Legislature adjourns – for real
CRMA Golf Outing update
Retail of the Year up next
News and notes from around the state
- After three days of backroom drama and negotiation, the Connecticut General Assembly finished its business for the year yesterday, after final passage of the budget implementor and legalization of cannabis.
- There was plenty of day-to-day drama behind both the budget implementer and the cannabis bill.
- On the budget implementor – the bill that puts the legal language in place so that the money can be allocated – the issue that raised so much attention was the fact that the bill had more than just standard legal language to implement the budget.
- In fact, it has a whole lot more in it, including many provisions of bills that died during the regular session or concepts that had never been even raised during the regular session.
- CRMA had one of those issues, when we discovered that a bill that would impact our industry, was tucked into a section of the budget implementer – SB 893, AAC Consumer Privacy. The CT Mirror has more on what was included in the budget implementor that the Senate adopted late Monday night.
- In addition to the budget implementer, the Senate also took action on the bill that failed to get final approval in the House, legalization of marijuana. The Senate amended the bill and after a very close vote, passed it and sent down to the House.
House and Governor caught off gourd with Senate changes
- While it appeared the stage had been set for the House to simply pass both the budget implementor and the cannabis bill, the Governor’s office, which opposed the Senate Amendment to the Cannabis bill, threatened to veto it if the House did not make changes. And members started to realize what was included in the budget implementor – including the consumer privacy piece.
- We also let members know our opposition to that consumer privacy language.
- We are happy to report that House leadership on both sides of the aisle realized that the provision was added and stripped the section from the bill when they took it up on Wednesday.
- In addition, the House took to heart the Governor’s veto threat and rejected the Senate amendment that was added to marijuana bill.
- In a rather bold move, after the House took that action on early Tuesday morning, they adjourned for the year, leaving the Senate with no leverage to make other changes without risking the entire bi-partisan budget that had been adopted.
- And any changes to the marijuana bill would have also put that issue in limbo for the year.
- So, Thursday the State Senate went back into session and accepted the House changes, passing both the budget implementor – without the privacy language – and the marijuana bill – without the amendment the governor opposed.
- After they did that, they too adjourned for the year – sine die. (The Hartford Courant highlights the back-and-forth to final passage here.)
- So, that puts a wrap on the “long” session this year, made even longer due to the virtual nature of how business was conducted. But, to paraphrase William Shakespeare, we are safe for now with the Legislature out of session.
CRMA Golf outing update
- We are closing in on the CRMA Golf Outing, but we still have space if you would like to join us.
- The Tuesday, June 29 event is an important fundraiser for us, so please consider helping anyway you can. If you cannot join us on the course, please consider helping us by either purchasing a tee sign or donate a raffle prize.
- You can go here for more information about the Golf Outing and ways you can help.
CRMA Retailer of the Year nominations up next
- Soon after our Golf Outing, we will turn our attention to our biggest event of the year, the naming of the Retailer of the Year.
- The Retailer of the Year is the highest honor we can bestow on a retailer in CT, and we honor the retailer during our annual Awards Luncheon which will be held in-person once again this year – at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford.
- The date for this year’s event is October 13, 2021. Save the date!
- We ask that you start giving some thought to who might be a good candidate – including your own store – to receive this year’s award.
- Also, keep an eye out for a notice about nominations for ROTY in your in-box soon.
News and notes from around the state
- Language included in the state’s budget implementer bill this week would overhaul Connecticut’s Small Business Express program. Hartford Business Journal has the details here.
- Greater Hartford’s home sale market marked a milestone: overall home sale prices now exceed $300,000 for the first time in nearly two decades. The Hartford Courant has the data here.
- Bradley International Airport is announcing flights to new destinations, and new amenities. The Hartford Courant has the latest news here, and WTNH News8 has the story here.
- Connecticut reported the lowest daily number of hospitalizations since the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. CT Post has the numbers here.