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As the owner of a small business, as well as a State
Senator, I am very interested in the impact of the General
Assembly’s actions on Connecticut’s employers
and workers. This year, the General Assembly passed
several bills intended to help both business owners
and their employees weather the recession.
One of the bills I co-sponsored this year is House
Bill 6097 (Public Act 09-237), An Act Concerning Brownfields
Development Projects which is designed to improve
the feasibility of reclaiming, and reusing, property
that is, or might be, contaminated by hazardous substances
or other pollutants. Among other things, the new law
will broaden the ability of municipalities to enter
and inspect these properties, and it protects them from
liability when remediating brownfields with state economic
development funding. Furthermore, this law creates a
program to protect developers who follow state remediation
standards in the event that contamination escaped from
a brownfield before they acquired it. More information
about the state’s efforts with respect to brownfields
development is available on the website operated by
the state Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development
within the state Department of Economic and Community
Development (DECD) at
www.ctbrownfields.gov.
Also, I voted for legislation to help Connecticut
businesses directly affected by the financial problems
being experienced by the country’s auto industry.
The new law, House Bill 6648 (Public Act 09-50),
An Act Making Revisions To Chapter 739 Of The General
Statutes With Respect To Automobile Manufacturers, Distributors,
Franchises And Dealerships, makes changes to state
laws governing dealer compensation, and termination,
nonrenewal or cancellation of franchise agreements.
Furthermore, the new law makes changes in the way dealers
are compensated for parts and labor in connection with
pre-delivery preparation and warranty service.
And, I voted in favor of legislation to help the working
family members of those serving in the military. This
new law, Senate Bill 710 (Public Act 09-70), An
Act Concerning Updates To The Family And Medical Leave
Act, allows an immediate family member or next
of kin to take up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave from work
to care for a current member of the U.S. Armed Forces,
National Guard or military reserves who is undergoing
medical treatment, recuperation or therapy; an outpatient;
or a person on the temporary disability retired list
for a serious injury or illness. Under this new law,
private sector workers may take 26 weeks unpaid leave
from work over 12 months, while state employees may
take 26 weeks of unpaid leave over two years.
Among the new laws that I believe will greatly interest
Connecticut residents is House Bill 6185 (Public
Act 09-101), An Act Concerning Penalties For Violations
Of Certain Personnel Files Statutes And Equal Pay For
Equal Work. This new law, for which I voted, will
strengthen Connecticut’s equal pay laws by, among
other things, toughening the penalties imposed on employers
who pay men and women differently for doing similar
work. This new law takes effect on October 1st.
I strongly believe that state government must be mindful
of the impact that government policies and legislation
have on Connecticut’s business climate. That is
why I supported House Bill 5930 (Public Act 09-19),
An Act Requiring Small Business Impact Analyses For
Proposed Regulations. Among other things, this
new law, which takes effect on October 1st, will require
state agencies to state how their regulations would
affect small businesses. State agencies will be required
to include a small business impact analysis as part
of the fiscal note submitted to the legislature’s
Regulations Review Committee. Furthermore, state agencies
must inform the public about how to obtain copies of
the small business impact analysis before adopting the
new regulation.
As always, I welcome the opportunity to discuss the
issues that are important to our state. I can be reached
at my legislative office in Hartford at 1-800-842-1421,
or via e-mail to
Rob.Kane@cga.ct.gov.
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