5 New CT Law Proposals That Could Change Your Life: What You Need To Know

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut legislators are considering several bills that could change the lives of many Connecticut residents.

This year’s legislative session is a short one and will end on May 4. It’s the last regular session before November elections, which includes the governor race this year.

Below are five potentially life-changing proposals that are still being considered.

Lamont proposed tax cuts

Gov. Ned Lamont proposed a package of tax cuts at the beginning of the legislative session.

Lamont wants to restore full eligibility for the property tax credit and increase the maximum credit from $200 to $300. The plan also calls for reducing the mill rate cap on motor vehicles from 45 mills to 29; the state would spend $160 million to reimburse local towns and cities.

Part of the proposal would also accelerate the pension and annuities tax exemption, which is scheduled to go fully into effect by 2025. Lamont wants the exemption fully in effect for 2022.

Public Beaches

Bill 5254 would prohibit towns that receive certain state road grants from restrict parking access near public beaches. It would also prohibit towns from setting different rates for resident and non-resident parking.

Bill 5361 would prohibit towns from closing beach access to non-residents unless residents are denied access too. It would also limit differential pricing to no more than 50 percent for resident vs. non-resident parking.

A petition against the bill received more than 3,000 signatures.

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Juvenile Court

The bill proposed by House Republicans would make changes to how some juvenile criminal cases are handled.

It was the subject of a multi-hour debate, according to the CT Mirror. Proponents said it would address public safety concerns related to juvenile car thefts. Opponents argued that it would be better to keep juvenile offenders in the juvenile system, where there is more access to mental health resources.

One of the highlights of the bill is that it would automatically transfer juvenile cases to adult court for 13 and 14-year-olds charged with certain violent crimes. The bill would also increase the flexibility when determining whether to detain a child and would also increase information sharing on juvenile cases by law enforcement agencies.

It would also prohibit insurers from considering motor vehicle theft or larceny when deciding whether to issue, renew or cancel an auto insurance policy.

The Insurance Association of Connecticut opposed the provision and said it would prohibit insurers from consider motor vehicle theft or larceny whether to issue, renew or cancel an auto insurance policy. The provision would result in higher auto insurance rates for everyone.

“An insurer might determine that a certain customer had a previous loss because the customer did not take necessary steps to protect his or her property, for example, if the customer failed to remove keys or valuables from a vehicle,” Brook Foley, general counsel for the IAC wrote in testimony.

Fair Share Housing

The bill would require a statewide assessment on the need for affordable housing. It would also track the progress of municipalities toward meeting requirements. It passed a committee vote 10-15.

Proponents say the bill will address equitable needs for housing development and establish a better process to track municipal performance toward the goal. Opponents voiced concern that it would create a “one size fits all” approach to affordable housing.

The Connecticut Council of Small Towns opposes the bill. Executive Director Betsy Gara said it would make local housing needs a “top-down” process, which doesn’t consider barriers to development such as water and sewer capacity.

The Connecticut Fair Housing Center testified in favor of the bill and said Connecticut has some of the most exclusionary zoning in the country and that 90 percent of land in the state is zoned for single family homes.

“Fair share is an equitable and anti-racist approach to housing development that would help aid in improved outcomes for people of color and poor people across all social determents,” CFHC Director of Operations Fionnuala Darby-Hudgens wrote in testimony on the bill.—

Catalytic Converters

Catalytic convert theft has become a major problem in Connecticut and elsewhere in the country.
The bill would require record keeping by motor vehicle recyclers, scrap metal processors and junk dealers when purchasing catalytic converters.

The converters help reduce engine emissions and contain several precious metals. The market price for the metals increased in 2020, which helped fuel the rise in thefts.

There were about 1,300 catalytic convert thefts reported nationally in 2018, 3,400 in 2019 and 14,400 in 2020, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The thefts can be more than a major headache for motor vehicle owners. A suspected thief fired gunshots in Wallingford after a resident interrupted a theft.

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