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. |
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*SB00837 |
AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF PERFLUOROALKYL OR POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES IN CLASS B FIREFIGHTING FOAM. |
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*SB00838 |
AN ACT CONCERNING MINOR REVISIONS TO CERTAIN FISHING PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. |
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*SB00839 |
AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS AND PESTICIDE REGULATION IN THE STATE. |
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*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. |
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*HJ00058 |
RESOLUTION PROPOSING A STATE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ALLOW NO-EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING. |
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*HJ00059 |
RESOLUTION APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO ALLOW FOR EARLY VOTING. |
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*SB00901 |
AN ACT EXTENDING TO JUNE 30, 2021, CHANGES IMPLEMENTED FOR THE 2020 STATE ELECTION AS A RESULT OF COVID-19. |
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Public Health
*HB06425 |
AN ACT CONCERNING AID IN DYING FOR TERMINALLY ILL PATIENTS. |
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*SB00285 |
AN ACT ALLOWING MEDICAL ASSISTANTS TO ADMINISTER VACCINES. |
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*SB00326 |
AN ACT PROHIBITING THE SALE OF FLAVORED CIGARETTES, TOBACCO PRODUCTS, ELECTRONIC NICOTINE DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND VAPOR PRODUCTS. |
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*SB00835 |
AN ACT CONCERNING DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING PRACTICES OF LIMITED SERVICES PREGNANCY CENTERS. |
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Energy & Technology
*HB06409 |
AN ACT CONCERNING THE SOLICITATION OF BIOGAS INJECTION PROPOSALS FROM ANAEROBIC DIGESTION FACILITIES. |
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*HB06414 |
AN ACT REQUIRING THE STUDY OF THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE STATE. |
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*SB00855 |
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DECOUPLING OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. |
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*SB00865 |
AN ACT REQUIRING THE STUDY OF ENERGY SOURCES. |
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Labor and Public Employees Committee
*HB05158 |
AN ACT CONCERNING BREASTFEEDING IN THE WORKPLACE. |
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*HB06376 |
AN ACT CREATING A RESPECTFUL AND OPEN WORLD FOR NATURAL HAIR. |
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*HB06378 |
AN ACT CODIFYING PREVAILING WAGE CONTRACT RATES. |
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*HB06380 |
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DISCLOSURE OF SALARY RANGE FOR A VACANT POSITION. |
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*HB06382 |
AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PROBATE COURT SYSTEM. |
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*HB06383 |
AN ACT CONCERNING CALL CENTERS AND NOTICE OF CLOSURES. |
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Aging
*HB06456 |
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO PROTECT SENIOR CITIZENS FROM FRAUD. |
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*HB06458 |
AN ACT LOWERING THE AGE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. |
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*SB00056 |
AN ACT DETERRING AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS. |
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*SB00812 |
AN ACT EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESPITE CARE PROGRAM. |
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*SB00816 |
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A REVOLVING LOAN FUND TO ASSIST ELDERLY HOMEOWNERS. |
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*SB00897 |
AN ACT CONCERNING AN INCOME TAX DEDUCTION FOR LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE PREMIUMS. |
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*SB00900 |
AN ACT INCREASING FUNDING FOR AGING IN PLACE INITIATIVES. |
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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. |
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*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.
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