limiting the exposure of developers and users to litigation.
The Senate-approved bill requires greater transparency about uses of AI and makes it a crime to disseminate “deep-fake porn,” synthetically produced intimate photos of an actual person.
The revisions also struck a reference to “algorithmic discrimination,” which had been defined as “any use of an artificial intelligence system that results in any unlawful differential treatment or impact that disfavors” any protected class. It also exempts the use of AI in health care from the bill.
The businesses that signed the letter sent to Ritter say they believe the Senate did its job and that the bipartisan vote “proves SB 2 works.” They add that small businesses “need clarity, not confusion.”
The businesses also state they understand the compromise bill is not perfect, but that they are willing to move forward with it nonetheless.
“We're not asking for perfect legislation — we're asking for workable legislation that will allow us to serve customers better while building their trust,” the letter states.
It notes that Democrats and Republicans in the Senate “found common ground” to produce and vote on a bill, and “that doesn't happen by accident in today's political climate. No more committees. No more studies. The heavy lifting is finished. What we need now is action.”
The letter adds that small businesses “win with smart regulation,” and that they cannot “afford legal teams to navigate a patchwork of confusing rules.”
SB 2, the letter continues, gives small businesses “one clear framework that protects our customers from discrimination while letting us innovate. That's precisely what Connecticut's 300,000+ small businesses need to compete nationally.”
The letter concludes by again stating that the signers are asking only for “workable legislation that will allow us to serve customers better while building their trust. Senate Bill 2 delivers both; that's a win-win,” it states.
Here is a copy of the letter, including the businesses that cosigned it:
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