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SB00417 • 2026

AN ACT REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO ESTABLISH AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM.

AN ACT REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO ESTABLISH AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM.

Small Business
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Commerce Committee
Last action
2026-06-02
Official status
Signed by the Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO ESTABLISH AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM.

To require the Department of Economic and Community Development to develop a plan to establish an artificial intelligence small business program.

What This Bill Does

  • To require the Department of Economic and Community Development to develop a plan to establish an artificial intelligence small business program.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-02 Connecticut General Assembly

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2026-05-29 Connecticut General Assembly

    Transmitted to the Secretary of State

  3. 2026-05-29 Connecticut General Assembly

    Transmitted by Secretary of the State to Governor

  4. 2026-05-20 LCO

    Special Act 26-23

  5. 2026-05-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A

  6. 2026-05-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A

  7. 2026-05-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    In Concurrence

  8. 2026-04-28 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A 4459

  9. 2026-04-28 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A

  10. 2026-04-28 Connecticut General Assembly

    Rules Suspended, Transmitted to the House

  11. 2026-04-28 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House

  12. 2026-04-28 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Calendar Number 522

  13. 2026-04-08 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  14. 2026-04-08 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  15. 2026-04-08 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 311

  16. 2026-04-08 LCO

    File Number 499

  17. 2026-03-31 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/07/26 5:00 PM

  18. 2026-03-24 CE

    Joint Favorable

  19. 2026-03-24 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  20. 2026-03-06 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/10

  21. 2026-03-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Commerce

Official Summary Text

To require the Department of Economic and Community Development to develop a plan to establish an artificial intelligence small business program.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Senate Bill No. 417

Special Act No. 26-23

AN ACT REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO
ESTABLISH AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SMALL BUSINESS
PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. ( Effective from passage ) (a) As used in this section, (1)
"artificial intelligence" means a machine -based system that makes
predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual
environments, (2) "artificial intelligence technology" means a computer
system, application or other product that uses or incorporates one or
more forms of artificial intelligence, and (3) "financial assistance" means
any and all forms of grants, extensions of credit, loans or loan
guarantees, equity investments or other forms of financing.
(b) The Department of Economic and Community Development, in
consultation with other relevant state agencies, public institutions of
higher education or any other public entity that the Department of
Economic and Community Development deems necessary, shal l
develop a plan to establish an artificial intelligence small business
program for the purpose of (1) providing financial assistance to eligible
small businesses to adopt and deploy artificial intelligence to achieve
improvements in productivity and the q uality of any products or
Senate Bill No. 417

Special Act No. 26-23 2 of 2

services offered by such small businesses, and (2) establishing a
competitive small business environment for the development and
deployment of artificial intelligence technologies. Such plan shall
include, but need not be limited to, eligibility criteria and an application
process with guidelines and terms for financial assistance for the
program, and a requirement that, as a condition of receiving financial
assistance, any applicant train such applicant's employees to work with
artificial intelligence and prepare any such employees, whose jobs may
be displaced as a result of the adoption of artificial intelligence, for new
roles with the applicant.
(c) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Department of Economic and
Community Development shall report on such plan, including any
recommendations for legislative action required to implement such
plan, in accordance with the provisions of section 11 -4a of the general
statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly
having cognizance of matters relating to commerce.