State News:
The 2023 Connecticut General Assembly convened January 4th and swore in members surrounded by friends and family. Newly elected constitutional officers and the Governor were also sworn in, and all headed to the Inaugural Ball that evening. State Representative Quentin Williams, who attended the ball, was unfortunately struck by a wrong way driver on his way home and perished. The Capitol complex was shut down for several days in light of the tragedy, and the General Assembly has continued to move slowly through the month of January. Many proposed bills have been introduced but few have been raised, and individual committees are just beginning to hold public hearings. The Governor’s budget will be unveiled in early February and is expected to have tax cuts for middle income residents as the State’s finances have been positive and they have a surplus.
Issues Update:
The LDAC legislative committee has narrowed an agenda of priority issues that we will focus on this year.
Affordable and Mixed Use Housing– LDAC will be advocating in favor of this proposal in an effort to allow building needs to become easier and keep housing affordable so youth and elderly can remain in the State. This is a very controversial issue in Fairfield County where many communities would like to keep this type of housing from being built.
Funding for Unemployment Compensation Loan From The Federal Government– During the pandemic, CT was forced to take a loan from the Federal Government to enable them to pay the massive amount of claims from people that were laid off from their jobs. Two years ago, the State used ARPA funds to pay that amount down, but a large balance still remains. If the State does not allocate additional funds to this loan, employers will bear the burden of this responsibility and be billed unemployment compensation assessments. We are working with a coalition to urge the legislature to pay off the loan in full.
Minimum Wage– Per statute, the minimum wage will increase to $15.00 effective June 1, 2023 and then be tied to an index (EIC) as of January 1, 2024. When that occurs, the minimum wage is expected to increase another $0.75, which would be extremely difficult for employers to absorb. We are seeking to untie from the index or have the legislature pause the increase, as it was never the intention for the wage to be increased by such a large amount in a six month period.
Highway Use Tax– This January, the Highway Use Tax was implemented to our dismay. We had advocated for repeal in the 2022 session to no avail, and will continue that effort this session. Although over 20 Republican members have proposed bills to repeal this tax, it is unlikely they will be raised. A legal challenge is expected to be filed as it was in RI.
Predictive Scheduling– This concept will once again be raised by the Labor Committee. It was passed by the Senate last year but was never taken up in the House of Representatives. We believe this proposal prevents flexibility when schedules must be changed, and would increase the cost of doing business. LDAC will continue to oppose passage of this measure.
Clean Air Act– Last year Gov Lamont allowed DEEP to follow CA emissions standards for medium to heavy weight trucks. A bill has been filed that would require a full vote of the legislature before such a measure was put in place by the Department. Currently CT employers could not comply with CA emission standards.
As the bills move through the committee process we will be testifying and advocating, and language will likely change. If there is an issue you would like to become involved in, please let us know as we welcome your participation.