HARTFORD, CT — A bill increasing resources for special education in Connecticut advanced out of the Judiciary Committee Tuesday, despite objections from Republican lawmakers over associated costs.
Senate Bill 1, “An Act Increasing Resources for Students, Schools and Special Education,” was introduced by the Education Committee with the goal of improving the quality of education for the state’s children. The substitute bill, which passed in the Education Committee previously, was before the Judiciary Committee this week because of a section mentioning probate courts and truancy clinics.
State Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, raises concerns about a proposed artificial intelligence bill during the Judiciary Committee meeting on May 6. Credit: CT-N
“The problem I have with supporting this bill is that the funding mechanism anticipated in this bill would break the guardrails that we have,” said state Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield. “I can’t support a bill at this time, probably in this session, that breaks those guardrails.”
The Appropriations Committee in April approved a draft of a two-year, 2026-27 state budget of $55.5 billion that includes more money than initially allocated for special education, but is over the state’s spending cap. Democratic leadership, who hold the majority in the General Assembly, said the budget is an “honest attempt” to catch up after years of constrained growth and flat funding.
The Judiciary Committee voted to advance the education bill in a 28-11 vote along party lines, with Republican committee members in opposition.
The committee also advanced two bills related to voting and elections. Raised Senate Bill No. 1514, which would require registrars of voters to designate areas for curbside voting at polling places to assist people with disabilities or other mobility issues, advanced unanimously out of the committee Tuesday. A substitute for S.B. No. 1516, which includes Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas’ recommendations for improvements to voting and elections, was also advanced out of committee with a 31-8 vote.
Lawmakers on the committee also briefly discussed two substitute bills related to Artificial Intelligence: Senate Bill No. 2 and Senate Bill No. 1484. The first bill, introduced by the General Law committee, would establish various requirements concerning artificial intelligence systems, while the second one, introduced by the Labor and Public Employees Committee, would implement AI protections for employees, such as limiting the use of electronic monitoring by an employer.
Kissel said he has strong reservations on legislating artificial intelligence since many companies are prioritizing AI for private sector investment, and a bill restricting its use may cause businesses to stay away from Connecticut.
Other lawmakers raised concerns about both bills being a work in progress, that details may change, pointing out that some of the language of the second bill is confusing and duplicative of current law.
“I’ll vote for this today, but I do hope the language gets cleared up,” said Co-Chair Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport. “ I do think the intent is right, but it’s just not drafted well.”
The committee advanced both AI bills with a vote of 28-11, along party lines.