As the New Year’s festivities ring, a number of new laws are coming into effect in Connecticut.
They include extended sales taxes, mental health parity requirements for insurers, an effort to help rehabilitate more dilapidated properties, and extended periods between driving license renewals.
Wednesday is one of the dates when big blocks of new laws go into effect in Connecticut.
Some of the latest new laws:
TAX CHANGES
A handful of items and services will be subject to 6.35% state sales tax beginning Jan. 1. They include safety clothing, metered parking and other parking lots, dry cleaning and previously exempt laundry, which do not work with coins. Interior design services for individuals will also be introduced in 2021.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont initially unveiled plans in early 2020 to create a level playing field and expand Connecticut’s sales tax base, repealing several exemptions and imposing tax on certain tax-free goods and services, from from haircuts to car seats.
He told lawmakers that expanding Connecticut’s tax base “helps make sales tax more robust, fairer and increases the revenue we need to balance our budget.” But, like previous governors who tried the same, Lamont faced strong opposition and eventually accepted this much shorter list of changes in the sales tax.
Lamont and lawmakers agreed to repeal the state’s $ 250 biannual tax on business entities, an unpopular fee that most Connecticut businesses charge.
MENTAL HEALTH
Some health insurance policies will no longer be able to impose stricter limits on mental health and substance abuse, compared to other illnesses, as of January 1st. Also, under the state’s new Mental Health Parity Act, substance abuse services must be covered if required by a court.
“Brain diseases shouldn’t be treated any differently than body diseases, and Connecticut laws should reflect that,” Lamont said when he signed the bill in July.
From March 2021, insurance companies will have to submit annual reports to the state, certifying that they comply with the new parity law.
The coverage required under certain breast ultrasound and hearing aid policies will also be expanded in the new year.
DAMAGED BUILDINGS
A new law authorizes a Superior Court judge to designate a “receiver,” an entity or person, to take on the rehabilitation or disposal of abandoned properties (industrial, residential, or commercial) in communities with at least 35,000 inhabitants. Interested parties can file a petition in court to take over a property that has been abandoned for at least a year.
Legislation is considered to be another tool for municipalities to deal with the disease.
Among other things, Connecticut cities and towns can impose fines and special appraisals on destroyed property owners and create agencies that can convict abandoned and destroyed buildings and transfer ownership to qualified owners.
DRIVER’S LICENSES
Connecticut drivers may not have to spend as much time in the motor vehicle department as before.
A new law allows the DMV commissioner to renew driving licenses up to every eight years, instead of every six years. The legislation also extends the time period between registration renewals from two to three years.
Fees for an initial license, limited to seven years, are $ 84. For an eight-year license renewal, they will be $ 96, which is proportional to the $ 72 fee for the initial and renewed six-year licenses. It is estimated to be $ 12 a year.
Lamont has predicted that the changes will lead to shorter waiting times for those who need to do business in person at the DMV. It is part of the administration’s efforts to streamline the interactions residents have with the state government.
POLICE TRAINING
The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection will now have to expand its free juvenile training for state and local police.
From January 1, it should include techniques for dealing with incidents related to minors and adults with autism spectrum disorder, nonverbal learning disorder, or cognitive impairment.
Emergency medical services personnel, firefighters, police officers and others will also be required to keep a paper or electronic copy of a “communication aid” that describes techniques for serving and interacting with minors with these deficiencies.
You can learn more about the new events here.