In This Issue:



On The Marble

Municipal Roundup

Federal Focus

CT Agency Corner

This Week's News:

With new bid to allow rabbit harvesting, debate over 'pets or meat?' will be back in CT

Lamont budget calls for CT to ramp up transportation projects

Lamont wants to keep CT’s top utilities regulator. Lawmakers may have other ideas

What "Consumer Protections" Are on the Table in Connecticut

A huge priority for the legislature and the Governor this year has been enacting more legislation surrounding consumer protection when it comes to transactions.

Here are the main topics on tap:

Prohibition of mandatory credit card storage. A bill has been filed and raised by the General Law Committee this year that would prohibit any company from requiring a credit card to be stored to have an account with any company doing business in Connecticut. The thought process is that there are circumstances where inaccurate charges are applied, and the consumer now has the burden to go and advocate for charges to be reversed.

Phase Out of Foreign-Based Drones from Russia and China.

Legislation was filed last session as a priority by Senator Duff that would outlaw any drone built in China or Russia from being operated by law enforcement in the state. The bill fell short last year when it was passed in the Senate and debated into the late hours in the House and expired.

“Click to Cancel”

Legislation was filed two years ago by Representative Turco that would have required all consumer contracts enrolled online to be able to be cancelled online. This model, which passed on automatic renewals with specific exemptions, is now being proposed by Governor Lamont and is being considered at today’s General Law Committee public hearing.

Junk Fee Regulation

Every consumer has dealt with seeing a price listed and then seeing that price dramatically increase after other fees excluding taxes are included. Many states have passed legislation on this topic and this year both the Governor and Senate Democrats are pursuing this topic where all fees would need to be disclosed upfront to the purchaser. 

This week we’ll focus on some local development projects in the works.

Newington is eyeing a revitalization of its downtown district as the 49.47-acre former Hartford HealthCare (HHC) campus goes on the market, sparking discussions about transforming the area into a vibrant, community-focused space. Located near East Cedar Street, the property includes a 260,000-square-foot building, parking lots, and woodlands and is being marketed for redevelopment with potential uses such as mixed housing, retail, senior living, and healthcare facilities. Community leaders, including members of the steering committee working on Newington’s town center master plan, are gathering feedback on desired changes, which range from enhanced walkability and beautification efforts to more shopping, dining, and public spaces. A draft plan is expected to be released later this year.

Local stakeholders envision a downtown that blends retail, residential, and recreational spaces to create a village-like atmosphere. Business owners like Deanna Reney and Jim Wiltshire have advocated for mixed-use developments with retail on the ground floors and apartments above, as well as residential opportunities for older adults to support the town’s aging population. Residents have also expressed interest in bringing back a downtown supermarket, which has been absent for years. Longtime business owners hope these changes will boost foot traffic and make Newington a more attractive destination. With updates expected to be posted on the project’s webpage, the town is taking steps toward creating a more dynamic and economically vibrant community.

Southington officials are seeking clarity on the future of the Rex Forge manufacturing plant on Atwater Street, which is set to close between February 10 and 25, resulting in the loss of 103 jobs. Town Manager Alex Ricciardone noted that efforts to contact the plant’s management about redevelopment plans have gone unanswered. The closure follows a legal dispute with its sole customer, Dana Corp., which contributed to Rex Forge’s financial struggles. While the town is working to support laid-off workers with outplacement services, Ricciardone emphasized the importance of the site, located along the Quinnipiac River and the Linear Trail, for future redevelopment. The town is prepared to assist in either retaining the business or transitioning the property to a new owner.

Less money more problems

As we enter the fourth week of the new administration in Washington, uncertainty for our municipalities, agencies, and stakeholder groups who depend on federal funding continue. Court orders have slowed down the DOGE “freeze” of certain funds, but this week we have new concerns around Medicaid funding, the Department of Education’s title one funding, and the potential shutdown of previously approved dollars flowing to our towns and cities. Let’s dive into what feels like a weekly occurrence coming out of DC, uncertainty.

At the conclusion of the Biden administration, there was a significant push to get federal dollars out the door. Many of Connecticut’s municipalities and stakeholder organizations heavily benefitted from this push, seeing their applications for federal grants get approval. The Community Change Grant was one of them. New Haven was slated to receive $20 million, a huge windfall via the Environmental Protection Agency. The CT Mirror has a great write up about this. Courts have argued that the administration cannot freeze existing federal funding that was already allocated by congress. What courts cannot fight against, yet, is the future funding. The feds still have to pass another funding bill and get it through a much divided congress. The uncertainty is causing a bit of chaos in Connecticut and as budgets come together locally and throughout our state, this uncertainty is leading to cautious approaches. Budgets tend to reflect priorities, and it becomes more and more difficult to craft a budget when weekly uncertainty lingers.

In 2022, Connecticut lawmakers set an ambitious goal to transition half of the state’s fleet of 2,400 cars and light-duty trucks to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2026. With that deadline rapidly approaching, the state can count only 43 EVs in their fleet.

The Lamont administration and the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) blames the lack of progress on EV availability, a lack of charging infrastructure, and potential new regulatory changes that will come with the Trump administration.

DAS has acknowledged that meeting the 2026 target will be challenging, but it hopes to make substantial progress by 2028 and 2030 deadlines. Critics on the Republican side argue that the difficulties in meeting state targets reflect broader issues with pushing EVs on consumers. We all remember the countless press conferences about the Governor’s EV mandates – the lack of EV vehicles in the state fleet hint to uncertainty in the administration’s EV strategy that is sure to be capitalized on by the opposition this session and well into the future.