Connecticut employers must now tell the state whether a mass layoff is related to AI, under a rule that took effect on 1 October

Since 1 October 2026, every employer that files a federal WARN notice with Connecticut's Labor Department has had a new question to answer. Section 26 of Public Act 26-15 says each such employer "shall disclose to the department, in a form and manner prescribed by the Labor Commissioner, whether the layoffs that are the subject of such written notice are related to the employer's use of artificial intelligence or another technological change." The act, passed as Senate Bill 5, records the governor's approval on 27 May 2026. The wording is broad. Connecticut asks only whether the layoffs are "related to" the technology, and it covers any "technological change", not AI alone. California's Senate Bill 951, signed on 30 September, applies from 1 January 2027 to layoffs caused "in whole or in substantial part" by AI or automation. Connecticut also asks for less detail: the section does not require the employer to name the system or list the work it took over, and the answer goes to the department. The same act sets rules for automated tools used in employment decisions. An employer that deploys one on or after 1 October 2027 must give the worker or applicant written notice before the decision is made, including the purpose of the tool, its trade name and the categories of personal data it will process. Outsource Accelerator, reporting the change, notes that the layoff disclosure is to be made in whatever form the Labor Commissioner prescribes. An employer's own answer on AI is now part of a state layoff filing, which is the kind of record the verified count on this site is built from. Nothing is added to that count until an employer answers yes.