Rep. Craig Fishbein

Maddy summaryHB 7202 establishes two new training initiatives for law enforcement in Connecticut. First, it creates a "social work and law enforcement project" at Southern Connecticut State University to train police and social workers to collaborate, with goals including addressing systemic racism and improving community wellness. Second, it mandates a police training center at Central Connecticut State University focused on crime scene processing and forensic evidence. The bill also significantly increases required training for officers handling juvenile cases (to 27 hours minimum in basic training) and requires new curriculum by 2026 on interacting with people with autism, cognitive impairments, or mental health conditions, developed with input from affected communities. These changes directly affect all Connecticut police officers through updated training requirements.

Maddy summarySB 545 requires Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to establish and enforce quality-of-service standards for telephone companies, incumbent carriers, and certified telecom providers. These standards cover service outages, installation appointments, customer complaint response times, and repeat issues, applying to all technologies including VoIP. The bill also prohibits remote reconnection fees charged to customers. Companies must submit semiannual compliance reports and exception reports if failing standards for two consecutive months, with enforcement effective October 1, 2025. This directly affects telecom providers and their customers by mandating service transparency and eliminating specific fees.

Maddy summarySB 611 sets maximum fees for occupational licenses, certifications, permits, and registrations in Connecticut. It directly affects professionals including certified public accountants (reducing initial fees from $150 to $100), architects, engineers, and surveyors. Key provisions include lowering initial license fees (e.g., professional engineers from $220 to $100) and annual renewal fees (e.g., class B fees from $150 to $100), effective July 1, 2025. The bill standardizes these fee structures under the Department of Consumer Protection without altering licensing requirements.

Maddy summarySB 1218 creates a state-funded program providing free swimming lessons to children under 17 who qualify for SNAP or WIC programs in designated census areas. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will administer the summer program, potentially partnering with nonprofit organizations to deliver lessons. Funding will come from state appropriations, grants, or private donations, with no cost to eligible participants. The program takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 6413 requires the state to add uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (with minimum $1 million limits for bodily injury or death) to the State Fleet Insurance Policy by July 1, 2026. This directly affects Department of Transportation (DOT) employees who drive for work and are outside their vehicles during employment. The coverage protects these employees if they are injured or killed by drivers without insurance or insufficient coverage while performing job duties outside their vehicles.

Maddy summaryHB 6408 expands workers' compensation for dependents when an employee dies in an accident. It changes how payments are divided when there are no "presumptive dependents" (like spouses or children), instead focusing on people who were financially dependent on the deceased. The bill ensures wholly dependent individuals (e.g., a dependent child) receive full compensation, while partially dependent people (e.g., a relative who relied on some support) get at least $20 weekly but no more than what they previously received. Next of kin (like siblings or parents) will now share payments based on their level of dependence, not equally as before. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 7055 creates two key tax provisions. First, it allows municipalities to establish property tax abatements for the primary residence of surviving domestic partners of police officers, firefighters, or EMTs who die while on duty (effective October 1, 2025). Second, it adds a personal income tax deduction for stipends paid to volunteer firefighters, volunteer fire police officers, and volunteer ambulance members (effective January 1, 2026). These changes directly affect surviving domestic partners of certain first responders and volunteer emergency personnel. The bill modifies existing statutes to provide specific tax relief without altering general tax rates or creating new programs.

Maddy summaryHB 6851 amends Connecticut law to explicitly include painting property borders purple as a valid method for marking property as "posted" to warn trespassers. This change directly affects property owners who use purple borders to legally indicate restricted access and trespassers entering such marked areas. The bill adds purple borders to the list of acceptable posting methods under criminal trespass law, alongside traditional signs or fencing. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, making purple borders a legally recognized warning system.

Maddy summaryHB 6320 prohibits lobbyists and political committees representing lobbyists from making or soliciting contributions to legislators or state officers who are running for municipal office (such as town or city positions) during legislative sessions. The ban applies to contributions during regular sessions, special sessions held between odd- and even-numbered year sessions, and reconvened sessions to reconsider vetoed bills. It specifically targets contributions to candidates for municipal office, exploratory committees, or political committees tied to these candidates, but excludes contributions for special elections to the General Assembly. The law aims to separate state legislative lobbying from local municipal campaigns during active legislative periods.

Maddy summaryHB 5272 prohibits gaming companies from running advertisements, marketing, or promotional materials that target minors or use deceptive tactics. It specifically bans ads featuring people under 21 (or under 18 for keno/lottery/fantasy games), offers bonuses to encourage gaming, or makes misleading claims about winning chances. The law requires all ads to clearly state required age limits (18 or 21) and include a simple unsubscribe link for targeted messages. This directly affects licensed gaming operators, including online sports betting and casino businesses, by restricting how they can advertise their services. The bill aims to limit youth exposure to gambling promotions through concrete advertising restrictions.