by State Representative Joseph Gresko
Connecticut House District 121

Dear Neighbor,

Next week, several new laws in Connecticut will go into effect on October 1st. These laws are a result of the hard work of my colleagues and I during the 2021 session.

Below is a selection of some of the laws that will go into effect on Friday, October 1st:

Breastfeeding in the Workplace
Public Act No. 21-27 – Requires employers to provide a private room or location with an electrical outlet for women to express milk. Employers must also provide a refrigerated space to store the breastmilk.

The law also protects breastfeeding employees from workplace discrimination.

Marijuana and Smoking Restrictions
On October 1st, a portion of Public Act No. 21-1 will go into effect.

Medical marijuana patients who are 18 years of age or older can start growing mature and immature plants at home.

Smoking of any kind (tobacco, vaping, marijuana) will be prohibited within 25 feet of the any door, window, or vent intake of any building open to the public.

Pedestrian Safety
PA 21-28 clarifies the rules for pedestrians in crosswalks.

Starting October 1sr, drivers must slow down or stop if a pedestrian is in the crosswalk or indicated that they are going to cross.

Addressing Gender Discrimination
PA 21-30 – Requires employers to offer equal pay for “comparable” work regardless of gender.

Also requires employers to offer prospective applicants and employees with a scale of pay among those with similar tasks.

“Bottle Bill”
PA 21-58 -Starting October 1st, certain retailers will be required to have at least two reverse vending machines on their premises.

It also increases the handling fee paid by the distributors to redemption centers from 2.5 cents per beverage container to 3.5 cents.

For the complete list of laws that will go into effect on October 1st please go to:
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/content/aeauto.asp

Stratford Democratic Town Committee Nominates and Endorses Candidate for District 3

On Wednesday the Stratford Democratic Town Committee met in a regular meeting to introduce, nominate, and endorse Lesette Franceschi to represent District 3 on the Stratford Town Council.

The seat was previously held by Paul Tavaras, who, after being nominated at a caucus in July, withdrew from the race in August, citing personal and professional reasons.  She will face off in November against Republican Nominee Victor Ayala to represent the 3rd District on the Town Council.

Franceschi describes herself as creative, artistic, outgoing, friendly, and positive. Her passion is helping others to succeed, making others feel safe, and educated. She has accomplished this through her volunteer work.  As a Third District resident she promised to be a strong voice to advocate for long standing issues in the district which have not been addressed by the current administration, e.g. flooding, neighborhood safety.

Lesette is a Certified Nurse Aid – Patient Care Technician. She earned her Community Health Worker certification at Housatonic Community College, and her experiences include working closely with communities in Bridgeport, Stamford, and Stratford through networking and public community fairs.

In addition to her healthcare career, Lesette owns her own business as an online mentor, helping others to achieve success.  She is currently working on her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Colorado Technical University.