Legislative Advocacy
Together We're StrongerOur job is to represent you, Connecticut retailers, to make sure your voice is heard at the State Capitol as legislators consider laws that would impact your business, and to provide attractive benefits that can help your business on the bottom line.
Connecticut Retail Network Issues Statement Regarding Governor Lamont’s Recent Comments
June 19th, 2026: Governor Lamont’s campaign proposal is flat-out bad policy. It penalizes retail employers for a federal funding gap they didn’t create, which would harm precisely the entry-level, part-time, and seasonal opportunities that give first-time and lower-income workers a foothold in the labor market and a potential career path when it is most needed.
This misguided proposal does not offer any real solutions to rising health care costs, as it provides no substantive action to lower premiums, reduce prescription drug prices, or address the drivers of health care inflation that increasingly are adversely impacting Connecticut families and businesses.
What it would do is penalize employers – and their customers – by driving up the cost of doing business in Connecticut, while putting at risk the very jobs that families depend on for economic security. That is the exact opposite of what sound policy would achieve.
The Governor has previously championed Connecticut as open for business, but this proposal contradicts that record. A thriving Connecticut economy depends, in large measure, on a thriving retail sector. Connecticut retailers – large and small – provide good jobs and advancement opportunities, an array of career paths, and meaningful investments in local communities across the state.
This campaign proposal is beyond disappointing, particularly in the current economic environment that retailers and their customers face every day. It would be counterproductive and detrimental, resulting in more harm than good for Connecticut families.
Tim Phelan
tim@ctretailnetwork.com
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CRN BIG Fall Event
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Save the Date!
Bushnell Center for Performing Arts
166 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
CRN Legislative Reception
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Legislative Office Building
300 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
CRN Annual Golf Outing
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Farms Country Club
180 Cheshire Road
Wallingford, CT 06492
Eastern States Retail Policy Conference
July 19 – July 21, 2026
Water’s Edge Resort
1525 Boston Post Rd
Westbrook, CT 06498
Premier Speaker
Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld
Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies &
Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management
Economic Outlook & Retail Trends: Navigating an Uncertain Marketplace
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is currently the Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies and Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice at the Yale School of Management, as well as founder and president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, a nonprofit educational and research institute focused on CEO leadership and corporate governance.
He previously served as full tenured professor at Emory’s Goizueta Business School for a decade and a professor at the Harvard Business School for a decade.
Professor Sonnenfeld is the New York Times best-selling author of nine books, including Trump’s Ten Commandments, which was widely recognized as an instant New York Times bestseller, USA Today bestseller, and Amazon #1 bestseller; The Hero’s Farewell, an award-winning study of CEO succession; and another bestseller, Firing Back, a study on leadership resilience in the face of adversity.
Event Agenda
Sunday, July 19, 2026, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Open Registration
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Welcome Reception
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Dinner
Monday, July 20, 2026, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM
7:00 AM – 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM SESSION Economic Outlook & Retail Trends: Navigating an Uncertain Marketplace
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM SESSION Fighting Organized Retail Crime: Emerging Trends, Legislative Solutions, and Retailer Partnerships
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM Break
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM SESSION Workforce Policy and Labor Trends: What Retailers Need to Know
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM SESSION AI, Emerging Technology, and the Future of Retail Regulation
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM SESSION State Retail Association Roundtable: Emerging Issues & Open Forum Discussion
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Free Time
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Reception & Clambake on the Beach
Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM SESSION Pricing Under Pressure: Regulatory Trends and Retail Challenges Across the Northeast
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM SESSION Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): What Retailers Need to Know
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM SESSION Federal Policy Outlook & Election Impact: What Retailers Should Expect
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM Free Time/ Golf
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Reception & Dinner
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and prepare for the evolving retail landscape.
We look forward to seeing you in July!
Retail Across America
Retail Across Connecticut is a great story. Connecticut’s retailers help make the state’s economy come alive, from the malls to Main Street, all across the state.
See how in this video featuring leading retailers, produced by the National Retail Federation.
CRN in the News
The Connecticut Retail Network is in the news, highlighting the impact of retail businesses on the economy, jobs, and communities all across the state.
Together We’re Stronger
At CRN, our job is to advocate for you. We are your voice in the halls of the State Capitol, with service providers, and with the news media. Your membership in CRN makes you part of an exclusive group that includes some of the world’s largest retailers and best Main Street merchants. Membership instantly makes your voice, and retailing’s collective voice, more powerful at the State Capitol where the laws that impact your business are devised and approved. … Read More
“Connecticut Retail Network is an inspired name choice, reflecting a thriving retail network of businesses all across the state – responding to our customers, connecting with our communities and driving Connecticut’s economy forward. We’re proud to be part of the evolution from CRMA to the Connecticut Retail Network.”
“The Connecticut Retail Network (CRN) is a trusted, influential and effective organization that works tirelessly on behalf of their membership. When Connecticut retail businesses need information or advocacy from state government, CRN can be counted on to take action, ask the critical questions, and get answers.”
“CRN does a great job representing retail businesses at the Capitol, providing testimony at committee hearings, and making connections that can impact the results of legislative proposals. They’ve earned the respect of legislators with solid, fact-based advocacy.”
“When it matters most at the State Capitol, the Connecticut Retail Network is on top of the issues, in touch with key legislators, and standing up for Connecticut’s retail businesses. CRN’s advocacy is effective, and essential.”