CRMA LIVE Broadcast set for October 13th!
Register today
Bottle bill update
News and notes from the State Capitol
News and notes from around the state
- CRMA will be hosting our second of three Live Broadcasts that we have planned for this fall, on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm. Mark your calendar!
- On this Live Broadcast, we will be examining two issues that are dominating the attention of any retailer in business today: what is happening with supply chain, and what is the latest on vaccine mandates and employer issues related to government mandates.
- We are excited to have 2 experts on those issues joining a panel of local retailers to discuss these two big issues: Jon Gold, VP Supply Chain and Customs Policy for the National Retail Federation and Ed Egee, VP Government Relations and Workforce Development for NRF.
- We will do a deep dive into the latest on these two critical issues facing retailers, as we begin to turn our attention to the soon-to-be-here Holiday Shopping season.
Register Today
- All of these Live Broadcast are FREE for retailers to join in, and we encourage all of you to register for the event today.
- You can do that by going to our website, https://ctretailnetwork.com/crma-live-broadcasts/
- Also, while the event itself is free to watch, there are sponsorship opportunities available if members would like to help support this event and the Association.
- Please consider being a sponsor for this event. All the money we raise goes towards helping keep CRMA the Voice of Retail in CT.
Bottle Bill update
- During this past Legislative session, changes were made to Connecticut’s bottle bill. Among those that will impact many of our members is specific language in the bill that requires that retailers have the proper machines in their stores to handle the return of bottles and cans.
- The problem is that there are not enough machines – called Reverse Vending Machines – ready for retailers to place in their stores. In addition, the physical changes that must take place in certain retail stores makes complying with the law a real challenge.
- CRMA wrote to the Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) last week requesting assistance from them on these issues because the changes in the Act go into effect today.
- DEEP responded to our letter with acknowledgement that the challenges are real and that they would work with retailers to help them comply. In addition, CRMA will hold a special call with DEEP next week to talk thru in more detail just how retailers and DEEP can work together to help folks deal with this new law.
- If you are interested in joining in on that call, please email CRMA President Tim Phelan tim@ctretailnetwork.com and we will include you on the distribution list for the call.
News and notes from around the State Capitol
- The Legislature gave approval to extend Governor Lamont’s emergency COVID authority for another 4 months. Mark Pazniokas of the CT Mirror has the story on how debates in both chambers went. You can go here for that.
- Using surplus dollars from the fiscal year that wrapped June 30, the state will make more than $1.6 billion in supplemental payments into its pension systems for teachers and state employees. CT Mirror’s Keith Phaneuf has the details here.
- Sports betting in Connecticut kicked off Thursday with Gov. Lamont putting $50 on the Connecticut Sun, $20 on the New York Yankees and $20 on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs. CT Mirror reports on the opening day, here.
- A new state law, effective today, makes it illegal for employers to require information on an initial application that would reveal an applicant’s age – not only the individual’s birth date, but also dates like when they attended or graduated from high school and years spent working at past jobs. We-ha.com has the story here.
Other news and notes from around the state
- To prepare for potential staffing shortages as soon as next week, Gov. Lamont has directed the Connecticut National Guard to start planning to replace state employees who have not been vaccinated. The Hartford Courant’s Chris Keating has the latest, here.
- A new survey of hundreds of small companies statewide suggests more than a third of those business owners oppose a vaccine mandate for workers. The survey was taken for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. CT Post has the story here.
- Connecticut had one of the lowest violent crime rates in the nation last year, but did not fare as well with property crimes, statistics from the FBI show. The Hartford Courant has the story here.
- CVS Health is now offering booster shots of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to eligible patients at 46 locations in Connecticut. New Haven BIZ has the details here.
- Eversource Energy plans to invest $250 million in electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Connecticut and Massachusetts to speed up adoption of the technology. Hartford Business Journal reports on the CEO’s comments, here.