The New Year brings a wave of change with new laws and taxes for 2024 for Connecticut residents. These laws include measures to enhance road safety, address workers' compensation benefits, provide tax breaks, and tackle various issues for positive changes. Here's a comprehensive overview of key legislation set to take effect in 2024.
Workers' Compensation Expansion:
All workers in the state who meet criteria for post-traumatic stress injuries, beyond first responders, are now entitled to Workers' Compensation benefits.
DMV Safety Videos:
The Department of Motor Vehicles will create safety videos, mandatory for residents during license renewals and transfers. These videos will cover state laws on driving, pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Local Traffic Surveillance:
Guidance on speed and red light cameras in municipalities will be issued by the Department of Transportation, emphasizing considerations for racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors.
Tax Breaks and Credits:
The state budget introduces tax reductions for middle-income earners, lowering marginal income tax rates. There are also expanded income tax exemptions for pension, annuity, and IRA income, benefiting a broader range of individuals.
Theater Credit:
A new tax credit for production companies involved in pre and post-Broadway shows offers incentives for live theatrical tours staged in the state, capped at $2.5 million per year.
Firefighter Benefits:
Municipalities are now required to make annual contributions to a state firefighters cancer-relief account, providing wage replacement for eligible firefighters diagnosed with cancer.
Online Dating Safety:
Dating services operating in Connecticut must establish safety centers to address unwanted behaviors, provide safety advice, and offer avenues to report sexual harassment and domestic violence. The Department of Consumer Protection can impose fines for non-compliance.
Opioid Antagonist Program:
The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services initiates a fund to purchase and provide opioid antidotes to eligible entities, ensuring broader access to Naloxone hydrochloride, such as Narcan.
Other Notable Laws:
Various laws cover a spectrum of topics, from autism spectrum program expansions and cursive writing curriculum development to palliative and hospital care improvements, endometriosis data programs, and mandatory reports on pandemic preparedness and housing programs.
To learn further details of the laws coming into effect in 2024 by visiting this CT Insider article
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