Connecticut lawmakers would like to improve live family entertainment in the state in the wake of the pandemic slowdown.
The state Senate voted on Wednesday to create a working group to study the issue.
The bill initially sought to require movie theaters to have a scheduled start time disclaimer in certain movie advertisements. However, it was amended to reflect a broader concern about the viability of live family entertainment venues, including theaters and concert halls, following the pandemic.
Republicans criticized the bill.
Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield) said it was a distraction that prevented lawmakers from dealing with pressing issues such as the high cost of energy.
“I think we divert our attention to what we should be doing for our constituents when we are talking about movie times,” Harding said.
Senate President Martin Looney (D-New Haven) pushed back.
“Some of the comments regarding the amendment and the bill I think are absolutely absurd. To think that we are taking attention away from the major issue of the state by having a bill on some other subject is really a way to make a political issue out of something that should not be treated that way,” Looney said.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve the bill.
If the bill is approved in the House and becomes law, the working group would make recommendations for lawmakers to consider next year.
