Connecticut’s Normal Meeting debated and adopted a number of public acts in its 2021 common session and June particular session. Gov. Ned Lamont later signed a few of the payments into legislation.
Whereas a number of legal guidelines went into impact in 2021, here is a have a look at a few of the legal guidelines taking impact in 2022.
Paid Household and
Medical Go away
Beginning on Jan. 1, Connecticut workers will be capable of earn household and medical go away advantages by way of the Paid Household Go away Insurance coverage Authority. In line with the CT Paid Go away Authority, workers and self-employed people have been making a contribution of “one half of 1 % of wages” to the CT Paid Go away Authority Belief Fund for the reason that begin of 2021. At the start of December 2021, workers may start submitting functions for paid go away advantages that start on or after Jan. 1, 2022. Profit funds would start in January 2022.
The act offers as much as 12 weeks of advantages over a 12-month interval and offers two further weeks of advantages for a critical well being situation that “leads to incapacitation throughout being pregnant.” This is a rise from the present 16 weeks of go away provided in a 24-month timeframe.
Grownup-use hashish
Connecticut legislation at the moment permits for residents ages 21 and older to hold as much as 1.5 ounces and have 5 ounces of hashish in a locked container of their dwelling or locked portion of their automotive. It additionally at the moment permits solely these with medical marijuana playing cards who’re a minimum of 18 years outdated to develop as much as six crops indoors. In 2023, adult-use hashish legal guidelines permit all adults ages 21 and older will likely be permitted to develop not more than six marijuana crops indoors.
By July 2022, individuals who have been charged with possession of 4 oz. or much less of marijuana earlier than Jan. 1, 2000, or between Oct. 1, 2015 and June 30, 2021 can petition the court docket to have the fees erased. These with the identical expenses incurred between Jan. 1, 2000 and Sept. 30, 2015 can have them routinely erased beginning in Jan. 2023. Shopping for authorized marijuana in retail shops is ready to come back later in 2022.
Erasure of felony information
Signed within the 2021 legislative session, the largest element of the act permits for the erasure of some felony information beginning in 2023. In line with the legislation, individuals who have been charged with low-level felonies can petition for a court docket to clear their public information after seven years if the offense occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2000.
The legislation doesn’t apply to Class A, B or C felonies (which may embody homicide, aggravated sexual assault of a minor or first-degree manslaughter with a firearm) – or household violence crimes and sure intercourse offender crimes. Sure low-level felonies (Class D or E felonies) will be erased after seven years if the offense occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2000.
Beginning in July, the act will permit for a police officer a part of a disciplinary investigation involving physique digicam or dashboard digicam footage to evaluation the footage within the presence of an lawyer and consider different digicam footage capturing the officer in query throughout the incident. Inside 48 hours of the officer’s evaluation (or 96 hours after the incident if the officer does not evaluation the footage), the recording will be disclosed to the general public upon request.
Different provisions that take impact on Jan. 1, embody permitting a choose or jury in a case involving a police officer’s use of power to make use of an officer’s deliberate failure to make use of a physique digicam to attract conclusions within the trial primarily based on physique digicam utilization legislation.
Immunizations
Beginning Jan. 1, folks will be unable to say non secular exception from state-mandated immunizations for college students attending private and non-private faculties (together with larger schooling establishments), youngsters going to youngster care facilities folks in household day care or group houses. The elimination of the exemption primarily applies to vaccines typically required to attend faculties, comparable to diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella and [hemophilus] haemophilus influenzae kind B.
Exemptions submitted earlier than April 28, 2021 for these enrolled in kindergarten or larger will nonetheless apply. College students are allowed 14 days after transferring faculties to adjust to the requirement.
The legislation additionally required the Division of Public Well being to develop by October 2021 a certificates for well being care suppliers to clarify potential well being causes for sufferers that would exempt them from receiving vaccinations. The potential well being causes embody autoimmune issues or documented reactions to different vaccines, amongst others.
Parentage Act
The Connecticut Parentage Act will take impact on Jan. 1, and can guarantee equal remedy below the legislation for kids born to same-sex {couples}. It would additionally present equal entry to authorized parentage rights for kids with single or nonbiological mother and father.
The brand new legislation can even make clear the rights of a non-biological mother or father in a pair that makes use of surrogacy or different technique of assisted copy to have a toddler whether or not straight or homosexual. It additionally clarifies the rights of a surrogate who carries a toddler to beginning below contract.
Use of power by police officer
Beginning Jan. 1, new guidelines will restrict the cases wherein a police officer’s use of lethal bodily power is taken into account ‘justified’ when making an arrest or stopping escape. To ensure that using bodily power to be thought-about ‘justified,’ officers should decide that there are not any accessible cheap options to utilizing lethal power, and that utilizing power won’t create unreasonable danger to a 3rd get together. It additionally permits officers to make use of lethal power in the event that they deem an escaping individual to be a big menace to others.
The brand new legislation additionally establishes standards to judge whether or not or not the officer’s use of power was “objectively cheap,” and examines whether or not the officer’s “unreasonable conduct” led to an elevated danger previous using power. The legislation’s implementation was delayed from April 1, 2021 to Jan. 2022.
Accent flats
Beginning Jan. 1 accent flats – comparable to storage flats, in-law suites or “granny pods” – will likely be authorized to construct and lease to household or different tenants in residential and single-family areas. The brand new legislation additionally presents an “opt-out” provision, which permits cities to not make the most of the legislation after a two-thirds vote from the zoning fee and legislative physique.
The legislation additionally stops municipal zoning laws from establishing minimal ground space necessities that exceed correct security code and helps stop overcrowding. It additionally requires laws to offer for various housing alternatives and additional the federal Honest Housing Act, whereas additionally defending “historic, tribal, cultural and environmental sources.”
Dwelling organ donors
Public Act No. 21-156 (Sec. 1-3) protects dwelling organ donors from discrimination when acquiring insurance coverage from life, incapacity and long-term care insurance coverage suppliers. Any discrimination that falls on this class is taken into account a violation of the Connecticut Unfair Insurance coverage Practices Act, which prohibits unfair enterprise practices from insurance coverage firms.
The brand new legislation, which takes impact on Jan. 1, additionally established upon signing the Continual Kidney Illness Advisory Committee to review kidney illness and the racial disparities current amongst these affected.
Well being fairness and coronavirus
By Jan. 1, the Connecticut Division of Public Well being is required to develop academic supplies on pulse oximeters, the gadget that detects the quantity of oxygen in a affected person’s blood. Particularly, the tutorial supplies should comprise data on the gadget’s tendency to supply an inaccurate blood oxygen stage studying for sufferers of colour than for white sufferers.
These supplies are required to be posted on the DPH web site by July 1, in addition to distributed to well being care suppliers, pharmacies, in-state medical faculties, well being carriers and pharmacy profit managers.
Psychotropic medication
Beginning Jan. 1, sure medical health insurance insurance policies overlaying outpatient prescribed drugs will likely be prohibited from requiring a well being care supplier to prescribe a provide of outpatient psychotropic medication larger than what’s deemed clinically acceptable, amongst different cost-sharing provisions.
The brand new legislation additionally prohibits psychological well being care advantages supplied below state legislation, with state funds or to state workers, from requiring a well being care supplier to prescribe an outpatient psychotropic drug in a amount larger than deemed clinically acceptable.
In line with the Nationwide Most cancers Institute, psychotropic medication are any substance that may have an effect on mind perform and alter moods, consciousness, ideas, behaviors or emotions.
