HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Twenty-five U.S. senators are sponsoring a bill they say will help the American craft beer industry by reducing the excise tax on beer made by small brewers.

Among the sponsors of the legislation are Connecticut's two senators, Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, as well as Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland and Republican Susan Collins of Maine.

The senators said Friday they are reintroducing the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act, which would reduce taxes and raise the threshold on the definition of a small brewer. The legislation would lower the tax to $3.50 per barrel for the first 60,000 barrels, as compared to $7 per barrel under current law.

Murphy and Blumenthal say small breweries in Connecticut increasingly play a prominent role among small businesses driving economic growth.