New Laws In CT: Hair Styles, Ice Cream Trucks, Compost and More

CONNECTICUT —Not every bill percolating in Hartford will find its way to Gov. Ned Lamont's desk and into law before the legislature packs up for the season this Wednesday. Below are a few that managed to muscle their way to the head of the queue and into the law books before the summer recess bell is rung.

Lamont signed H.B. 6503, "An Act Concerning the Siting of Anaerobic Digestion Facilities on Farms and the Expanded use and establishment of Certain Compost Facilities and Standards," on May 26.

The new law tightens up the permitting process for solid waste processing operations located on farms. Formerly, facilities with an animal feeding operation were exempted from the requirement that its operator obtain a permit from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. As of May 26, when the bill was signed into law, an exemption requires the facility to maintain a comprehensive nutrient management plan as developed by the federal government.

The new law also loosens the regulations governing the nature of the feed stock that enters the front end of the waste processing facility. It increases the cap on food scraps, food processing residuals, and soiled or unrecycled paper from 5 to 40 percent. If the facility is unable to comply with the feed stock or siting requirements, the new law requires the operator to apply to DEEP for a solid waste permit.

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You're forgiven for thinking that it was already illegal in the state to discriminate against someone wearing a wig or their hair in cornrows, but it wasn't, not before March 4. That's when the governor signed H.B. 6515, "An Act Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair," into law. No longer is a person's hair texture and "protective hairstyle" allowed to negatively influence employment, public accommodations, housing, credit practices, union membership, and state agency practices. Protective hairstyles include wigs, head wraps, individual braids, cornrows, locs, twists, Bantu knots, afros, and afro puffs.

After a year of governance by executive orders during the coronavirus pandemic, Lamont signed a little bit of the legislature's powers back to lawmakers on Mar. 31. H.B. 6555, "An Act Concerning Legislative Oversight and Approval of COVID-19 Relief Funds," allows the legislature to review and modify the governor's plans for spending $2.7 billion in federal coronavirus relief.

Ice cream trucks in Connecticut will soon be getting a bit of the school bus safety treatment, now that Lamont has signed S.B. 608, "An Act Concerning the Safety of Children When Buying Ice Cream from a Frozen Dessert Truck."

The new law requires ice cream truck drivers to gear up with special flashing signal lamps and a stop sign arm that can be extended horizontally from the left side of the truck. Also affected are drivers, who must stop at least 10 feet from the front or back of the truck when the new bling is engaged. After stopping, the driver may proceed past the truck at a speed up to 5 mph, and must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing the road to or from the truck. The law was signed Jun. 2, and ice cream truck drivers have until May 1, 2022, to get their rides up to code.

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S.B. 1003, signed into law on Jun. 2, basically eliminates copay accumulator programs. These are the controversial strategies promoted by some insurance companies and pharmacy benefits managers that stop manufacturer copay assistance coupons from counting towards your deductible and your maximum out-of-pocket spending. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022.

Some pensioners in Naugatuck are in luck. S.B. 967, signed Jun. 4, authorizes the town to issue a series of bonds to fund pension obligations for fire employees and borough employees, with some restrictions.