A group of Yale Law School students from the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic (WIRAC) gave written and oral testimony before the Connecticut state legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee in March.
The students testified on behalf of their client, the Connecticut AFL-CIO, in support of S.B. 435, a bill that would regulate the use of automated employment-related decisions and artificial intelligence technologies, including a prohibition on algorithmic discrimination, by technology deployers and employers in the state.
In their written testimony, Susana Barragán ’28, Diego Flores Romero ’28, Elias Mastakouris ’27, and Karley Nadolski ’28 highlighted the potential risks involved in automated hiring systems, which, if unregulated, may perpetuate discriminatory practices. The testimony also suggested ways to strengthen the bill’s enforcement mechanisms and transparency provisions.
Under the bill, employers would need to disclose their use of automated employment-related decision processes, including any adverse actions taken based on those systems. For employees in the public sector, the bill would prevent state agencies from using AI to “materially affect Connecticut residents’ rights, liberties, and public benefits without legal authorization,” according to the written testimony.
“S.B. 435 offers a chance to change that and take a step towards the economic future that Connecticut needs: a future that is shaped by and for working people,” the students...
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