New Laws In CT: Here's What You Need To Know About Each One

CONNECTICUT — As the 2024 legislative session in Hartford ended recently, most of the bills are still on top of Gov. Ned Lamont's desk.

There were, however, a few that he made a point of signing quickly.

One new law provides an update and clarification for 2019's Connecticut’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program. The new legislation broadens the state's family violence leave law to allow leave for sexual assault victims. It also enables the governor to enter into an agreement with any of the state’s federally recognized tribes to authorize employees of the tribes to participate in the program.

Lamont said that updating the law to make it clear that sexual assault is a reason why someone can use this program is "simply common sense."

The legislation is Public Act 24-5, "An Act Concerning Changes to the Paid Family and Medical Leave Statutes," and it goes into effect Oct. 1, 2024.

Greyhounds catch a break with the governor's signing of new legislation which bans dog tracks and dog racing in the state. It's not that there's been much animal abuse in this category of late — there has not been an active dog racetrack in the state since 2006 — but animal advocates lobbied the General Assembly to ensure shuttered tracks in Plainfield and Bridgeport could never reopen. The new law does explicitly allow off-track betting operators to conduct their business on out-of-state dog races, however.

Today there are 39 dog tracks in the U.S. racing in 13 states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin) according to the National Greyhound Adoption Program.

"It's mindboggling to think that at one time people considered this a legitimate sport, and I give credit to animal advocacy groups for their activism that has raised awareness about the abuse and extreme conditions these dogs face, leading to bans in nearly every state across the country," Lamont said.

Public Act 24-1, "An Act Concerning Dog Racing," takes effect Oct. 1.

Soon your medical debt will no longer ding your credit rating, thanks to new legislation signed Thursday by Lamont.

Public Act 24-6 prohibits Connecticut health care providers and hospitals, along with their affiliates, from reporting medical debt to credit rating agencies for use in a credit report. It also voids any medical debt that is reported to credit rating agencies. The legislation excludes debts charged to a credit card unless the card is issued under a plan offered specifically to pay for these goods and services.

The Connecticut Hospital Association, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and several consumer advocacy groups submitted testimony to the legislature in support of the bill.

"An Act Concerning the Reporting of Medical Debt," was championed in the legislature by State Sen. Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), who serves as co-chair of the Human Services Committee.

"Medical debt is not the result of poor financial decisions – it is the result of a health care system where many families are just one accident or one bad diagnosis away from ruined credit and all that comes with it," Lesser said.

The new law goes into effect July 1.

Public Act 24-27, establishes a fallen officer fund and providing health insurance coverage to survivors of a police officer killed in the line of duty.

Lamont this week signed legislation codifying in state law the establishment of the Fallen Officer Fund, which will provide a lump sum, non-taxable payment totaling $100,000 to the surviving family members or beneficiaries of any Connecticut local or state police officer killed in the line of duty or who sustained injuries that are the cause of an officer’s death.

Additionally, this legislation creates a law allowing the surviving family members of police officers killed in the line of duty who were covered by that officer’s health insurance at the time of their death to remain on that coverage for up to five years.

“Our local and state police officers put their lives on the line every day while protecting our communities, and they should know that this fund is there to provide their families with some support should the unthinkable happen,” Lamont said. “We need to always remember that the families of police officers are consistently making many sacrifices over the course of their loved one’s commitment to protecting and serving our communities. I want to thank Representative Candelora, Comptroller Scanlon, and all the advocates who worked to get this bill to my desk so that I could sign it into law.”