Several New CT Laws: How They Will Affect Guns, Cars, AI, Your Income & More

CONNECTICUT — By the time the Connecticut General Assembly’s 2023 legislative session adjourned earlier this month, hundreds of new bills had been introduced. Of those signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont, many will go unnoticed. Others, residents may find life-changing. Here are a few of those.

The marquee legislation coming out of the 2022-23 session in Hartford is the biennial budget. Covering the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years, the spending plan includes $800 million in tax relief and contains the largest income tax cut in the state's history, according to Lamont and state officials.

Middle-class residents will be the principal beneficiaries of the tax relief, strongly advocated by both parties. In some cases, residents will see their taxes cut by nearly 50 percent for single filers, and an even higher percentage for some joint filers.

Read more about income tax cut here.

On June 13, Lamont signed into law Public Act No. 23-52, which allows pharmacists to prescribe certain emergency or hormonal birth control without patients first needing to visit their doctor. The legislation, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2024, will also permit the sale of non-prescription drugs in vending machines.

The law will require pharmacists to provide patients a list of nearby pharmacies that dispense
medication to terminate a pregnancy if the pharmacy does not have a supply of the medication, or if the pharmacist objects to dispensing it on moral or ethical grounds.

"By enacting this law, we are removing barriers that can sometimes prevent women from accessing birth control. This law acknowledges that pharmacists are vital to our medical system and are at the frontline of care for many patients," Lamont said.

Public Act 23-51 will see the Department of Transportation introduce "wrong-way driver countermeasures" on at least 120 highway exit ramps deemed "high risk." The tech will alert motorists with flashing lights when they are going in the wrong direction, and also notify law enforcement. The legislation directs UConn to begin testing the use of directional rumble strips that alert drivers through vibration and sound when driving the wrong way. A pilot program will also broadcast alerts about a wrong-way driver’s presence on electronic highway message boards.

Wrong-way driving crashes in Connecticut tripled in 2022. This includes 13 wrong-way crashes that resulted in 23 deaths, compared to four wrong-way crashes in 2021 and two in 2020.

Early voting in elections and primaries is the law in Connecticut, as of January 1, 2024. Public Act 23-5 requires 14 days of early voting for general elections, 7 days of early voting for most primaries, and 4 days of early voting for special elections and presidential preference primaries. Every municipality in the state will be required to establish at least one early voting location and has the option of establishing more.

"In today’s economy, it is not realistic to expect every eligible voter to travel in person to one specific location during a limited set of hours on a Tuesday to cast their ballot. Nearly every other state in our country has early voting, and I am glad that Connecticut is finally joining them." Lamont said in a statement issued June 7, the bill's signing.

A broad gun control bill gained final passage, placing new restrictions upon the open carrying of firearms, the purchase of body armor, the transport of long guns, the bulk purchase of firearms, pistol permit training, and large capacity magazines, among other regulations.

"Over the years, Connecticut has shown time and again that we can improve public safety by implementing reasonable gun violence prevention laws while also respecting the rights of Americans to own guns for their own protection and sportsmanship," Lamont said.

With Public Act No. 23-16, the Connecticut legislature wades into artificial intelligence regulations. The law sets certain restrictions for state agencies' use of AI and automated systems, and requires the Office of Policy and Management and Department of Administrative Services to keep tabs on any new automated procedures. The legislation also establishes the Connecticut Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board in the legislative branch to hold public hearings on the draft procedures and advise state agencies on AI and automated system policies.

You won't need to be a first responder to qualify for workers' compensation benefits for post-traumatic stress injuries, starting next year. New legislation will allow any employee already covered by workers’ compensation law to qualify for the benefits if the same qualifying events (e.g., witnessing someone's death, viewing a deceased minor, etc.) occur in the course of the employee’s employment.

Effective next month, Connecticut higher education institutions can no longer withhold a student’s transcript from a student’s employer, prospective employer, or a branch of the U.S. military because the student owes the institution a debt.

Immediately effective upon its signing, Public Act No. 23-9 prohibited members of the State Police, municipal police departments, and any other law enforcement agency from engaging in racial profiling.

And horseshoe crabs are finally catching a break: a new law will prohibit the hand-harvesting of horseshoe crabs or their eggs from any Connecticut waters. Beachcombers found to be in violation will be fined $25.

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