CRMA gets the latest news on Supply Chain and Vaccine Mandates
Mark your calendar for our next Live Broadcast! State Capitol news and notes
News and notes from around the state
- CRMA held its second Live Broadcast on Wednesday of this week, where we discussed the current supply chain issues and federal vaccine mandates.
- Thanks again to our special guests, Jon Gold and Ed Egee from the National Retail Federation.
- We began our session with Jon Gold, just back from a meeting at the White House, who briefed us on the latest information about ways that the private sector, labor, and the White House are working together to solve the current supply chain challenges.
- After Mr. Gold’s timely presentation, Mr. Egee brought us up-to-date on the current situation regarding employers mandating vaccines for all workers. We discussed all the complicated issues around that issue as well.
- If you did not get a chance to join us live you can watch the Broadcast on demand by going here.
- You can also access a recording of the event, and the first broadcast with Connecticut DECD Commissioner David Lehman, on our website.
Mark your calendar for the next Live Broadcast
- With this week’s 2nd Live Broadcast now behind us, we will begin immediately to turn our attention to our 3rd and final Live Broadcast of the year that will take place on November 10th.
- This Live Broadcast will focus on the Legislative issues facing the retail industry and general business industry, as we look towards the start of the next legislative session in February.
- We will also be honoring a CT Legislator with our annual Legislator of the Year award.
- We will be sending material out to members next week with details, but please mark your calendar now for November 10, so that you can join us.
Capitol news and notes
- Senator James Maroney’s task force dealing with consumer privacy legislation is expected to be meeting again on October 26. We will be in attendance and will keep you updated along the way.
- Maroney has developed a working draft of a bill that you can view by going here. We would welcome your comments.
- Also, in a previous FF, we mentioned that we had a conversation with DEEP regarding a compliance issue that retailers are having with new aspects of CT’s bottle bill.
- We remind members that DEEP has requested that any member who cannot comply with these new requirements should notify them in writing. For more information about what the DEEP is looking for to grant relief, please email CRMA President Tim Phelan today at tim@ctretailnetwork.com.
- President Biden is visiting Ct today to promote his “Build Back Better” agenda, as well as attend the dedication of a new human rights center at the University of Connecticut. FOX61 has an update here.
- Senate Republicans painted a grim picture of crime and violence in Connecticut during a midday press conference Wednesday and called for legislative action on a set of proposals including reversing elements of last year’s police accountability law. CTNewsJunkie has the story here.
- Online sports betting is underway in Connecticut, with a soft launch that began this week. Round-the-clock betting is expected to begin next week. Fairfield County Business Journal has the update here. A report by the Associated Press indicates so far, so good. That story is here.
News and notes from around the state
- The state will host the 2021 Connecticut Economic Development Summit on Thursday, December 2 at The Bushnell in Hartford. This half-day conference will feature interactive discussions on the policies and decisions driving economic recovery. Participants will include corporate partners, thought leaders, social media influencers, entrepreneurs, Connecticut stakeholders, top-ranking government officials, C-level executives, and Governor Lamont. For information and registration go to: https://cteconomicsummit.com/.
- Congrats to CRMA Board Karen Munson, President of Munson’s Chocolates who has been highlighted by Hartford Business Journal as a category winner in the publication’s C-Suite Awards, which recognize executives who have made significant contributions to their companies, including those “who stood out for their commitment to excellence and guiding their companies through extremely difficult conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.” Munson’s guiding principle: “We are a legacy brand that we treat like a startup. We are fiercely committed to balancing Old-World craftsmanship and cutting-edge innovation.”
- Data released this week by the state Department of Labor indicates that there are more available jobs in Connecticut than people receiving unemployment assistance, based on September numbers. CT Post reports the story here.
- With an expanded partnership between Massachusetts-based Stop & Shop and delivery app Instacart, a new Stop & Shop Express “convenience delivery service” will launch at its locations in the Northeast, including its 90 stores in Connecticut. Items will arrive at customers door in as few as 30 minutes, the company announced. New Haven BIZ reports the story here.
- The increasing impact of Tik Tok on retail business is explored in a report by the Associated Press featured by the Connecticut Post, here.
- Motorists in Connecticut and New York are paying above the national average to fill their gas tanks, according to new data from AAA. Connecticut’s average cost for a gallon of regular gas is $3.31, the highest among the New England states. Fairfield County Business Journal has the data here.
- Passenger traffic at Bradley International Airport rose 17 percent year over year in the first half of 2021, according to new data. Connecticut Post reports that passengers at Bradley has increased for five-straight months. Read the news here.