CONNECTICUT, USA — Come Oct. 1, some new laws will go into effect in Connecticut. From data privacy to veterans' benefits to wrong-way driving, here are some of those new laws that will affect you.
For more information, head to the Connecticut General Assembly website.
Wildlife
State law generally forbids killing, capturing, or trapping a bear. However, a new law will allow the need to kill a bear in self-defense. The act specifically allows a person to use deadly force to kill a bear if the person believes the bear is inflicting or about to inflict "great bodily harm," injuring or killing the person's pet, or entering a building where people are inside.
The act also allows for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) commissioner to issue permits for hunting certain wildlife that threatens or damages crops, live stuck, or apiaries. To get a permit, the property owner has to have tried reasonable, non-lethal efforts like electric fences, animal guardians, or other fortified structures that failed to prevent damage.
The act also forbids people from intentionally feeding potentially dangerous animals on land not owned by the state and makes a violation an infraction. The act defines "potentially dangerous" as a wildcat like a bobcat, a wild dog like a coyote or fox, or a black bear.
Protection of minors
An act will establish a new crime of "harmful communication with a minor" as a class A misdemeanor. Anyone who is 25 years old or older can be found guilty of this crime when they use online or text messaging to "knowingly persuade, induce, entice, or coerce a minor" to share images. This can either be for the person who requests the image or if they disseminate the images to one or more third parties for "sexual gratification," according to the bill. Also covered is if the person uses messaging to communicate with a child to "maintain an inappropriate relationship" with the child.
Cruelty to animals
This act will establish "sexual assault of an animal" as a new crime filed under a class A misdemeanor for anyone who knowingly engages in sexual contact with an animal or forces another person to do so, or creates and distributes pornographic images of prohibited sexual contact with an animal.
Under the previous law, a person who engaged in this activity was guilty of sexual assault in the fourth degree, which is also a class A misdemeanor.
This new law replaces the previous one and also allows for new actions, including law enforcement officers and animal control officers who can take possession of an animal when the officer has a reasonable belief that the animal was sexually assaulted; allows animal control officers to take custody of an animal has been treated cruelly under these conditions; imposes a duty on veterinarians to report suspected harm, neglect, or cruelty to an animal due to an animal's participation in a "fighting exhibition" and gives a veterinarian immunity from civil liability for making the report; and the act requires the court to issue an order prohibiting anyone convicted for an animal cruelty crime from owning, living with, or working in a position that involves the care for any animal for five years after conviction.
Wrong-way driving
Wrong-way driving crashes have plagued the state, and now officials hope this new law will help mitigate these dangerous incidents.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) will be required to install wrong-way driving detection and notification systems on at least 120 highway exit ramps that they determine are high-risk for wrong-way drivers.
Additionally, the new law addresses wrong-way driving public awareness and education by requiring information on ways to reduce wrong-way driving incidents, and information drivers should take if they encounter a wrong-way driver. This information will be included in the public awareness campaign and driver education program curriculums. The Department of Motor Vehicles has to include the information in its regulations on driver school instructional standards.
Two other aspects of the bill, one being a pilot program at high-risk exit ramps that will have systems that broadcast alerts about a wrong-way driver's presence and a grant for the University of Connecticut to research the use of directional rumble strips to alert a wrong-way driver, went into effect when the bill was passed.
Animal shelters
This new law will require municipal or regional dog pounds to have mechanical heating and cooling systems to maintain an indoor temperature between 55 and 80 degrees unless a state-licensed veterinarian requires another temperature for medical reasons.
It will also place rules on how the dog pounds keep dogs and cats and authorize the agriculture commissioner to enforce them by inspecting pounds and other facilities. The act also requires the commissioner to give municipal animal control officers inspection reports within a business week, and the animal control officer must provide a copy of the report to higher-ups (police department, elected official, supervisor) within 30 days.
Data privacy
The world of AI and data privacy is a tough one to navigate. Already in July, existing consumer data privacy law set a framework for controlling and processing your personal data. The framework required a controller to limit the collection of personal data and establish security practices, among other things. The requirements generally apply to people and entities doing business in Connecticut or who produce products or services targeted to Connecticut residents.
Regardless of any state law, the act prohibited state contracting agencies from entering any contract with a business on or after Oct. 1 unless the contract has a provision that requires the business to comply with all applicable requirements of the existing data privacy law.
Veteran benefits
The general definitions of "armed forces" and "members of the armed forces" under Connecticut law will now include the U.S. Space Force (USSF).
By doing so, the new law will include in the general definition of "veteran" USSF members who are honorably discharged under honorable conditions or received an other-than-honorable discharge due to a qualifying condition.
Therefore, the law provides the members access to various state veterans' benefits and programs such as property tax exemptions, tuition benefits, and burial in a state veterans' cemetery.
By law, "armed forces" already consist of U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force members, along with any of their reserve components, including the Connecticut National Guard, when under federal service.
The USSF was established as a new armed forces branch in December 2019, organized under the umbrella of the U.S. Air Force, and is an independent entity that organizes, trains and manages its own operational force. However, it relies on the Air Force for a large portion of its functionality.
Health care
Connecticut's health insurance exchange, Access Health CT, must now have a special enrollment period for people whose employer-sponsored health benefits are canceled by an employer due to a labor dispute.
The act says that while "labor dispute" is not defined, it presumably includes lockouts and strikes.
Under current law, the exchange must have enrollment periods that are required under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA requires special enrollment periods for many reasons, which include when an employee loses employer-sponsored health insurance. Special enrollment periods allow enrollment in a plan outside of the annual open enrollment period.
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These are not the only laws going into effect on Oct. 1. For more information and more details when it comes to the laws listed above, head to the Connecticut General Assembly website.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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