New Laws in CT: Marijuana Shops, Police, Dogs, Veterans, All Affected

CONNECTICUT – Although laws in Hartford are signed into law throughout the year, they typically take effect in regularly scheduled phases throughout the year. Traditionally, October 1 is a big day when new laws expire, and 2024 is no exception.

The full list of new laws taking effect October 1 is on the Connecticut General Assembly website; here are some highlights:

One new law officially bans dog racing, although off-track betting operators can still place bets on out-of-state dog racing.

Police dogs and their owners are also affected by the new legislation. Public Act 24-65 requires anyone convicted of intentionally hurting or killing a peace officer’s animal or a volunteer dog search and rescue team’s dog to pay restitution to the owner.

Police chiefs, as well as fire chiefs, emergency medical services chiefs and administrative heads, will now find it easier to declare that one of their crew members has been killed in the line of duty. A new law will eliminate much of the red tape, provided the death was caused by heart disease, stroke or pulmonary embolism within 24 hours of the employee finishing a shift or training.

It’s always been a bit of a headache: why require law enforcement officers to wear body cameras when they can just turn them off whenever they want? From October 1, they can no longer do that, not legally. New regulations require body cameras to record all of an officer’s interactions with the public, “until the interaction ends.” The only exceptions are those times when “the investigation could be significantly hampered by continuing to record.”

Municipalities will find it easier to tackle illegal cannabis-related sales. The state’s marijuana laws have been updated to allow cities to seek court orders to seize the inventories and cash of rogue head shops.

Marijuana isn’t the only weed getting Hartford’s attention. Porcelain berry, mugwort, quack grass, Japanese angelica, Japanese wisteria and Chinese wisteria have all made the “Prohibited in Connecticut” list. They are all invasive or potentially invasive plants, likely to upset the apple cart of your local ecosystem.

Data privacy in Connecticut is getting a minor update in October. New regulations add provisions for the security of consumer health data, social media accounts of minors, online services and a task force on internet crimes against children.

In particular, online dating operators should adopt policies for dealing with reports of harassment by or between users, and maintain an online safety center to provide users with safe dating information. The law also requires social media platforms to unpublish a minor’s social media account within 15 business days, and substantially delete the account within 45 business days, upon receipt of an authenticated request.

Good news for disabled heroes: Public Act 24-46 completely exempts a primary residence or motor vehicle from property taxes if it is owned by veterans with a permanent or total disability rating.

A bill to support Connecticut’s seniors and improve nursing and home care requires the commissioners of the Department of Social Services and the Department of Public Health to post a link on their websites to the Medicare Nursing Home Care Compare website. This tool ranks nursing homes based on quality of care, health inspections and staffing using a five-star rating system powered by reviews from the public.

Home care agencies must now provide annual staff training and monthly safety assessments for their direct care staff. In turn, employees must report any threats they receive.

Cross per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances off your Christmas list. A new law bans the use or sale of anything containing these chemicals, which do not break down naturally. They are the product of wastewater, sewage and sludge, and are found in protective clothing for firefighters and emergency medical responders.