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Friday Facts – April 1st

by | Apr 1, 2022 | friday_facts

Finance Committee racing towards deadline
CRMA Live Broadcast! with Rep. Sean Scanlon
News and notes from around the State Capital
NRF economist on the US economy
News and notes from around the state
CRMA Golf outing open to registration

  • As we go to print with this week’s Friday Facts, the CT General Assembly is slowly continuing its work towards adjournment day of May 4, 2022.
  • The next big deadline that CRMA is watching is Monday, April 7th when the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee has its committee deadline to finish its business for the year.
  • As we mentioned in last week’s FF, the General Assembly has already made one big move by cutting the gas tax and creating a new sales tax holiday. The holiday will run from April 10 – April 16th
  • We will be keeping a close eye on what the Finance Committee will be working on from now until next week and will be reaching out to give them our input.
  • We hope to see some additional consumer relief in terms of sales tax reductions or expansion of the sales tax holiday to include more items. We would also welcome more business tax relief as well.
  • If you have any suggestions that you would like us to share with the Finance Committee, please email us at tim@ctretailnetwork.com

 

CRMA Live Broadcast!

  • Earlier this week, CRMA President Tim Phelan sat down for a conversation with State Representative Sean Scanlon (D-98th). Scanlon is the House Co-Chair of the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee.
  • Phelan and Mr. Scanlon talked taxes and Rep. Scanlon gave us a preview of what we can expect from his committee as they approach their deadline.
  • We hope you gain some information from this discussion, and we welcome your feedback.
  • You can go here to watch it.

 

News and notes from around the State Capitol

  • This was another relatively quiet week at the Capitol with no formal session. In fact, we are hearing that the next day that the General Assembly will gather in formal session is April 13th.
  • Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney announced that the third floor of the state Capitol where the State Senate chamber is, will be closed for the remained the session.
  • The State Bond Commission borrowed $333 million in general obligation bonds Thursday, during its first meeting of the year and its first entirely in-person meeting since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. CTNewsJunkie reports on the meeting here.
  • Forging COVID-19 vaccination documents would be a crime under a bill advanced Tuesday through a divided vote of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee. CTNewsJunkie reports on the Committee action here.
  • Steve Cassano, a Democrat first elected to the Connecticut Senate in 2010, said this week he plans to run for reelection, disputing statements from Manchester’s Democratic party leader that he had promised to step aside. The Hartford Courant reports the comments here.
  • Political advertising for the Governor’s office, with Election Day seven months away, continues to grow. CT Mirror reports on the first campaign ad by Gov. Lamont, which hit the airwaves this week.  You can read the story here.
  • Connecticut’s gross domestic product grew by 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, a fact trumpeted by Gov. Lamont CT Mirror reports the data and the political impact here.

 

NRF economist on the US economy

  • The National Retail Federation’s Chief Economist says the U.S. economy has ‘strong momentum’ despite challenges from inflation and the war in Ukraine. The latest news, announced today, can be seen here.

 

News and notes from around the state

  • The median listing price of a home in the Greater Hartford area has shot up 18.2% year-to-year as of March. Hartford Business Journal has the numbers here.
  • Connecticut’s COVID-19 test positivity rate stands at its highest level in more than a month, state numbers show, as the BA.2 subvariant accounts for a growing share of the state’s new coronavirus cases. The Hartford Courant reports on the latest here.
  • State officials are encouraging people with multiple co-morbidities and older residents — especially those over 65 — to get a second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, recently approved for those 50 and older. CT Mirror reports on the state’s plans here.

 

CRMA Golf outing open to registration

  • In previous FF, we have asked that you hold the date for June 28th for our annual CRMA Golf Outing.
  • Today, we encourage you to visit the CRMA website to review our invitation and fill out a registration form for this year’s event.
  • We hope you will join us or support this event in other ways. The Golf Outing is one of the biggest annual fundraisers for CRMA to support our work on behalf of Connecticut retailers year-round, so any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.
  • Hope you can join us on June 28!