Business Restrictions End 5/19, Telehealth Extension, and More Information

Business Restrictions End May 19th

Effective Wednesday, May 19, all business restrictions as a result of the pandemic will be lifted. This includes the removal of capacity limits, curfews, and social distancing. The governor stated unvaccinated individuals will still be required to wear masks (for a little while longer) and wearing masks outdoors will no longer be necessary.

To read recently released guidelines from the CDC, click here.

According to the governor, as of June 1, all customer-facing offices will be reopened. This includes the Department of Social Services (DSS), Department of Labor (DOL), and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Appointment options will also continue (in-person or remotely).

Individual businesses can still choose whether or not they require customers to wear masks.

To watch the governor’s briefing which includes this information, click here.

House Unanimously Passes Bill to Remove Race Designation from Marriage Licenses and Land Records

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted unanimously in favor of a bill I co-sponsored, HB-6665, An Act Concerning the Removal of Restrictive Covenants Based on Race and Elimination of the Race Designation on Marriage Licenses.

This bill is long overdue in creating a process to strike racist language from our covenants and marriage certificates and I was thrilled to see it pass unanimously.

According to the bill, by December 1, 2021, the Office of Policy and Management must develop a standardized form to report unlawful restrictive covenants, town clerks must make such forms available on a municipality’s websites where land records are kept, along with posting a notice informing the public of the provisions of this section in the town clerk’s office where land records are kept.

To read more on this, click here.

Telehealth Services Extended for Another Two Years

On Monday, the governor signed into law HB-5596, An Act Concerning Telehealth.

The extended services include:

• Allows expanded types of providers and licensed professions to provide telehealth services, such as dentists, behavioral analysists, music therapists, art therapists, physician assistants, physical therapist assistants, and occupational therapy assistants;
• Permits the use of telehealth services by audio-only without requiring video; and
• Permits licensed providers in other states to provide telehealth services to Connecticut residents as long as they have the minimum professional liability insurance coverage.

For more information, click here.

House of Representatives Votes to Restore State’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund

Legislators on both sides of the aisle voted unanimously to restore the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, which has been insolvent for 48 of the last 50 years.

Passage of this bill will alleviate some of the tax burden facing many Connecticut businesses.

Starting in 2024, the proposal:

• Increases the taxable wage base from $15,000 to $25,000, then indexes it to inflation;
• Reduces the maximum solvency tax rate from 1.4% to 1%;
• Reduces the minimum and expands the maximum experience tax rate, from 0.5-5.4% to 0.1-10%;
• Increases the minimum base period earnings required to qualify for unemployment benefits from $600 to $1600, then indexes it to inflation, except when the federal government is providing additional benefits to UI claimants;
• Delays four annual $18 increases in the maximum weekly benefit amount; and
• Defers UI benefits until the end of any severance payments for all employees.

To read more, click here