Latest status of business-related legislation from the 2018 session of the Connecticut General Assembly.

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Budgets (State & Local)
HB 5034 Implements the governor’s
budget recommendations. Awaiting
action Appropriations; CBIA monitoring.
HB 5035 Implements the governor’s
fiscal 2018-2019 budget revision
recommendations. Awaiting action
Appropriations; CBIA monitoring.
HB 5068 Includes measures to reduce
cost of labor to state government,
including increasing employee
contributions to pension plans. Awaiting
action Appropriations; CBIA supports.
SB 10 Features the governor’s proposed
2018-2019 budget revisions, including
extending the surcharge on corporations,
a new tax on employers—0.05% on all
taxable wages—used solely to cover
state labor department wages and
benefits; limiting the $2.5 million cap
on unitary (or combined) tax reporting
to manufacturers only; repealing the
brownfields remediation tax credit
program; increasing the hotel tax to
17%; a special 7% tax on restaurant
sales; boosting real estate conveyance
taxes to 0.85% and 1.4%; canceling a
planned 2020 cut in the hospital
provider tax; hiking the gas tax by
seven cents a gallon; adding a $3 fee
on new tire sales; and eliminating the
sales tax on non-prescription medicine.
Awaiting action Finance, Revenue
and Bonding; CBIA evaluating.
Campaign Finance & Ethics
HB 5173 Suppresses speech by prohibiting
the use of public voter registration
information for any personal, private
or commercial use by private entities,
including for grassroots issue advocacy.
Awaiting action Government
Administration and Elections;
CBIA opposes.
Energy & Technology
SB 7 Implements recommendations made
by the Governor’s Council on Climate
Change, including further incorporating
climate change concerns into local
regional and state planning documents.
It also changes the current requirement
for a Comprehensive Energy Strategy
every three years to a Comprehensive
Climate and Energy Strategy every four
years. Awaiting action Energy and
Environment Committee; CBIA
evaluating.
SB 9 Implements the Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection’s
revised Comprehensive Energy Strategy.
Creates a new requirement for the
amount of Class 1 renewable power
supplied to customers; reduces penalties
for non-compliance; narrows the array
of clean energy technologies the state
will consider as Class 1, including
stripping fuel cells and certain biofuel
technologies of that status; calls for
additional charges on ratepayers to
fund clean energy and energy efficiency
programs. Awaiting action Energy
and Technology and Environment
committees; CBIA evaluating.
Environment & Land Use
SB 7 Implements recommendations made
by the Governor’s Council on Climate
Change, including further incorporating
climate change concerns into local
regional and state planning documents.
It also changes the current requirement
for a Comprehensive Energy Strategy
every three years to a Comprehensive
Climate and Energy Strategy every four
years. Awaiting action Energy and
Technology and Environment
committees; CBIA evaluating.
SB 9 Implements the Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection’s
revised Comprehensive Energy Strategy.
Creates a new requirement for the
amount of Class 1 renewable power
supplied to customers; reduces penalties
for non-compliance; narrows the array
of clean energy technologies the state
will consider as Class 1, including
stripping fuel cells and certain biofuel
technologies of that status; calls for
additional charges on ratepayers to
fund clean energy and energy efficiency
programs. Awaiting action Energy
and Technology and Environment
committees; CBIA evaluating.
SB 10 Features the governor’s proposed
2018-2019 budget revisions, including
extending the surcharge on corporations;
a new tax on employers—0.05% on all
taxable wages—used solely to cover
state labor department wages and
benefits; limiting the $2.5 million cap
on unitary (or combined) tax reporting
to manufacturers only; repealing the
brownfields remediation tax credit
program; increasing the hotel tax to
17%; a special 7% tax on restaurant
sales; boosting real estate conveyance
taxes to 0.85% and 1.4%; canceling a
planned 2020 cut in the hospital
provider tax; hiking the gas tax by seven
cents a gallon; adding a $3 fee on each
new tire sale; and eliminating the sales
tax on non-prescription medicine.
Awaiting action Finance, Revenue
and Bonding; CBIA evaluating.
Healthcare
HB 5039 Preserves a number of elements
of the federal Affordable Care Act,
including the individual mandate.
Awaiting action Insurance and Real
Estate; CBIA supports (with changes).
SB 16 Implements the governor’s budget
recommendations related to public
health, including: the operations of
the Office of Health Strategy; the
administration and collection of the
hospital providers tax; administration
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of the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund;
the funding, planning, and
administration of the all-payer claims
database; implementation and
administration of the state’s health
information technology strategy;
Awaiting action Public Health; CBIA
monitoring.
Labor & Employment
HB 5043 Expands current state law to
require all employees at businesses
with 15 or more workers to undergo
sexual-harassment training every five
years while broadening the definition
of workplace harassment to include that
based on race, color, religious creed,
age, sex, gender identity or expression,
marital status, and national origin.
Awaiting action Labor and Public
Employees; CBIA evaluating.
HB 5044 Expands the state’s paid sick
leave mandate to businesses with
20 or more employees—including
manufacturers and certain nonprofits,
which were previously exempt. All
employees, not just service workers,
would be provided up to five days of
leave annually to care for their own
or a child’s illness. Also broadens the
definition of a child from an individual
who is under 18 years old to one who is
under 26. Awaiting action Labor and
Public Employees; CBIA opposes.
SB 6 Implements the Governor’s
budget recommendations for general
government, including imposition of
a new tax on employers to be used for
the Connecticut Department of
Labor’s expenses. Awaiting action
Appropriations; CBIA opposes.
SB 15 Prohibits employers from inquiring
about a prospective employee’s salary
history until a job offer with
compensation has been accepted by
the prospective employee, unless a
prospective employee has voluntarily
disclosed such information. Awaiting
action Labor and Public Employees;
CBIA evaluating.
Manufacturing
SB 10 Features the governor’s proposed
2018-2019 budget revisions, including
extending the surcharge on corporations;
a new tax on employers—0.05% on all
taxable wages—used solely to cover
state labor department wages and
benefits; limiting the $2.5 million cap
on unitary (or combined) tax reporting
to manufacturers only; repealing the
brownfields remediation tax credit
program; increasing the hotel tax to
17%; a special 7% tax on restaurant
sales; boosting real estate conveyance
taxes to 0.85% and 1.4%; canceling a
planned 2020 cut in the hospital
provider tax; hiking the gas tax by seven
cents a gallon; adding a $3 fee on each
new tire sale; and eliminating the sales
tax on non-prescription medicine.
Awaiting action Finance, Revenue and
Bonding; CBIA evaluating.
SB 11 Features various provisions
addressing recent federal tax changes,
including decoupling state and federal
laws related to the depreciated value of
capital investments. This effectively
changes depreciation schedules, with
particular impact on manufacturers.
Awaiting action Finance, Revenue
and Bonding; CBIA evaluating.
Taxes (State & Municipal)
HB 5035 Implements the governor’s
2018-2019 budget revision
recommendations. Awaiting action
Appropriations; CBIA monitoring.
SB 10 Features the governor’s proposed
2018-2019 budget revisions, including
extending the surcharge on corporations;
a new tax on employers—0.05% on all
taxable wages—used solely to cover
state labor department wages and
benefits; limiting the $2.5 million cap
on unitary (or combined) tax reporting
to manufacturers only; repealing the
brownfields remediation tax credit
program; increasing the hotel tax to
17%; a special 7% tax on restaurant
sales; boosting real estate conveyance
taxes to 0.85% and 1.4%; canceling a
planned 2020 cut in the hospital
provider tax; hiking the gas tax by seven
cents a gallon; adding a $3 fee on each
new tire sale; and eliminating the sales
tax on non-prescription medicine.
Awaiting action Finance, Revenue
and Bonding; CBIA evaluating.
SB 11 Features various provisions
addressing recent federal tax changes,
including decoupling state and federal
laws related to the depreciated value of
capital investments. This effectively
changes depreciation schedules, with
particular impact on manufacturers.
Awaiting action Finance, Revenue and
Bonding; CBIA evaluating.
Transportation
HB 5046 Allows the Department of
Transportation to charge, collect, retain,
and fix the amount of all tolls on state
highways. Toll revenues will be used
for implementing and administering
electronic tolling and highway
maintenance, construction, and
administration costs, including debt
servicing. Awaiting action
Transportation; CBIA monitoring.
SB 10 Features the governor’s proposed
2018-2019 budget revisions, including
extending the surcharge on corporations;
a new tax on employers—0.05% on all
taxable wages—used solely to cover
state labor department wages and
benefits; limiting the $2.5 million cap
on unitary (or combined) tax reporting
to manufacturers only; repealing the
brownfields remediation tax credit
program; increasing the hotel tax to
17%; a special 7% tax on restaurant
sales; boosting real estate conveyance
taxes to 0.85% and 1.4%; canceling a
planned 2020 cut in the hospital
provider tax; hiking the gas tax by seven
cents a gallon; adding a $3 fee on each
new tire sale; and eliminating the sales
tax on non-prescription medicine.
Awaiting action Finance, Revenue
and Bonding; CBIA evaluating.