State Gun Safety Policies Earn High Marks in National Ranking

By Hugh McQuaid

December 26 @ 5:00 am

Connecticut has enacted the third-strongest gun safety laws in the nation, according to an annual scorecard by the Giffords Law Center, which awarded the state an “A” grade on the strength of its policies and its low levels of gun violence.

The annual assessment by the gun violence prevention organization found Connecticut behind only California and New Jersey in a ranking of the safest gun policies in the country. The top three performing states remain unchanged from the Giffords Law Center’s 2023 scorecard.

The law center placed Connecticut among just five states to earn an “A” grade in this year’s assessment.

In a press release last week, Giffords Executive Director Emma Brown said the scorecard served as an annual reminder of the inconsistency of America’s gun policies.

“Gun violence is now the number one killer of children in the United States, and they are measurably safer in some states than others. That is unacceptable,” Brown said. “Gun violence is preventable, and the overwhelming majority of Americans, including Republicans, independents, and gun owners, support commonsense solutions.”

Although the group cited support for gun safety policies from Americans across the political spectrum, the center’s scorecard depicts a stark ideological divide between states that experience the highest and lowest rates of gun deaths.

For instance, Connecticut — where voters have elected a Democratic governor and strong Democratic majorities to both chambers of the legislature — experienced just 6.2 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, according to the scorecard. In fact, of the five states identified by Giffords as experiencing the lowest rates of gun deaths — Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Hawaii — each have Democratic governors and legislative majorities.

Meanwhile, states that experienced the highest rates of gun deaths were often led by Republican governors and Republican legislatures. For comparison, Mississippi experienced the highest rate of gun deaths with 29.4 per 100,000 residents, followed by Louisiana with 28.1 and Alabama with 25.7 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Though the Giffords Law Center has long praised Connecticut policies like universal background checks, risk protection orders, safe storage requirements and assault weapon restrictions, the group credited the state for a recent investment of $8 million in violence prevention programs.

This month’s gun safety scorecard follows a recent study by the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, which concluded that risk protection orders — a policy developed in Connecticut and adopted by other states — should be a key component in public health efforts to reduce suicides.

Connecticut Adds 300 Jobs in November, Unemployment Remains at 23-Year Low

By Garnet McLaughlin

December 25 @ 5:00 am

The state Department of Labor announced that Connecticut added 300 jobs in November as unemployment remained at 3% – the lowest since 2001. The industries that saw the greatest increase in jobs were: Education and Health Services, Financial Activities, Construction and Mining and Trade, Transportation and Utilities.

The private sector added 800 jobs in November, however overall job growth was impacted by shrinking state government jobs, which saw a decline for its fifth consecutive month, according to the agency.

Last week, Sen. Julie Kushner, a Danbury Democrat who co-chairs the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee, said the labor statistics reflected a growing economy.

“Unemployment is low and we are investing in workforce development to upskill Connecticut residents and fill vacancies in essential trades jobs,” Kushner said. “The fact is – when you invest in Connecticut workers, you invest in Connecticut’s economy. I am eager to get back into session in January to keep building upon this momentum.”

The Department of Labor highlighted the following takeaways from their report:

-Connecticut employers have added 13,500 jobs so far in 2024.

-There were 1,709,300 payroll jobs in the state.

-The manufacturing sector has done considerable hiring, however it has remained flat overall due to the high number of retirements.

-Connecticut’s Labor Force Participation Rate is 64.1%, unchanged from last month. The national rate is 62.5%.

The Finance Activities sector is growing in Connecticut and has added up 2,100 jobs so far in 2024.

-Unemployment claims remain below 25,000, quite low by historical standards.

With December numbers still outstanding, Connecticut has enjoyed 13,500 jobs added so far this year, a higher labor force participation rate than the national rate and 73,000 open jobs.

In related labor news, this month the CT Paid Leave program announced that by year end they will have paid $1 billion in benefits to Connecticut workers for more than 190,000 approved claims. CT Paid Leave allows Connecticut workers to receive benefits while stepping away from work due to an illness, caregiving, pregnancy/childbirth or bonding with a new child.

Connecticut’s First-In-The-Nation Housing Pilot Program Extended

By Joe O’Leary

December 24 @ 5:00 am

The Head Start on Housing program has received high praise from state leaders and an extension to help more families in Connecticut as its novel approach may be replicated elsewhere.

Head Start on Housing is a first-in-the-nation pilot program designed to connect children and their families with housing support if those children are enrolled in the Head Start program and their families are experiencing homelessness. The program has helped 144 families since its 2022 launch, according to Gov. Ned Lamont’s office.

Head Start provides young children in low-income families with access to early learning, health and family wellness services. The housing pilot is a joint offering from the Connecticut Department of Housing and Office of Early Childhood and uses vouchers from the federal Department of Housing to support families receiving aid.

In the two years since its launch, those 144 families, with 317 children, have received housing. About 85 of those children were old enough to start school, with another 232 were under kindergarten age, according to the governor’s office. That’s hundreds of people, and hundreds of children, off the street with much-needed stability.

In a press release this month, the governor called ensuring access to stable housing a “moral imperative.”

“Stable housing is among the most important components of a child’s development and wellbeing, and by expanding this state pilot program using federal housing vouchers we will be able to connect more young families to a place they can call home,” Lamont said.

In a 2015 report by Children’s Health Watch, researchers found that when a child faces homelessness, especially at a young age, the stress can impact them for life, with both physical and mental consequences.

For example, children who have experienced homelessness have higher rates of chronic diseases caused by stress. That impact can be worsened if their mother experiences homelessness during pregnancy, underscoring the foundational and lifelong consequences of instability early in one’s life.

The Head Start website shows weekly updates on the program’s continued work. Currently, the program has processed 239 referrals, with families supported at more than a dozen locations throughout the state. In addition to 144 housed families, another 15 are either searching for apartments or awaiting inspections before getting connected, with 45 more under review.

State Senator Saud Anwar, Senate Chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, lauded the program’s success.

“The connections between stable housing and better results in a child’s education, health and overall life are strong and underscore the sheer importance of programs like this,” Anwar said. “As an advocate to reduce and prevent homelessness in Connecticut, I could not be more proud to see our state’s creative approach bear fruit, with the potential to expand nationally.”

In years to come, the Department of Housing plans to directly allocate 50 vouchers each year for families in Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Families in other states may soon be helped by similar initiatives. Connecticut housing and Head Start providers in other parts of the country have spoken with state officials, wanting to replicate the program to support residents of their own states, according to the governor’s office.

“By leveraging Head Start’s two-generational model of providing services to both the child and the family, these programs are uniquely positioned to support Head Start on Housing’s goal of providing safe and stable homes for young children and their families experiencing homelessness,” said Connecticut’s Early Childhood Acting Commissioner Elena Trueworthy.

Senate Democrats to Prioritize AI Regulation in 2025 Session

By Michelle Rappaport

December 23 @ 10:30 am

Connecticut Senate Democrats announced plans Friday to introduce a priority bill to create artificial intelligence regulations focusing transparency, accountability, and the criminalization of non-consensual intimate images.

Sen. James Maroney, a Milford Democrat who co-chairs the legislature’s General Law Committee, detailed the proposal in a press release with Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff. The Senate leaders promised to prioritize passage of the regulations during the legislative session that begins Jan. 8.

“It is without a question we need to be next in passing legislation that will work to fight digital discrimination,” Maroney said. “As AI continues to evolve, it’s crucial that we implement thoughtful regulations to ensure its development aligns with ethical standards, safeguards privacy, and minimizes potential harm.”

The proposal will build upon legislation passed in 2023 that encompassed transparency and accountability surrounding AI so people know when they are interacting with AI.

In addition, companies that deploy AI to make decisions impacting consumer’s access to credit, housing, insurance, education, employment, health care, or a governmental service will be subject to reporting and oversight by the attorney general under the bill. These companies will need to show proper safety parameters are being made to protect consumers from the potential hazards of AI.
In the absence of regulation, technology could outpace the state’s ability to manage risks and create unintended consequences, Looney said.

“Connecticut needs to require guidelines to ensure decisions are made fairly, accurately, and transparently,” Looney said.

The legislation will be designed to put safety brakes in areas where AI is being used to make important decisions about people’s lives, like housing, lending, employment, and government services.

This proposal will also work to prohibit the use of AI to make deepfake pornographic images of people, including the use of AI to create so-called “revenge porn.” However, an image does not need to be pornographic to be considered a deepfake. Any time someone uses the technology to impose a one person’s face onto another person’s body or use that face to assign spoken words to someone who did not say those words, it is considered a deepfake.

Earlier this month, Looney, Duff and Maroney published a multi-state authored op-ed highlighting the importance of adopting artificial intelligence regulations. The article emphasized the growing need for comprehensive legislation to address the ethical, social, and economic challenges posed by AI.

On Friday, Duff stressed the need to act quickly on the issue.

“Without regulation, AI poses risks such as bias, privacy violations, and unforeseen societal impacts,” Duff said. “We must be proactive so AI does not negatively impact us before it is too late.”

Avoid Holiday Scams: Tips for Last-Minute Shoppers

By Joe O’Leary

December 21 @ 5:00 am

The holiday season is in full swing, and with very little time to finish shopping, many Connecticut residents are looking to get the best and brightest gifts for their loved ones this year. It’s important, however, to be careful when gift shopping, as scams are growing every day.

The Federal Trade Commission reported more than 350,000 fraud complaints related to online purchases this year and as many as 25% of Americans have lost money to scams, with some losing $500 or more.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection recently released a list of what to watch for when shopping online, both for best practices to make sure gifts are perfect – and if they aren’t perfect, can be returned – and to avoid falling for a season-ruining scam.

First, the DCP recommends that all shoppers review return policies, many of which are being tightened to fight return fraud. Double-checking can prevent headaches in January.

The agency warned against going after deals that seem too good to be true and advised consumers to be on the lookout for knock-off or counterfeit products, which can be frustrating to receive, potentially mislabeled and possibly harmful. The DPC also advised consumers to use a credit card when shopping, as it’s easier to dispute fraud than with a debit card.

Another piece of advice the DCP laid out: shop local and in-person. While it may be less convenient than shopping online, you’ll be picking out a product yourself and making the purchase right then and there, meaning the odds of getting scammed fall drastically.

Additional organizations are also working to help shoppers avoid scams. The Federal Trade Commission recommends doing research when something doesn’t quite seem right. A quick online search may reveal when sellers or products are less than trustworthy. It’s also valuable to check terms of sale to see if they might cause headaches for you after the fact.

The FTC also said to never buy from online sellers who demand someone pays with unusual options, including cryptocurrency, gift cards or wire transfers. Very few responsible sellers will use these as primary payment choices.

The Better Business Bureau added that misleading social media ads are one of the easiest scams to fall for, and that checking twice before buying something can prevent frustration.

Perhaps the Grinchiest scammers out there will pretend to be from charities, the BBB added. Donations make wonderful gifts, but only if the donation gets to the charity it’s advertised for. Donors are asked to look out for fraudulent charities and scammers. If someone pushes you to donate, especially making immediate donations, that’s a red flag. When making a donation online, be sure to check the charity’s information through internet searches to verify they are supporting the cause they claim to.