The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) is set to testify before the New Hampshire House Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety regarding Senate Bill 263. The association has expressed its support for the amendments proposed by the House, which it views as a significant improvement over the original draft and earlier Senate amendments.
Senate Bill 263, as initially drafted, could have imposed substantial liability on businesses offering generative AI tools, customer service bots, and other automated technologies due to vague standards. The broad language of the original bill might have led services to either excessively censor communications or entirely restrict access for minors, potentially hindering innovation and free expression online.
The House's amendments introduce several important changes. These include limiting enforcement authority to the New Hampshire Attorney General, providing a 90-day period for good faith compliance efforts, and refining what constitutes "endangering the welfare of a child." These modifications aim to make the bill more enforceable while reducing the risk of overreach. CCIA advocates for stronger online protections for minors through clear and narrowly tailored policies rather than vague prohibitions.
Kyle Sepe, State Policy Manager for CCIA, stated: “We appreciate the House Committee’s thoughtful approach to improving SB 263. The amended version takes meaningful steps to limit the scope of the bill and provide clearer standards for compliance. While more work remains to be done on the bill, particularly in defining key terms and narrowing overly broad applications, we thank House members for their efforts to make this legislation more workable and less likely to harm legitimate online services.”