Here Are All The Life-Changing Bills, Taxes Approved In CT

HARTFORD, CT — The regular legislative session in Connecticut drew to a close Wednesday. Not every proposed item passed of course, but there are several life-changing bills that are either signed into law or expected to be signed into law soon.

Gov. Ned Lamont said there is more work to be done to get Connecticut on the right track, but he was proud of the progress already made.

“I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far in my first legislative session as governor, and I am determined to continue moving forward to get our state growing again,” he said in a statement.

The biggest outstanding issue is whether to bring tolls back to Connecticut’s highways. That issue is expected to be taken up during a special session later this year. Lamont had wanted to get the item done during the regular session, but as time ran out he supported the special session route.

Below is a summary of some of the changes coming to Connecticut.

Driver License Changes

Connecticut drivers will only have to renew their licenses every eight years instead of every six years. Car registrations will now be done every three years instead of two. Lamont said he would sign the bill into law.

“Connecticut residents spend too much of their valuable time waiting in line at the DMV, and I am determined to fix that,” Governor Lamont said. “Reducing visits to the DMV not only creates more convenience for those who will no longer have to take time out of their day visiting one of these offices, but it will also result in wait times being shortened for people who actually do need conduct business in person.”

Community College

Two years of community college will be debt-free for state residents under a new law. Students would have to take other forms of financial aid and then state funding would cover the gap.

The program is set to start in fall 2020 and is expected to cost up to $6.1 million in fiscal year 2021 to provide grants for students, according to the Office of Fiscal Analysis. Around 60 percent of community college students have their full financial needs met through Pell grants. Around 17 states offer free community college.

The cost would be funded by allowing the Connecticut Lottery to offer its draw games through an online service. Lamont would have to consult with lottery and other state officials to see if it is feasible. If funding isn’t sufficient Lamont would have to come up with a plan to fund the program.

Minimum Wage

Connecticut will eventually have a $15 per hour minimum wage. Future increases will mirror federal economic indicators.
Schedule for increases:
· $11.00 on October 1, 2019;
· $12.00 on September 1, 2020;
· $13.00 on August 1, 2021;
· $14.00 on July 1, 2022; and
· $15.00 on June 1, 2023.
Paid Family Medical Leave

The bill hit a speed bump after Lamont said he would veto the measure after it passed the Senate. He had concerns about the size of the quasi-public board, which was reduced. Lamont supported the bill after changes were made.

The bill allows people to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for severe medical issues, after the birth of a child or to help take care of someone who has medical issues.

The maximum benefit is $900 per week once the state minimum wage hits $15 an hour. It is funded through a half a percent payroll deduction on employees. It includes a mechanism to reduce the level of benefits paid if the program heads toward insolvency.

Republican legislators have argued that the program has solvency issues.

Tax Changes

Several tax changes are included in the budget. Here’s a breakdown and how much revenue they are expected to raise over the two years of the budget:

• Tax on laundry and dry cleaning services ($24.9 million)
• Digital downloads taxed at regular rate ($64.6 million)
• New one percent tax on prepared foods, such as restaurant meals ($114.1 million)
• Sales tax on interior design services ($5.8 million)
• Reduce tax credit for pass through entities ($100 million)
• Repeal business entity tax fee, increase annual business filing fee ($32 million loss.)
• "Mansion Tax" adds 2.25 percent tax on home sales over $2.5 million if residents move out-of-state.
• Trade-in vehicle fee increases from $35 to $100. ($17.2 million)
• Repeal income tax credit for STEM graduates ($11.8 million)

Plastic Bag Tax/Ban

Legislators debated whether to tax single-use plastic shopping bags or to outright ban them. Turns out they will do both. The shopping bags will first be taxed at 10 cents and they are expected to bring in around $54 million over two years. After that they will be banned outright.

21 To Smoke
Lamont signed a bill into law that would require people to be 21-years-old in order to purchase tobacco and other smoking products. It goes into effect Oct. 1, 2019.
Connecticut joined a growing number of states that have raised the smoking age to 21. The push comes amid a growing number of young smokers after years of decline in the smoking rate.

Gun Laws

"Ethan's Law" requires gun owners to safely store firearms that are loaded or unloaded. The bill came about after Guilford teen Ethan Song was killed while holding a pistol at a neighbor's house.

Another bill banned so-called "ghost guns," which are guns that don't have traceable serial numbers.

What Didn't Make The Cut

Marijuana
Recreational marijuana got off to a hot start with three separate bills clearing committee votes, but it died without a full vote before the session ended. Lamont supported legalization, but didn’t make a large push to make it happen this year.

There has been some talk about making the issue a statewide ballot measure in the future, which has been the route many states have taken to legalization.

Voting

A bill to restore voting rights to parolees and incarcerated people died in the Senate after passing the House. The bill would have also expanded Election Day Registration and started automatic voter registration. The bill was effectively blocked by Senate Republicans who argued that there were issues and that people shouldn’t get voting rights back until their debt to society was repaid, according to the CT Mirror.

Health Insurance Public Option

Originally a group of legislators pitched opening up the state healthcare plan to individuals and small businesses.

That eventually morphed into the “Connecticut Option” bill which would be offered through insurance companies under their own provider networks or one built out by the state. It also would have instituted the individual mandate to carry health insurance with penalties equivalent to what used to be in the Affordable Care Act.

The bill was then significantly pared down and passed in the House, but died in the Senate, according to the CT Mirror.