| When not busy negotiating a state budget, Governor
M. Jodi Rell has dedicated some of her time this summer
to holding formal bill signings to focus public attention
on new laws that will have a positive impact on the
lives of Connecticut residents.
Those new laws include one I co-sponsored, Senate
Bill 948 (Public Act 09-209), An Act Concerning Implementation
of the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act. This new
law will implement the 2008 federal Secure and Fair
Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing (S. A. F. E.) Act
by imposing conditions on licensing for mortgage professionals,
including education and testing. Furthermore, this new
law mandates foreclosure mediation. As Governor Rell
said when signing this bill into law, mediation is an
effective tool that homeowners can use when trying to
avoid foreclosure.
Governor Rell also signed a series of new laws intended
to improve the quality of life for Connecticut’s
250,000 veterans. These include: Senate Bill 846
(Public Act 09-176), An Act Concerning The Disabled
Veterans” Property Tax Exemption, to permit
veterans to submit documents verifying their disability
just once to local assessors unless the federal Veterans’
Administration modifies their status. This new law is
intended to make it easier for both veterans who qualify
for the tax exemption and the local assessors who administer
the program.
Other pro-veterans legislation signed into law by the
Governor include: House Bill 6394 (Public Act 09-163),
An Act Concerning the Military Family Relief Fund,
which expands eligibility for state assistance to eligible
members of the armed forces who are not currently on
duty; House Bill 6564 (Public Act 09-90), An Act
Concerning The Award Of Ribbons And Medals, which
clarifies that wartime veterans who were living in Connecticut
when called to active duty and who died on or after
January 1, 2000 will be awarded medals and ribbons by
the state; and Senate Bill 1063 (Public Act 09-117),
An Act Concerning Eligibility For Benefits For Veterans
In Service In Time Of War, defines wartime service
to mean at least 90 cumulative days, instead of 90 consecutive
days, and expands the pool for eligibility for war service
benefits by changing the dates of Operation Will from
February 1, 1987 to July 23, 1987.
Families will especially appreciate that Governor Rell
has signed two new laws intended to protect the health
and safety of children. One of those bills, Senate
Bill 533 (Public Act 09-199) An Act Concerning Notification
Of The Release Of A Registered Sex Offender Into The
Community, goes into effect on September 1st. Under
this law, the state Department of Public Safety must
notify schools superintendents when a released convicted
sex offender lives, or is planning to live, in their
communities. The new law mandates the type of information
that must be included in the e-mail notification. A
new database will allow school districts to register
for e-mail notifications when a sex offender moves into,
or out of, their communities.
Also, Governor Rell signed legislation into law that
calls for the state Department of Education to develop
regulations regarding students self-administering asthma
inhalers and epinephrine injectors, or epipens. The
new law, Senate Bill 755 (Public Act 09-155), An
Act Concerning The Use Of Asthmatic Inhalers And Epinephrine
Auto-Injectors While At School, goes into effect
on August 15th. Connecticut has been one of only three
states without a system in place for students to self-administer
their asthma inhalers, and only one of 10 without an
epipen protocol.
I encourage anyone who has any questions about our new
state laws to contact my legislative office in Hartford
at 1-800-842-1421, or to e-mail me at Rob.Kane@cga.ct.gov.
I always look forward to hearing from you.
|
