Legislative Update

March 20, 2018

The flow of business through the legislature may be at its high water mark this week and in the coming weeks. Bills are being heard in committees and voted up or down.

If you have any legislation you are interested in but can’t make it to the State Capitol to testify at a public hearing, you can always submit testimony by email. Each committee has a specific email address for the public and they accept written testimony in Word or PDF formats. You can find each committee’s web page under the “Committees” tab on cga.ct.gov.

What’s Happening

Public Health Committee Public Hearing

A pair of bills that I worked on with the American Heart Association, public health officials and advocates are receiving public input today.

  • HB 5293 – Would move the sale of E-Cigs behind the counter.
  • SB 164 Tobacco 21, would raise the purchase age and for nicotine products to 21. Anything we can do to discourage tobacco use by young people is good public policy.

Insurance Committee Vote

  • SB 384Mental Health Parity. This is legislation I have supported with NAMI, Rep. Brenda Kupchick and the Southwest Regional Mental Health Board to increase access to, and improve fairness in coverage for, mental health care. The legislation is expected to be voted out of the Insurance Committee today.

Commerce Committee Public Hearing

  • HB 5441 – This is legislation I submitted to establish a Connecticut Employee Stock Ownership Plan Center within the Department of Economic and Community Development to provide assistance to businesses interested in developing employee stock ownership plans. You can submit testimony on this bill to cetestimony@cga.ct.gov.

Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth

The Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth recently released a report with 10 recommendations to achieve budget stability and economic growth.

On Wednesday, the legislature’s Appropriations, Commerce, Finance, Revenue and Bonding, and Planning and Development committees will hold a public hearing on the commission’s recommendations.

You can submit written testimony to FINtestimony@cga.ct.gov.

Ghost Guns and Bump Stock Bans Public Hearing Friday

  • HB 5540 – This bill would ban the purchase and sale of “ghost guns.” These are kits sold over the internet that include the parts needed to make an actual gun.
  • HB 5542 – Would ban “bump stocks,” which allow a shooter to sharply increase the rate of fire of a semi-automatic gun.