The Connecticut Legislature is down to the finish line for its 2021 legislative session, and PIACT is watching H.B.6391, which would make a number of changes to the Insurance Data Security Law, including redefining nonpublic information under the law, and delaying the implementation date of various provisions.
Bills that have passed the state Legislature
Surprisingly, there have been a number of major pieces of legislation that have passed already. PIACT has been monitoring H.B.6646, which would keep the Connecticut Foundations Solutions Indemnity Co., in operation for the foreseeable future by eliminating the sunset date—June 30, 2022—for its operations. The CFSIC is a captive insurance company responsible for assisting Connecticut residents with their homeowners claims for crumbling foundations that resulted from pyrrhotite. This bill passed the state Legislature last night and is awaiting a signature from Gov. Ned Lamont.
Additionally, PIACT has been monitoring S.B.841, which would reduce the number of hours a nonlicensee would need to study from 40 to 20 hours (per line of insurance), in order to become a licensed insurance producer. This bill also has passed the state Legislature and is waiting for a signature from the governor.
You can monitor the status of these bills using the PIAdvocacy bill tracker.
Additional legislation
- Sports betting and iGaming: Legalized and signed by Gov. Lamont
- Connecticut’s bottle bill: Passed by the state Legislature; awaiting Lamont’s signature
- No-excuse absentee voting and early voting: Passed by the state Legislature; awaiting Lamont’s signature
Currently, regarding the budget, state House and state Senate Democrats haven’t reached a deal with Lamont. And, lawmakers are working out the kinks on a bill that would legalize adult-use, recreational cannabis.
Connecticut’s legislative session is set to end on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at 11:59 p.m.
James Woulfe, Esq.
James Woulfe, Esq., is the director of Government Affairs, The Connecticut Group LLC. He is PIACT’s lobbyist. James joined The Connecticut Group in November 2016. In 2013-14, while attending law school in the evenings, James worked at a Hartford-based nonprofit and led a successful grassroots campaign to drive passage of Connecticut’s benefit corporation statute. In 2015, he was appointed by then-House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz to the Commission on Connecticut’s Leadership in Corporation and Business Law, where he drafted a comprehensive plan to make Connecticut a national leader in the social enterprise sector. In 2020, he was appointed by Gov. Ned Lamont to the board of the Metropolitan District Commission. The MDC provides quality water supply, water pollution control, mapping, and household hazardous waste collection to eight member municipalities. In 2021, he was appointed by Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin to serve on the board of the Hartford Housing Authority. James received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2009, and his Juris Doctor from Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2015.
