CRMA Live Broadcast set for next week
Supply Chain and Federal vaccine mandates get closer look
News and notes from around the Capitol
News and notes from around the state

  • Our next LIVE Broadcast! will be next Wednesday, October 13, 2021 from 12:00noon to 1:00pm.
  • It’s not too late to register for this event – which is free to all attendees. You can visit our website, crmaonline.com and register for the event.
  • This is the second of three LIVE Broadcasts that we have scheduled for this year in lieu of an in-person annual awards luncheon. Our next event, which will focus on the upcoming CT General Assembly legislative session, will be held on November 10.
  • We hope you can join us next week for this event.

 

Supply Chain and Federal vaccines to get deeper look

  • Two major topics that are currently facing the retail and greater business community will get a closer look during our Broadcast next week.
  • We are pleased that Jonathan Gold, VP of Supply Chain and Customs Policy for the NRF, an expert in the area of supply chain issues, will join us to bring us up-to-date on what retailers can expect during the upcoming holiday season.
  • And we also pleased that Edwin Egee, VP of Government Relations and Workforce Development at the NRF, will also join us to discuss the latest information regarding how retailers can comply with the Biden Administration rules around mandating vaccines or testing for employees.
  • Joining these experts on these panels will be a group of Connecticut retailers who will add their perspectives on these issues and how they’ll be impacted in real terms.
  • We hope you can join on Wednesday.

 

News and notes from around the State Capitol

  • CRMA held a conference call this week with representatives from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to discuss the issues around compliance with CT’s new bottle bill law.
  • Specifically, we talked about the challenges that retailers face – again because of supply chain issues – with having the right equipment in place in order to take back bottles and cans that they are required to under Connecticut’s new law.
  • We are happy to report that DEEP understands our situation and is willing to work with us and our members in granting some relief for them on this issue.
  • If you would like to get more information about what the DEEP is looking for to grant relief, please email CRMA President Tim Phelan today at tim@ctretailnetwork.com
  • The General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Research translates legal language into “plain language” for legislators and the public to understand issues being considered or legislation that has passed.
  • Each year OLR produces a report that summarizes the bills that have passed and become law in a report called the Major Public Act Passed.
  • One final note on the CGA. After last week’s special session to extend the Governor’s executive authority, the LOB is pretty quiet and mostly likely will be until they full General Assembly is back in session in early February.
  • But the LOB is open to the public with one caveat: you can only go to the first floor in both the LOB and the State Capitol. Not sure if that will change when the session begins, but we are keeping a eye on it and will update you along the way.

 

News and notes from around the state

  • Many small companies with 50 or fewer workers will continue to see their health plan costs increase, while still facing economic uncertainty from an ongoing pandemic, the Hartford Business Journal reports.
  • The state Department of Consumer Protection has released regulations providing details regarding implementation of the state’s adult-use cannabis legalization law. Hartford Business Journal has the information here.
  • As many Connecticut towns take a wait-and-see approach to recreational marijuana, other towns are moving more quickly in an effort to provide clarity and allow preparations for potential applicants. CT Examiner has the story here.
  • The debut of online betting in Connecticut has been postponed as the state continues to work out details. A new start date has not yet been set.  Fairfield County Business Journal has the update here.
  • The national economic rating agencies have improved their outlook for New Haven fiscal future. New Haven BIZ has the latest here.
  • Connecticut’s COVID-19 positivity rate remained below 2% this week, encouraging state officials. No state has recorded fewer recent COVID-19 cases per capita, according to data aggregated by the New York Times. Details in The Hartford Courant here.