State News – Page 8

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT REMINDS CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS: LOW-TO-MODERATE INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SIGNIFICANT BOOST IN INCOME TAX CREDITS THIS YEAR

Apr 3, 2024 Alex

Newly Enacted Rate Change in the Earned Income Tax Credit Comes in Addition to the Recent Cut in Income Tax Rates for Middle-Income Workers (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today is reminding Connecticut residents that thousands of low-to-moderate income individuals and families in the state are eligible to receive a significant boost in tax credits when they file their personal income tax returns this year due to a newly enacted rate change in the Connecticut Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which has increased from the most recent rate of 30.5% for the 2022 income year to the new rate of 40% for the 2023 income year. The rate change – which was enacted as a result of the state…

State News

STATE POLICE WARN OF INVESTMENT/ROMANCE SCAMS KNOWN AS“PIG BUTCHERING”

Mar 26, 2024 Alex

Transnational criminal organizations targeting Americans in complex investment scams,older Connecticut residents at increased risk.(MIDDLETOWN CT – March 26, 2024) – According to the FBI’s Internet CrimesComplaint Center (IC3), cryptocurrency investment fraud grew more than 53% in 2023 toapproximately $4.5 billion. But it may be far worse, as a recent study suggests that the total since2021 may actually be $75 billion.What is causing this loss? Law enforcement has identified this scam as “pig butchering.”In pig butchering investment scams, also known as sha zhu pan (杀猪盘) in Chinese, thefraudster initially contacts the victim through dating apps, social media, or professionalnetworking platforms. They build trust with the victim over several weeks or months, oftenfeigning romantic interest or establishing a friendly rapport. Once the…

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF MICROTRANSIT SERVICES IN CONNECTICUT

Mar 26, 2024 Alex

Customers Can Request, Schedule New On-Demand Ride Services (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto today announced that new microtransit services will begin in various communities throughout Connecticut between March 26, 2024, and July 30, 2024. These services are part of a pilot program in which nine transit districts and municipalities were awarded funding through the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to develop and pilot on-demand microtransit service. Microtransit service is an accessible, on-demand mode of transportation that allows customers to use a smartphone app or telephone number to request and schedule a ride within designated service areas. The pilot program will last for two years with the possibility of two one-year extensions exercisable by CTDOT,…

State News

BLUMENTHAL, MARKEY, & WARREN INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO PROTECT CAR BUYERS & BOLSTER SAFETY OF USED CARS

Mar 23, 2024 Alex

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced legislation today to ensure the safety and reliability of used cars. The legislation, the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, requires car dealers to repair any outstanding safety recalls in used cars prior to selling, leasing, or loaning them to consumers. Current federal law does not prohibit car dealers from selling cars with open recalls, threatening the safety of everyone on the road. The Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act addresses this gap in consumer protections and better safeguards car buyers who often believe they are purchasing a vehicle with safety assurances. “This bill makes sure that used cars with dangerous defects are repaired before they are driven…

State News

MURPHY, BROWN, BALDWIN, KING, CASEY, KAINE, SINEMA INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, ENSURE COOPERATION BETWEEN STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS ON IMMIGRATION WARRANTS

Mar 22, 2024 Alex

WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Angus King (I-Maine), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) on Thursday introduced the Improving Public Safety Through Immigration Warrant Issuance Act, legislation to improve public safety and ensure strategic cooperation between state and federal governments by creating a mechanism that would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to obtain a judicially authorized warrant for a noncitizen who has been charged or convicted of committing a felony or violent crime in the United States. Under the current system, when a noncitizen is charged by state or local law enforcement, ICE often issues an administrative request, known as a detainer, to hold the person in…

State News

BLUMENTHAL SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO CRACK DOWN ON PRICE FIXING ALGORITHMS THAT HELP PREDATORY LANDLORDS RAISE RENTS

Mar 20, 2024 Alex

[HARTFORD, CT] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined Senate colleagues in introducing two new bills that would ban predatory practices by landlords who use pricing algorithms to avoid competition and raise rents. Senator Blumenthal is a cosponsor of both the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act, which would prevent companies from using algorithms to collude to set higher prices, and the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, which would crack down on companies that help landlords increase rents in already high-priced markets. “This practice affects housing throughout Connecticut. This kind of conscious collusion ought to be stopped. It is inflating rents for the ordinary person who goes to the landlord and is given a price that is based on an…

State News Uncategorized

GOVERNOR LAMONT URGES APPROVAL OF LEGISLATION STRENGTHENING CONNECTICUT’S PAID SICK DAYS STATUTES

Mar 19, 2024 Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is urging the Connecticut General Assembly to approve legislation he proposed for consideration this session that will expand and strengthen the state’s paid sick days statutes to ensure that more workers have the ability to take time off from work when they are sick or need to care for a sick family member without sacrificing a day’s wage or risk losing their employment. The proposal will also enact safeguards in these statutes for small businesses to ensure that the right to paid sick days is not being misused. “Our current paid sick days laws include important protections for some workers, however there are broad categories of workers who are left unprotected,” Governor Lamont said. “If…

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES $400,000 IN STATE GRANTS TO SUPPORT FINANCIAL WELLNESS AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS

Mar 18, 2024 Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, and Banking Commissioner Jorge Perez today announced the release of three state grants totaling more than $400,000 that will be used to support programs focused on improving the financial wellness of Connecticut residents with a priority focus on women and girls. The grants are being awarded through a competitive RFP process issued by the Connecticut Department of Banking that solicited proposals centered on the grant’s objectives. “These grants will be used to support programs that empower people to improve their own financial stability through education and training, with a particular focus on our underserved populations, including women and girls,” Governor Lamont said. “I appreciate the partnership of the organizations that are…

State News

Household Hazardous Waste Day

Mar 17, 2024 Alex

Saturday, April 13, 2024 RAIN or SHINE 9am – 2pm Greens Farms Railroad Station, Parking Lot #1, New Creek Road, Westport CT (Located between I-95 and Metro-North Railroad tracks) Household Hazardous Waste Day is a NO CHARGE regional program for residents of Westport, Norwalk, New Canaan, Darien, Stamford, and Greenwich to safely dispose of their household hazardous wastes. Products such as cleaners, gasoline and pesticides can pollute the environment and jeopardize public health when they are disposed of improperly. Residents of participating towns may safely dispose of the following types of hazardous waste: gasoline, kerosene, spray paint, paint strippers, paint thinners, solvents, paints, stains, turpentine, varnishes, wood preservatives, degreasers, fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, bleach, charcoal lighter, cleaning chemicals, drain…

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT URGES LEGISLATURE TO PASS LAW PROHIBITING HIDDEN FEES ON EVENT TICKETS, LODGING, AND FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES

Mar 15, 2024 Alex

Governor’s Bill Approved by General Law Committee Last Week, Now Awaits Further Action by the Full Legislature (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is urging the Connecticut General Assembly to approve legislation he proposed for consideration this session that will enact a new consumer rights law requiring upfront pricing on all event tickets, hotel and short-term rental accommodations, and food and beverage sale and delivery services, and accordingly prohibit the increasingly common practice of adding unexpected, mandatory hidden fees that are tacked on at the end of a consumer’s transaction. These hidden fees, frequently known as junk fees, are often vaguely labeled as a “service fee” or “convenience fee.” It is estimated that they cost Connecticut families thousands of dollars…

GOVERNOR LAMONT REMINDS CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS: LOW-TO-MODERATE INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SIGNIFICANT BOOST IN INCOME TAX CREDITS THIS YEAR

STATE POLICE WARN OF INVESTMENT/ROMANCE SCAMS KNOWN AS“PIG BUTCHERING”

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF MICROTRANSIT SERVICES IN CONNECTICUT

BLUMENTHAL, MARKEY, & WARREN INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO PROTECT CAR BUYERS & BOLSTER SAFETY OF USED CARS

MURPHY, BROWN, BALDWIN, KING, CASEY, KAINE, SINEMA INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, ENSURE COOPERATION BETWEEN STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS ON IMMIGRATION WARRANTS

BLUMENTHAL SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO CRACK DOWN ON PRICE FIXING ALGORITHMS THAT HELP PREDATORY LANDLORDS RAISE RENTS

GOVERNOR LAMONT URGES APPROVAL OF LEGISLATION STRENGTHENING CONNECTICUT’S PAID SICK DAYS STATUTES

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES $400,000 IN STATE GRANTS TO SUPPORT FINANCIAL WELLNESS AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS

Household Hazardous Waste Day

GOVERNOR LAMONT URGES LEGISLATURE TO PASS LAW PROHIBITING HIDDEN FEES ON EVENT TICKETS, LODGING, AND FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES

You missed

Bridgeport News: House Fire

Bridgeport News: Crash Closes Intersection

Stratford High School Dedicates English Wing to Beloved Educator Rubye Kinlow McNeil

FAIRFIELD ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES 1st ANNUAL ARTISTIC VISIONS CHALLENGE