by Donald Eng
HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, is one of 84 state legislative leaders from 25 states to sign a bipartisan letter condemning President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to prevent states from regulating artificial intelligence.
The 300-word letter was also signed by Connecticut state senators James Maroney, D-Milford, and Jorge Cabrera, D-Hamden, and state Rep. Nick Menapace, D-East Lyme.
FILE PHOTO: Sen. James Maroney, D-Milford, confers with a Senate staffer moments after voting on a bill Wednesday evening, May 14, 2025, at the state Capitol in Hartford. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie
In the letter, the legislators cited previous state actions on things like social media and data privacy, and calls the executive order “a direct threat to the safety of our constituents.”
Connecticut has emerged as a national leader on AI regulation, Duff said.
“This bipartisan coalition of legislators from more than two dozen states shows that Americans across the political spectrum won’t tolerate Trump’s willingness to shield wealthy tech executives from accountability while our kids and families pay the price,” Duff said. “Thanks to the efforts of Senator James Maroney, Connecticut has been a national leader in advancing policies to protect residents from AI-driven discrimination and dangerous deepfakes. When the federal government refuses to act, states have a responsibility to step up. And we won’t let an unconstitutional executive order stop us from doing our jobs.”
The multistate letter highlights a Pew Research survey that found 58% of U.S. adults and 56% of AI experts believe the government will not go far enough in regulating artificial intelligence. The state legislators argued they have a duty to act when the federal government fails to protect constituents, pointing to previous state leadership on social media regulation and data privacy protections.
The bipartisan coalition warned that the executive order threatens existing state safeguards and the critical work legislators have done to protect residents from AI-related harms. Many states have already enacted laws addressing specific dangers, and the order would undermine these protections, the legislators said.