New CT laws go into effect July 1
As Connecticut’s new fiscal year begins on July 1, the $24.4 billion budget includes major tax cuts and credits, while a raft of new laws take effect from addressing air quality in schools to cracking down on the theft of catalytic converters.
Connecticut was already viewed as a leader on abortion rights, but two new laws on the books will expand the types of medical providers who can provide aspiration abortions, the most common type of in-clinic abortions, and provide a legal safe harbor to providers and patients against lawsuits from anti-abortion states. The new laws were prompted by an anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision this June that would overrule or severely curtail the federal right to abortion.
The state Department of
Correction will be limited in how long they can keep imprisoned people in solitary confinement, including an outright prohibition on isolating juveniles. The new law requires that any isolated confinement includes at least four hours a day out of their cells; and maintains the leastrestrictive environment needed for the safety of the imprisoned, correction security personnel and other staff.
A surge in catalytic converter thefts in Connecticut, a crime that’s also on the rise nationally, prompted lawmakers to pass a bill prohibiting scrap dealers from buying catalytic converters that are not part of motor vehicles. It also requires dealers, recyclers and junkyards to keep records of identification numbers and receipts.
The issue of indoor air quality, which took frontand-center during the pandemic, resulted in several initiatives. There will be $150 million to start a grant program to reimburse local boards of education to cover costs of installing, replacing or upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Funding includes $75 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds and $75 million in long-term borrowing.
The act also requires boards of education to conduct evaluations of HVAC systems in each school building every five years and take any necessary corrective actions.
In an attempt to identify adult sexual misconduct, another new law allows the state Department if Children and Families to train bystanders in statewide sexual and assault awareness. And the list of so-called mandated reporters – people required to report incidents to police – will be expanded to include camp counselors and
staff ages 21 and older.
The JobsCT program will offer companies in specific industries - finance, insurance, manufacturing, clean energy, bioscience, technology, digital media, or any similar industry - a chance to earn rebates against their business-tax liabilities by reaching targets for job creation benchmarks. Rebates totaling $40 million
a year will be based on the number of new fulltime employees and the average wage for single tax filers. Businesses must create about 25 new fulltime jobs.
The state Office of Early Childhood starts a grant program to help school readiness programs and child care centers.
Another new law sets a requirement within the GWSA that the state eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity supplied to electric customers
in the state by January 1, 2040.
The Office of Aquatic Invasive Species will be created within the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and be responsible for coordinating research efforts for invasive species control and eradication, advising tons and cities municipalities on the issue. The new budget includes $300,000 for three positions to support the new office.
Another new law will generally prohibit employers from penalizing workers, or threatening to do so, for failing to attend employer-sponsored meetings; listen to employer speeches, or view communications intended to portray employer opinion about religious or political matters, including the support of labor unions. There will be exceptions to let employers give workers information on the law and rules on what they may need to do to perform their jobs.