Capitol Update – Legislative Round-Up

March 8, 2021

Bills are being raised out of various legislative committees with increasing speed as we enter the third month of the legislative session. The three bill-raising committees on which I sit – Judiciary; Government Administration and Elections (GAE); and Environment – have a robust agenda and have been holding regular public hearings on an astonishingly wide variety of subjects. For example, last week Judiciary heard testimony on a bill to require a property owner to pay for the removal of dead tree limbs (rather than the neighbor on whose land the limb falls); GAE considered expanding voting access through a Constitutional Amendment on absentee ballots; while in Environment we heard the pros and cons of banning polystyrene trays in our public schools. Most days my colleagues and I are “double and triple zooming” – meaning listening virtually to several public hearings and committee meetings concurrently.

(If you would like to watch any of these public hearings, you can find out what bills are being heard, and when, by clicking HERE. Go to the CGA Schedule of Events, click on the committee you’re interested in and then click on the Agenda.)

After committee members hear public testimony in public hearings, they then vote to raise the bills and send them on to the floor of the House (or Senate) for a vote by the full assembly. (Deadlines for this process vary, so not all committees have voted to raise bills.) Some of the more significant bills that have been heard in public hearings and have subsequently been voted out of committee include the following. (Please remember this is only a sampling. If you have a specific subject interest or would like to know the status of a certain bill, feel free to email my office and we will get the information for you.)


Environment Committee:

*HJ00053 RESOLUTION PROPOSING THE ADOPTION OF THE LONG ISLAND SOUND BLUE PLAN.   
*SB00837 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF PERFLUOROALKYL OR POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES IN CLASS B FIREFIGHTING FOAM.   
*SB00838 AN ACT CONCERNING MINOR REVISIONS TO CERTAIN FISHING PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.   
*SB00839 AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS AND PESTICIDE REGULATION IN THE STATE.   
*SB00840

AN ACT CONCERNING CONNECTICUT'S SHELLFISH RESTORATION PROGRAM AND THE CONNECTICUT SEAFOOD COUNCIL.


Government Administration and Elections (GAE)

*HB06464 AN ACT EXTENDING TO MAY 31, 2021, SEVERAL CHANGES IMPLEMENTED FOR THE 2020 STATE ELECTION AS A RESULT OF COVID-19.   
*HJ00058 RESOLUTION PROPOSING A STATE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ALLOW NO-EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING.   
*HJ00059 RESOLUTION APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO ALLOW FOR EARLY VOTING.   
*SB00901 AN ACT EXTENDING TO JUNE 30, 2021, CHANGES IMPLEMENTED FOR THE 2020 STATE ELECTION AS A RESULT OF COVID-19.   

 

Public Health

*HB06425 AN ACT CONCERNING AID IN DYING FOR TERMINALLY ILL PATIENTS.   
*SB00285 AN ACT ALLOWING MEDICAL ASSISTANTS TO ADMINISTER VACCINES.   
*SB00326 AN ACT PROHIBITING THE SALE OF FLAVORED CIGARETTES, TOBACCO PRODUCTS, ELECTRONIC NICOTINE DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND VAPOR PRODUCTS.   
*SB00835 AN ACT CONCERNING DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING PRACTICES OF LIMITED SERVICES PREGNANCY CENTERS.   

 

 Energy & Technology

*HB06409 AN ACT CONCERNING THE SOLICITATION OF BIOGAS INJECTION PROPOSALS FROM ANAEROBIC DIGESTION FACILITIES.   
*HB06414 AN ACT REQUIRING THE STUDY OF THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE STATE.   
*SB00855 AN ACT CONCERNING THE DECOUPLING OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.   
*SB00865 AN ACT REQUIRING THE STUDY OF ENERGY SOURCES.   

 

 Labor and Public Employees Committee

*HB05158 AN ACT CONCERNING BREASTFEEDING IN THE WORKPLACE.   
*HB06376 AN ACT CREATING A RESPECTFUL AND OPEN WORLD FOR NATURAL HAIR.   
*HB06378 AN ACT CODIFYING PREVAILING WAGE CONTRACT RATES.   
*HB06380 AN ACT CONCERNING THE DISCLOSURE OF SALARY RANGE FOR A VACANT POSITION.   
*HB06382 AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PROBATE COURT SYSTEM.   
*HB06383 AN ACT CONCERNING CALL CENTERS AND NOTICE OF CLOSURES.   

 

 Aging

*HB06456 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO PROTECT SENIOR CITIZENS FROM FRAUD.   
*HB06458 AN ACT LOWERING THE AGE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR SENIOR CITIZENS.   
*SB00056 AN ACT DETERRING AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS.   
*SB00812 AN ACT EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESPITE CARE PROGRAM.   
*SB00816 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A REVOLVING LOAN FUND TO ASSIST ELDERLY HOMEOWNERS.   
*SB00897 AN ACT CONCERNING AN INCOME TAX DEDUCTION FOR LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE PREMIUMS.   
*SB00900 AN ACT INCREASING FUNDING FOR AGING IN PLACE INITIATIVES.   

 

 Banking Committee

*HB05027 AN ACT REQUIRING THE BANKING COMMISSIONER TO ESTABLISH A FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER SAVINGS ACCOUNT PROGRAM AND ESTABLISHING A TAX DEDUCTION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER SAVINGS ACCOUNTS.   
*HB05090

AN ACT CONCERNING MORTGAGE FORBEARANCE AND CRUMBLING CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS.

 

Again, this is just a sampling of the work going on at the Capitol (virtually). While we all long for the days when we can meet in person, there is no doubt that one silver lining of the pandemic is that migrating to virtual public hearings has afforded many more people the opportunity to make their voice heard.