Finance Committee finishes work for the year with a small break for retailers
Governor not thrilled with the result of the Committees work
Other news and notes from around the State Capitol
CRN Golf outing
News and notes from around the state
- On Wednesday of this week the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee finished their work for the year by adopting a bond package and a revenue package. Both agenda items were votes pretty much along party lines and now will get a full vetting by the entire General Assembly.
- Among the items that were voted on by the Finance Committee – and included in the revenue package that the Committee acted upon – was a bill that would exempt from the sales tax children’s clothing and footwear for children under the age of 10. In addition, the bill, HB 6925 also exempts from sales tax personal protective equipment and all job related or personal training services.
- In addition, the Finance Committee’s revenue bill would extend the 10% corporation business tax surcharge for three additional years.
- You review the same summary sheets on the agenda items that the Committee used by going here.
- While we are pleased that the Committee made some small changes to help consumers with the passage of HB 6925, overall, we are somewhat disappointed that the Committee didn’t do more.
- But we also know that more discussions will continue on the revenue – and the appropriations – side of the budget and we will keep pushing members to include more direct benefits to consumers.
- We will keep you posted on how those efforts progress.
Governor Lamont was not thrilled either
- Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont had harsh words on Thursday for a two-year revenue plan from the legislature’s tax-writing committee that his administration said moved roughly $400 million out from under the state spending cap. CTNewsJunkie has the details here.
- Keith Phaneuf has more details on the Finance Committee’s work. You can go here to see that.
- Our friend Hugh McQuaid of the CTNewsJunkie has a good look at what the Finance Committee did as well. You can view that by going here.
News and notes from around the State Capitol
- If you recall from a previous FF, we mentioned that Finance Committee Co-Chair Sen. John Fonfara was running for Mayor of Hartford and that the first reporting of fundraising results might give us a clue as to how that effort was going.
- Well, Fonfara did very well in his fundraising efforts, in fact he raised the most of the three major candidates that are running. The CT Insider takes a deeper look at the filings that each candidate had to do.
- You can review that by going here.
- The Appropriation Committee is holding its last committee meeting today.
- After Appropriation is finished today all committees of the General Assembly will be finished and now will only meet to take up bills referred from the floor of either the House or the Senate.
- Both the House and Senate will be in formal session next Thursday, April, 27th – there is a possibility the House may go in on Wednesday.
- After next week, both Chambers will pick up the pace of formal sessions as we head into the last full month of the regular session before adjournment date of June 7th.
- Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced on Thursday that the state has joined a coalition of 17 other states calling for a recall on Hyundai and Kia vehicles following a recent spike in auto thefts. The Hartford Courant reports here.
CRN Golf Outing
- The 2023 CRN Golf Outing will take place on Tuesday, June 27, with registration and a deluxe full breakfast beginning at 8:30 a.m.
- We hope you will join your fellow retailers and friends at this fun and important event. The money raised goes directly to our bottom line and helps keep CRN the strongest voice for Retailers in Connecticut.
- Sponsorships are available to support the event, being held at Wampanoag CC in West Hartford.
- Registration is now open. For your convenience, payment is accepted via PayPal or credit card this year. Details at https://ctretailnetwork.com/golf-outing/
News and notes around the State
- Eversource and Avangrid confirmed this week that Connecticut customers will see lower bills this summer, given natural gas prices are on a downward trend that is lowering the cost of electricity that the utilities purchase on behalf of customers on standard-offer service. CT Insider has that news here.
- Connecticut continued its slow but steady jobs recovery since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic by gaining 1,100 payroll positions in March, the state Department of Labor reported this week. Danbury News-Times has the data here.
- Perhaps propelled by the March Madness college basketball tournament, the state saw $160 million in sports wagers last month, according to new data from the state Department of Consumer Protection. Details from Hartford Business Journal here.
- Just weeks after launching a brand-new online banking system for its more than 150,000-person customer base, Liberty Bank announced the opening of Owners Bank, a new digital bank focused on small businesses. New Haven BIZ reports on the plans here.
- Connecticut’s top elections official is asking to borrow roughly $25 million this year to replace the state’s aging voting equipment to prevent election-day breakdowns and speed up ballot counting in larger municipalities. CT Mirror reports on the request here.
- Thousands of customers with Stamford-headquartered Webster Bank may have had their personal data compromised in a data breach. Webster reported the breach occurred between Nov. 27, 2022, and Jan. 22, 2023, with the target being Guardian Analytics, a third-party vendor that offers fraud protection services. Fairfield County Business Journal reports on the news here.
- Sikorsky will not take any more legal action against the Army over its decision to select another company to build the eventual replacement for the Black Hawk helicopter as its long-range assault aircraft. New Haven BIZ reports on the decision here.
- Gas prices across the country continue to trend higher, although prices in Connecticut and New York are below the national average, according to the latest numbers from AAA. Fairfield County Business Journal updates the prices here.
- Connecticut Children’s has received the largest grant in its history. Fourteen million dollars is on its way to help fund a study about Crohn’s disease. WFSB has details here.
- Connecticut’s Congressional delegation is calling for the national champion Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team to be celebrated at the White House. The Hartford Courant reports on the request here.