First round of Committees at the General Assembly getting ready to wrap up business
CRN issues coming into focus
Other news and notes from around the Capitol
News and notes from around the state
- As the CT General Assembly continues to grind through its long session, we can begin to see the end of the committee phase of the process for some committees that CRN deals with.
- One of the more important Committees that we follow is the General Law Committee, and this week the House Chair of the Committee informed members of the committee that they would like to wrap up business by next Thursday.
- They will be holding meetings on Tuesday and Thursday and finish well before their deadline of March 31st.
- Other committees that have actual deadlines next week include the Aging, Housing, Children, Veterans Affairs and the Banking Committees.
- That is the first wave of deadlines; the following week several other committees have deadlines.
- While we can see the light at the end of the tunnel for many Committees, a couple of the big ones, Judiciary (March 31st) and Finance (April 20th) have later deadlines.
- Also, the Labor Committee was granted an extension of one week due to the death of Rep. Quentin Williams, who as you may recall, was to become the House Chair of the Labor Committee.
- The Labor Committee deadline is now March 28th.
CRN issues coming into focus
- Speaking of the Labor Committee, earlier this week one of the Committee’s major priority bills came out in fully drafted form.
- That bill, HB 6859 AAC Predictable Scheduling, is one that CRN is strongly opposed to and will work vigorously against. This bill fits perfectly into the old saying, bad bill at a bad time.
- We also remain concerned about other bills as we move towards the end of the Committee process.
- There are proposed changes to the consumer privacy bill that passed last year that would revise some of the hard-fought protections that we gained for retailers in last year’s bill.
- The consumer privacy bill will eventually be considered by the Judiciary Committee and has yet to be fully drafted.
- The Environment Committee is considering a bill that will create a Stewardship council to manage packaging waste, that we are also concerned with. The Environment Committee has until March 27th to act on that bill.
- Finally, the Finance Committee held a public hearing on HB5673, which includes a digital advertising tax similar to the one that CRN was successful in defeating back in 2021. That proposal also has us concerned and we will engage with key legislators to defeat that proposal.
- Just a friendly reminder that this year’s long session does not end until June 7th.
Other News and Notes from around the State Capitol
- Gov. Ned Lamont has gone across the political aisle and nominated Bryan Cafferelli to serve as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Fairfield County Business Journal has news of the nomination here.
- Democrats claimed victory Tuesday night in special elections for three Connecticut House seats opened by the death of Quentin Williams, D-Middletown, and resignations of Dan Fox, D-Stamford, and Edwin Vargas Jr., D-Hartford. The results restore Democrats to the 98-53 majority won in November. CT Mirror has the election results here.
- Many customers of M&T Bank are still experiencing problems following account conversions six months ago related to M&T’s acquisition last year of People’s United Bank, Attorney General William Tong told legislators this week. CT Post has the highlights here.
- State Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto and his staff were the targets of sharp criticism over the agency’s campaign of clear cutting trees along state highways, in a legislative hearing this week. CT Insider reports on the criticism here.
- State Capitol police arrested 14 demonstrators who laid down Wednesday in the Legislative Office Building to protest challenges in obtaining a stipend for health coverage promised to unionized personal-care attendants. CT Mirror reports on the event here.
- Legislation advanced by Bridgeport State Rep. Antonio Felipe has received the backing of Gov. Ned Lamont who was in Bridgeport on Monday to announce his support for an English Learners Bill of Rights that safeguards bilingual education. Only in Bridgeport has the details here.
- Connecticut already has a host of official state symbols, from the state polka to the state fish. If legislation passes this year the state will have an official state food, state pet, state candy and state dog. New Haven Register outlines the possibilities here.
News and Notes from around the State
- The New York City-based fast casual restaurant chain Just Salad is opening its first Connecticut location this week in Fairfield. Fairfield County Business Journal has the news here.
- A partnership that includes Connecticut colleges, hospitals and state agencies is using $30.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to try to address the workforce shortages in nursing and social work. New Haven BIZ has the details here.
- Construction of a new facility at Bradley International Airport to modernize the system used to handle checked baggage is expected to get underway soon, thanks in part to a $5 million grant from the federal government. CT Post reports on the plans here.
- A Fairfield development firm co-led by a former New England Patriots football player – Niko Koutouvides – has acquired a Farmington development site already approved for a mixed-use apartment project. Hartford Business Journal has the news here.