Legislature to go back into special session later this month
No new taxes next year?
CRMA events reminder
CT COVID update and news from around the state
Secretary of the State welcomes help on Election Day
- As we go to print with today’s FF, it appears that the General Assembly is poised to go back into special session later this month.
- We anticipate the legislature will return to the State Capitol this month to vote on school construction projects for cities and towns and an energy bill – still being developed – which is a reaction to the power outages in the state after last month’s Tropical Storm, plus other issues.
- As of now, it is anticipated that the Senate will convene within the next two weeks, and the House may convene on Sept. 29 or 30 – all of which is subject to change. Hartford Courant has details here.
No new taxes?
- Speaking of the General Assembly, while they are not scheduled to begin their regular session until January of 2021, the state of the state budget is always front and center. And always lurking is whether or not general taxes will have to be raised – especially this year, given the impact of COVID-19 on CT’s economy.
- This week, the Governor gave us a preview of what he is thinking by noting that Connecticut’s finances are in relatively good shape – despite the latest projection that the state might face a $2.1 billion deficit in fiscal year 2021.
- The Governor said recently he doesn’t plan to seek new taxes or cut services to close the projected deficit – because Connecticut has a rainy day fund that’s now more than $3 billion dollars, or 15.1 percent of the state’s general fund — a record high. Fairfield County’s WSHU has the story here.
CRMA events reminder
- A couple of friendly reminders of CRMA events that will be taking place soon.
- Next week, on Wednesday, September 16th, CRMA will be co-hosting a webinar – “Adjusting to The New Normal of Retail – Contactless Commerce”
- You can go here to register for that event.
- Also, there is still time to participate in our annual Golf Outing that will be taking place on Tuesday, Oct 13th, at Wampanoag CC in West Hartford. CRMA website has details here.
- Hoping you can join us of both of those events.
CT COVID -19 update and other news and notes from around the State
- Family members of those who were killed on 9/11 attended Connecticut’s official ceremony Thursday at Sherwood Island State Park and helped read aloud the names of the 161 victims who had ties to Connecticut. Greenwich Time reports on the commemorative ceremony here.
- Lamont has ordered all U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset today to honor the victims. The Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven will be illuminated with red, white and blue lights, last night and tonight.
- Regarding coronavirus, Connecticut has seen a slight uptick in recent days with 89 new cases on Wednesday and 222 on Thursday, driven largely by younger people with the reopening of colleges and schools. Connecticut’s rate of positive tests, however, remains lower than nearly every other state. The Hartford Courant has details here, and the latest official data from the State can be seen here.
Help Needed: Election Day
- The Office of Secretary of the State has alerted CRMA that some businesses in Connecticut are encouraging their employees to participate in this year’s election by encouraging them to work at the polls on Election Day.
- Connecticut has approximately 800 polling places serving state residents and since this is a major election year, the Office is anticipating high voter turnout.
- Historically, many senior citizens have staffed the polls, but now, since they are a high risk population due to COVID-19, election officials are looking for new people who are willing to assist on Election Day.
- Using the Governor’s COVID response team, the Secretary of the State’s Office has set up a statewide sign-up for people interested in working on Election Day at the polls. You can access the website here.
- The list of people who sign up is shared with all local election officials, who make the decisions on staff for their town’s polls, as well as the amount of any stipends that are paid to workers.