New Connecticut Laws Take Effect Jan.1 Includes New Minimum Wage Hike

On January 1st, 2025, a significant change is set to benefit minimum wage earners in Connecticut. Currently, workers earning the minimum wage receive $15.69 per hour. However, with the arrival of the New Year, this rate will increase to $16.35 per hour.  As this change takes effect, many employees and advocates welcome the increase as a step toward ensuring fair compensation in the state. If you work a 40-hour work week, your earnings would equal $654 before taxes.

Let’s take a trip back to 1973 when I graduated from Ithaca College. My buddy Garry and I had just formed an acoustic trio called Sunup. To help pay the bills, I landed my first full-time gig at the Record Theater in Rochester, New York. Back then, the minimum wage in New York was a hefty $1.55 an hour. I wasn’t exactly rolling in cash—my paycheck was only $62 a week before taxes. Those were the days! But I digress. The following or a portion of Connecticut's new laws take effect on January 1, 2025, according to wtnh.com.

Expanded Paid Sick Leave - Starting January 1, employers in the state must provide 40 hours of paid sick leave. This rule applies to employers with more than 50 employees and will expand to include almost all private-sector employers with at least 25 employees. This is the first step in a plan to cover nearly all private employees under the state’s sick leave requirements.

Cannabis/THC Guidelines -  The purpose of this law is to crack down on unregulated sales. State Rep. David Rutigliano stated It is important that we keep high-potency drugs out of the reach of minors and ensure that they are only sold in licensed, regulated facilities; starting in the new year, only licensed cannabis dispensaries will be able to sell hemp-based products that have between one-half milligrams and five milligrams of THC.

Added Protections for Home Health Workers - Home healthcare nurse Joyce Grayson was found dead in a halfway house while on her way to a scheduled appointment. This new bill will provide escorts to ensure the safety of healthcare workers who provide care inside patients' homes.

Ensuring Protection for Domestic Abuse Victims Against Debt - In some cases, domestic abusers may unfairly attribute excessive credit card charges to their former spouse. The law has established new requirements for collection agencies, including a 60-day pause on actions while they review the details of each case. If a court determines that a debt was incurred through coercion, the person responsible for the debt may be liable for the total amount owed and any legal fees.