Connecticut’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus is backing a contentious bill to regulate artificial intelligence.
AI programs discriminate against people of color, said Senator Jorge Cabrera of Hamden, as the caucus announced their legislative agenda on Thursday.
He gave the example of a recent Lehigh University study of AI-generated mortgage approval programs.
“They found that if you had a 640 credit score, but you were white, you had a 95% chance of getting approved for your mortgage, But if you had a 640 credit score and you were black, you only had 80% approved for your mortgage.” Cabrera said.
“So we are seeing these algorithms more and more affect our economy and become part of our society,” he said,
He said that’s why the caucus supports state regulation of AI, even though a similar bill failed last year.
“To make sure these negative impacts on our constituents could be protected and make sure people are given a fair shot of the American dream,” Cabrera said.
The caucus also supports the state’s Trust Act, which limits when state and local law enforcement can cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Representative Geraldo Reyes of Waterbury said the law prevents unjust detentions and ensures that individuals are not held without due process.
“What I have to tell you is that in my community and the communities that we represent, we have hard-working immigrants who are now afraid of living in the villages and towns that we represent,” Reyes said.
“And these are folks that contribute. They run daycares; they run construction companies. They do a lot of the work that a lot of people here don't want to do,” he added.
Members of the caucus also expressed support for expanding the Husky for Immigrants program, which provides state-sponsored health coverage to children regardless of immigration status.
Their agenda includes bills dealing with public health, economic development, education and racial justice.
