Legislature gears up for Governor Lamont’s budget address
News and notes from the State Capitol session
CRMA Legislative Committee to meet this week
COVID-19 updates
News and notes from around the state
- Next week, Governor Ned Lamont will present his new 2-year state budget to a join session of the General Assembly – virtually, of course.
- For retailers and CRMA, this will in some ways be another kickoff to the start of the General Assembly – given our intense interest in what will be included in the Governor’s budget.
- We know the Governor has already said that he is not inclined to support broad-based increases in taxes, so we are optimistic that he will not include any new taxes in this budget.
- However, we won’t know until all the details are presented, and as we mentioned earlier, this really starts the session for us and for a lot of folks around the Capitol.
- After the Governor drops his budget, the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee and the Appropriations Committee will then begin their review of the budget and hold public hearings (which will also be held virtually).
- We will keep you posted on the latest, and the impact on retailers and the business community.
News and notes from the State Capitol
- With the General Assembly now getting into a new rhythm, our friend Kevin Rennie is worried that they will consider legislation that will not be helpful to business. You can go here to read that story.
- Next week, a number of Committees are holding public hearings or informational forums on issues that impact retailers.
- On Monday, the Environment Committee is holding an informational forum on the Bottle Bill.
- On Tuesday, the Insurance Committee is holding a public hearing on the Comptroller’s big issue, a bill that would create a public option for health insurance. You can review that bill (SB 842)by going here.
- On Wednesday, in addition to the Governor’s budget address, the Environment Committee is holding a public hearing on several bills, including, HB 6386, which establishes a product stewardship program for propane gas cylinders.
- Also in legislative news, 30 Democratic lawmakers are calling for increases in taxes on the wealthy and better access to health insurance. NBC Connecticut’s Christine Stuart has the details here.
- A group of Connecticut legislators is part of a region-wide push to move the entire northeast of the United States off Eastern Standard Time. Connecticut Post has the story here.
- The session will hit the pause button on Friday, due to the President’s holiday weekend.
- If you would like more information about any of the issues that we mentioned, please feel free to call or email us at tim@ctretailnetwork.com. We also suggest you visit the Connecticut General Assembly website to follow some of the legislation. You can go to cga.com
- Finally, the CRMA Legislative Committee will be holding our bi-weekly conference call to review bills. If you would like to join us for that call, please email us at tim@ctretailnetwork.com
CT COVID-19 updates
- Nearly half of Connecticut residents aged 75 or older had received the COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday according to Gov. Ned Lamont. CTNewsJunkie reports on what the Governor expects later this month, here.
- We continue to stay in contact with key members of the Governor’s team on issues impacting retailers as it relates to both the roll out of vaccines and increased capacity. As we go to print, we have nothing new to report on both of those issues.
- The state is expanding its telephone vaccine appointment system to seven days a week. The state Department of Public Health announced phones will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting Monday. CT Mirror has the details here.
News and notes from around the state
- There has been an impact on voter registration in Connecticut in the aftermath of the 2020 elections. The Hartford Courant has the story here.
- In his confirmation hearing to be U.S. Secretary of Education, Connecticut’s Miguel Cardona was asked about plans to return students to classrooms, and other issues. CT Post has highlights of the hearing here.
- President Biden continues to advocate for his financial aid package, including in remarks on Friday morning, which includes support for small business. The Hartford Courant has the latest news here.
- Members of the Hartford City Council are urging a plan to fine owners of vacant store fronts. Hartford Business Journal details the proposal here.
- Our friends at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association released an 11-point “Rebuilding Connecticut” plan. New London Day reports on the proposal here.