Bills of Concern Being Proposed this Legislative Session

As the various committees work toward finalizing bills in preparation for moving them along in the legislative process, I wanted to draw your attention to several proposals being introduced in this shortened session that will undoubtedly have a negative impact on public safety, landlord and property owner rights, small businesses, local control over zoning, and our overall economy.

Below are just a few examples of these types of bills.

PUBLIC SAFETY
HB 5324 – This bill prohibits members of law enforcement from stopping drivers for what have been deemed “secondary violations” -this includes inoperable or broken taillights and/or headlamps, license plate infractions, expired registrations, and tinted windows. Often times our law enforcement officers use these violations as a way of establishing probable cause to pull over a vehicle and begin an investigation into a more serious crime.

HOUSING
SB 207 – This bill would permit a housing authority to expand its jurisdiction into outside towns and cities. Additionally, it would allow the housing authority to use the affordable housing appeals process to circumvent local zoning approval and build affordable housing in a town that had rejected it (for a variety of reasons).

HB 5242 – Restricts a landlord’s ability to deny a prospective tenant’s rental application based on a prior felony conviction by creating a process to appeal application denials. Denial of an application based on misdemeanor convictions would be barred, making it nearly impossible for a landlord to deny applicants from moving into their properties.

SB 143 – Under this bill, a landlord would not be able to require a tenant to leave their property even after their length has expired. It would allow the tenant to remain in the property even after the lease has expired and require the landlord go to court to have a tenant removed.

ELECTIONS
HB 5057 – Currently, illegal immigrants who reside in Connecticut are able to obtain a driver’s license, marked with ‘DO’ (drive-only), making it easily distinguishable from a regular license marked with ‘DL.’ This bill would remove a section of statute that states “drive-only” licenses must indicate they are not meant to be used for voting, thereby blurring the discrepancy between a regular license and a “drive-only” one.

LABOR
HB 5166 – Mandates employers to include sick days for employees, no matter the size of the company or the cost involved, yet another unfunded mandate inflicted on our business community.

HB 5164 – Allows striking employees to access unemployment benefits after a period of two consecutive weeks of striking.

SB 221 – Eliminates the tipped minimum wage, which threatens the restaurant industry that was already hobbled by government shutdowns and pandemic policies that crippled customer traffic. This bill would increase worker-related costs for businesses at a time when they can least afford it.

ENVIRONMENT
HB 5004 – Forces a Net-Zero Green House Gas (GHG) economy by 2050. Additionally, it would require PURA to initiate a docket to determine how the state can phase out natural gas and requires each state agency to consider GHG reduction goals when issuing certain transportation or electric related permits, license or administrative approval.

HB 5485 – Creates a “roadmap” that steers Connecticut to a mandate that forces residents to purchase an electric vehicle and could end with Connecticut using California’s radical emissions standards

SB 193 – Calls for Connecticut’s Constitution to be amended in the name of “environmental rights,” but in reality, it would give state government an unnecessarily broad overreach of power.

HIGHER EDUCATION
HB 5339 – Prohibits institutions of higher education from considering the school disciplinary history of an applicant during the admissions process. This would include recorded suspensions and expulsions.