Referencing Marjorie Taylor Greene, Conn. Senator Vows AI Bill Will Return

Wednesday was the final day of Connecticut’s legislative session. Maroney’s other Senate-passed bill (SB-1356), meant to strengthen the Connecticut Data Privacy Act, was still on the House calendar for a possible vote at the time that Maroney announced SB-2’s demise. However, at our deadline, the House hadn’t voted on it.

Greene posted on X that she didn’t support banning state regulation of AI despite voting for the “one big beautiful bill” that contains the ban. Also, Greene said she didn’t know the moratorium was in the budget bill. “We have no idea what AI will be capable of in the next 10 years and giving it free rein and tying states' hands is potentially dangerous.”

Said Maroney, “When even Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is raising red flags about federal government overreach on preventing states from legislating on AI, it should be a wake-up call to every lawmaker.” On Tuesday, Maroney joined a bipartisan group of more than 250 lawmakers representing all 50 states in asking Congress to reject the AI regulation proposal.

“Connecticut had a real opportunity this session to lead on this issue," said Maroney. "We passed a strong framework in the Senate, but for a second year in a row, we were unable to get the bill across the finish line." SB-2 was modeled on the nation’s first comprehensive AI law in Colorado, where industry and consumer groups are seeking a special session to make changes (see 2505300046).

Back in the U.S. Congress, Senate Commerce Committee Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told us Tuesday that he expected the Senate to reach a Byrd rule decision on the House’s proposed AI moratorium within the next two weeks (see 2506030068). Under the Byrd rule, the Senate parliamentarian can exclude budget-package provisions if they're deemed extraneous.

Ben Winters, Consumer Federation of America AI and data privacy director, said it's "really disappointing that this fairly high-level compromise bill can’t even pass a state legislature that has had a lot of discussion and attention on the critical need to regulate AI over the last few years." The legislation is "more of a [venture capital] and tech industry lobbying problem more than anything with the real issues or party politics," Winters said. "This is evidenced by the broad bipartisan pushback around the country to an overreach attempt to quash all state legislation."

It appears that the proposed moratorium is already having an impact, added Winters. "Even if it fails, the moratorium threat is scaring state actors into inaction."

"It's deeply disappointing but not surprising," emailed Matthew Scherer, senior policy counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. It's "frustrating" that legislators in Colorado and Connecticut are trying to take "strong action to protect consumers and workers from the effects of hidden algorithms," while "the states' governors are doing everything they can to block that legislative action," he said.

However, Scherer believes "that we'll be in better shape next year because, with each passing year, more legislators are seeing the need to act," he said. "The best evidence for that is that SB 2 in Connecticut got not only unanimous Democratic support but also support from a supermajority of Republicans." The CDT official added that venture capitalists and tech companies may be pushing so hard for the federal AI moratorium "because they see that the momentum in the states is not in their favor."

"It's deeply disappointing but not surprising," emailed Matthew Scherer, senior policy counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. It's "frustrating" that legislators in Colorado and Connecticut are trying to take "strong action to protect consumers and workers from the effects of hidden algorithms," while "the states' governors are doing everything they can to block that legislative action," he said.

However, Scherer believes "that we'll be in better shape next year because, with each passing year, more legislators are seeing the need to act," he said. "The best evidence for that is that SB 2 in Connecticut got not only unanimous Democratic support but also support from a supermajority of Republicans." The CDT official added that venture capitalists and tech companies may be pushing so hard for the federal AI moratorium "because they see that the momentum in the states is not in their favor."