On March 3, Legislative Services Assistant Charlotte Fleckenstein delivered in person testimony on behalf of Karrington Anderson to the Economic Matters Committee in support of HB 1250 – Consumer Protection and Product Liability – Chatbots with amendments.
This bill establishes regulations for chatbots including data safety and privacy protections, static and dynamic display warning requirements, monthly published reporting, data portability, and data retention.
As artificial intelligence tools rapidly expand into both the private marketplace and public service sector, lawmakers are weighing how best to regulate emerging technologies without stifling innovation. Counties agree with the importance of strong consumer data protections while also cautioning against unintended consequences for local governments.
Counties increasingly rely on AI-powered tools to enhance 3-1-1 and 9-1-1 non-emergency systems, streamline routine service requests, and improve response times. While the bill’s transparency, reporting, and data requirements may be appropriate for commercial chatbot platforms, applying the same framework to internal government operations could create substantial administrative burdens, increase costs, and slow the deployment of technologies that support public safety and essential services. MACo’s proposed amendments seek to preserve consumer protections while ensuring local governments can continue responsibly modernizing their operations.
While MACo appreciates the intent to protect consumer privacy and safety in the
age of generative AI, the bill creates significant operational risks for local government public safety systems and essential internal operations. MACo supports reasonable, consumer-focused guardrails for commercial AI tools operating in the public marketplace.
HB 1250’s cross-file, SB 827, was heard in the Finance Committee on March 12. Karrington Anderson testified in support of this bill with amendments.
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