Be Aware Of These New Laws in CT That Go Into Effect On October 1

2021 was a very busy year for the Connecticut General Assembly, our elected leaders have listened to all of our issues and complaints. Now, quite a few major acts voted on during this year's session are going to go into law as of October 1, 2021.

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You've probably heard some information about a few of Connecticut's new laws, we've recently informed you about the legalization of cannabis, gambling on sports, and Connecticut's new pedestrian laws. I read through the Connecticut General Assembly's Office of Legislative Research's summary of the 2021 Major Public Acts and found some interesting changes to our laws that you should be aware of.

The Office of Legislative Research's 2021 Legislative Session report breaks down into areas of policy, and not all provisions of the acts are included in their report. For a detailed summary, click HERE

As of October 1, 2021:

Under the report's Aging category, PA-21-69 will prohibit age discrimination during the employment application process. Specifically, this Act generally makes it a discriminatory employment practice for employers to request or require: A prospective employee's age, birth date, or graduation date on an instant employment application.

Also under the Aging category of legislation, PA-21-55, strengthens residents of Connecticut's long-term care facilities rights. PA-21-55 allows residents of long-term facilities to treat their room as their own, allowing the residents to install cameras or devices for visitation and security purposes. It also required nursing homes to provide residents with free wifi, electricity, and a power source, under certain conditions.

Here's three interesting new laws for everyone tired of standing behind the line at the bottle return area - PA- 21-58 - The Legislature has revamped Connecticut's beverage container redemption laws to include: An up to 1 Cent per container increase on the handling fee charged to distributors for dealers and redemption centers, plus certain larger-sized retailers will be required to have at least two reverse vending machines at their business. Lastly, if you're a fan of 'Nips' a spirit or liquor of 50 mL or less, CT's 5 cent per bottle surcharge takes effect on nips on October 1, 2021.

Finally on the environmental front, PA-21-191 addresses harmful PFAS, mostly prohibiting the use of Class B firefighting foam with intentionally added PFAS, and also bans the sale or giving away of food packaging containing PFAS.

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Data for this list was acquired from trusted online sources and news outlets. Read on to discover what major law was passed the year you were born and learn its name, the vote count (where relevant), and its impact and significance.

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