From how long police can retain Flock camera data to restrictions on immigration enforcement, Connecticut will see a range of legal changes take effect Thursday, Oct. 1.
Nearly 100 laws passed by the Connecticut General Assembly will take effect in whole or in part Oct. 1. The changes cover transportation, employment, privacy and law enforcement.
Here are 10 changes Connecticut residents should know about.
Connecticut is placing new limits on automated license plate readers, including Flock Safety cameras.
Under Public Act 26-14, the state limits how long information collected by the cameras can be retained and restricts how it can be used or shared.
The law establishes a general 21-day retention limit, with exceptions for circumstances such as active criminal investigations and court orders.
The law also restricts certain uses of the data, including investigations of suspected immigration violations and matters involving reproductive or gender-affirming health care. It limits sharing with out-of-state agencies, subject to specified conditions.
Connecticut law restricts arrests and detentions for civil offenses in designated protected areas, including schools, hospitals, places of worship, child care centers and homeless shelters beginning Oct. 1. The restrictions also cover associated grounds and parking areas.
Officers may still take someone into custody for a civil offense if they have a judicial warrant issued by a judge. An administrative immigration warrant is not the same thing. The provision does not prohibit arrests for criminal offenses.
The law includes federal immigration officers, but its application to federal enforcement is legally contested. Protected-area status does not guarantee that ICE arrests cannot occur there.
The change is included in Public Act 26-14.
Lawmakers have expanded Connecticut's distracted-driving law, making it illegal for drivers to hold a cellphone or other mobile electronic device with any part of their body while operating a vehicle.
The changes also prohibit viewing text messages and other nonvoice communications and driving while a video or moving image is visible to the driver, including on certain built-in vehicle screens.
The law applies even when a driver is temporarily stopped at a traffic light or in traffic.
Exceptions include navigation displays, backup cameras and emergency calls. Hands-free use remains permitted under the law's requirements.
The provision is part of Public Act 26-63.
Drivers who violate Connecticut's distracted-driving law in a highway work zone will face reckless-driving charges, an unclassified misdemeanor.
A first offense carries a fine of $100 to $300, up to 30 days in jail or both. Subsequent offenses carry a fine of up to $600, up to a year in jail or both.
The change is included in Public Act 26-120, which addresses distracted driving and safe vehicle operation in highway work zones.
Connecticut drivers who repeatedly violate the state's school bus stopping law will face a mandatory six-month driver's license suspension after a third or subsequent qualifying offense.
The suspension applies to convictions and certain other court outcomes, including forfeiture of a bond. Violations issued under municipal school bus camera ordinances do not count toward the three offenses.
The provision is part of Public Act 26-95.
Connecticut car dealers must include any dealer conveyance or processing fee in the advertised price of a new or used vehicle, rather than adding it to the price later.
The fee covers paperwork and services associated with completing a sale, such as registering the vehicle and transferring ownership. For example, a car priced at $20,000 with a $700 conveyance fee must be advertised at $20,700, with the fee also listed separately.
The fee remains negotiable. Dealers also cannot preprint its amount on vehicle purchase orders and invoices before discussing the sale with a prospective buyer. State and local taxes and registration fees may still be excluded from the advertised price.
The change is included in Public Act 26-24.
Connecticut employers will be required to include a wage or wage range and a general description of benefits in internal and external job postings.
Previously, employers generally had to disclose a position's wage range when an applicant requested it or before or at the time of a compensation offer, whichever came first.
The new requirements apply to employers regardless of size. Employers with at least 100 employees also face additional requirements involving guides that explain commonly used pay codes.
The changes are part of Public Act 26-12.
Connecticut is expanding its prohibition on employment agreements that require workers to repay certain costs if they leave a job before a specified period.
Previously, the prohibition generally applied to employers with at least 26 employees. Beginning Oct. 1, it will apply to employers of all sizes, including certain agreements requiring workers to repay training costs.
Exceptions include agreements requiring employees to repay money advanced to them or pay for property sold or leased to them by their employer.
The change is included in Public Act 26-12.
Employers that electronically monitor workers will face expanded notice requirements.
Under Public Act 26-73, employers must identify both the types of monitoring that may occur and the specific locations where it may occur. Notices must also be posted in the applicable locations.
Employees hired on or after Oct. 1 must receive a written, plain-language statement explaining which activities may be monitored without advance notice.
The law includes exceptions to the location-disclosure requirement for certain security and employee-safety concerns. Existing law also permits monitoring without advance notice when employers have reasonable grounds to suspect certain misconduct.
Connecticut will expand its ability to withhold payments from contractors and subcontractors who fail to comply with prevailing-wage requirements on public works projects.
The change allows the state comptroller to withhold payments following a stop-work order and a specified notice and compliance process. Payments may resume once the contractor meets the law's requirements.
The provision is part of Public Act 26-17.
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