CRN is successful in efforts to update Organized Retail Crime bill
State Convention updates
News and notes from the State Capitol
Please consider donating a raffle prize for the CRN Golf Outing
News and notes from around the state
- This past legislative session was a good one for the Connecticut Retail Network.
- One of the more important bills that we asked the General Assembly to consider dealt with the ongoing challenge that retailers face with Organized Retail Crime.
- This year, HB 5563 – which is now Public Act 26-130 – was introduced at our request by the Judiciary Committee. A public hearing was held, and the committee, on a bipartisan basis, voted the bill out of committee.
- That bipartisan support continued throughout the session as the bill received overwhelming support in both the House and the Senate.
- The bill does two major things:
- First, it updates the law on organized retail theft by defining what counts as ‘retail property,’ ‘value,’ and ‘retail property fence’ (someone who knowingly buys stolen retail goods to resell them).
- It makes it a crime for someone, working with others, to steal retail goods over $2,000 for financial gain, or to sell them to a “retail property fence,” even if those goods are stolen online.
- Second, the new law will create a new penalty for anyone engaging in gift card fraud, which is a growing issue for retailers.
- This bill, which we expect the Governor to sign, will make it easier to prosecute those who steal, tamper with, or fraudulently obtain gift cards. And the bill deals with both open-loop and closed-loop gift cards.
- If you would like to see the summary of the bill, you can go here.
- We want to thank the Co-Chairs and Ranking members of the Judiciary Committee for their overwhelming support of this bill.
State Convention update
- As we reported in last week’s FF, both State political parties held their nominating conventions for statewide offices. And with no real surprise, both turned out the way we expected.
- First, the Republicans… With the dropout by New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart just days prior to the convention, there was no real drama as to who would be nominated.
- State Senator Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich) won the nomination in an overwhelming manner. His nominal opponent, former New York Lt. Governor Betsy McCaughey, threw her support to Fazio, to give him near unanimous support.
- On the Democratic side, things went close to what we expected. Governor Lamont received the majority of delegates and walked away with the Party nomination. But his opponent, State Rep. Josh Elliott of Hamden, did receive close to 25% of the delegate votes.
- That number is more than enough for Elliott to primary the Governor – so now the two of them will face off in an August 11 primary.
- You can read more about the convention – and the aftermath – by going to media reports here, here, and here, from Connecticut Insider, Connecticut Post, and Hartford Courant.
News and notes from the State Capitol
- Now that the legislative session is over, all eyes are looking toward state-level conventions for offices, including the State Senate and State Representative.
- This week, incumbent Hartford State Senator Doug McCrory lost his bid for party endorsement at his convention. McCrory has been embroiled in controversy over the misuse of federal funds, and will now have to run in a primary in August to keep his seat.
- Four-term House Democrat Jill Barry of Glastonbury was defeated at a nominating caucus Thursday night by Moses Carelus. A moderate in the House Democratic caucus, Barry is seeking her fifth two-year term. The Courant’s Kevin Rennie has details here.
- Gov. Lamont unleashed what has been described as a scathing critique of Eversource officials for seeking an 11% electric rate hike in Connecticut, accusing the company of leaning on its customers to fund generous executive pay and higher profits for its shareholders. Details reported by the Hartford Courant here.
- Complaint backlogs at the Wage and Workplace Standards Division of the Connecticut Department of Labor continue to increase due to a staffing shortage and lack of resources, a recent audit details. CTNewsJunkie has more on that news here.
- Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has joined 23 other states and D.C. in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over a new rule that limits access to federal student loans for students pursuing professional degree programs. Details reported here by CTNewsJunkie.
- Connecticut residents have the option to vote via absentee ballot with no questions asked after Gov. Lamont signed a universal absentee voting bill into law on Tuesday. Details of the new law are reported here by CTNewsJunkie.
- The amount of public testimony — signed and anonymous — submitted on proposed Connecticut bills has risen sharply in recent years, but the reasons why are murky. More than 43,800 pieces of written testimony were submitted during the 2026 legislative session, nearly a 250% increase compared to 2016. CT Mirror has the analysis here.
Please consider donating a raffle prize for the CRN Golf Outing
- Our 2026 CRN Golf Outing is just a month away – on Tuesday, June 30. We’ll be returning this year to the Farms Country Club in Wallingford. The day begins at 11:30 AM, and we hope to see you with us.
- It promises to be a special afternoon for all – along with golf, there will be many options for sandwiches, refreshments, and snacks throughout play, and then following golf, attendees and guests can join us for a special reception and BBQ.
- Please consider donating a raffle prize for the CRN Golf Outing to add to the excitement of this special day. Contact CRN President Tim Phelan at tim@ctretailnetwork.com with your donation information.
- To learn more about the 2026 CRN Golf Outing, and for registration information, please go to the CRN website here.
- Our lead sponsor for this year’s event, once again, is Liberty Bank. We greatly appreciate their support of CRN and Connecticut retailers.
News and notes from around the state
- Connecticut’s unemployment rate rose to 5.0%, a 0.2% hike, which state officials maintain is due to new entrants in the job market because the number of unemployment claims did not go up. The Hartford Courant has the latest numbers here.
- Connecticut motorists are paying some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation — at the worst possible time. AAA reported the average price of regular gasoline nationally at $4.55 per gallon on Wednesday, up more than $1.50 since the conflict began on Feb. 28. The Hartford Courant has details here.
- Connecticut municipalities have received a boost in battling two health concerns — lead and PFAS in drinking water — as a result of a $37 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). CTNewsJunkie has that news here.
- Leonard Lockhart of the Windsor Board of Education was recently elected president of the National School Boards Association for 2026-27, according to the group. CTNewsJunkie has the election details here.