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Connecticut is hiring an outside computer firm to help implement the delayed Clean Slate Act that was originally intended to take effect in January of 2023. The act provides for the automatic erasure of many, but not all, misdemeanors and lower-level felonies that occurred after January 1, 2000. Many, but not all, misdemeanors and low-level felonies that occurred prior to January 1, 2000, are eligible for erasure but require the filing of a form. See the attached article for more information about the Clean Slate Act; the consultant being hired; and the delays in implementing the Act. https://ctmirror.org/2024/10/01/ct-clean-slate-law-delay-contractor/

On January 1, 2023, the Connecticut Clean Slate Act took effect. The Act, which was updated on July 1, 2023, allows for the automatic erasure of certain convictions. For convictions that occurred after January 1, 2000: Most, but not all, misdemeanor convictions are erased "by operation of law" 7 years after the court entered the conviction. Most, but not all, class D and E felonies and unclassified felonies with a maximum term of imprisonment of less than 5 years as well as most, but not all, DUIs are erased "by operation of law" 10 years after the court entered the conviction. For convictions that occurred before January 1, 2000: Most, but not all, misdemeanor convictions and most but not all class D and E felonies as well as unclassified felonies with a maximum term of imprisonment of less than 5 years shall be erased after the convicted person files a Petition for Clean Slate Erasure, Conviction Before 1/1/2000 (JD-CR-202). The petition must be filed in the court in which the conviction occurred. Certain charges are excluded for the Clean Slate Act erasure. They include: Family Violence Crimes Nonviolent sexual offenses or sexually violent offenses DUIs, if the person has another DUI conviction within 10 years of the prior conviction. Any conviction for a violation of section section 29-33 , 53a-60a , 53a-60b , 53a-60c , 53a-61a , 53a-64bb , 53a-64cc , 53a-72a , 53a-90a , 53a-103a , 53a-181c , 53a-191 , 53a-196 , 53a-196d , 53a-196f , 53a-211 , 53a-212 , 53a-216 , 53a-217 , 53a-217a , 53a-217c , 53a-322 , 53a-323 , 54-251 , 54-252 , 54-253 or 54-254 or subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 53a-189a . A person is not eligible for Clean Slate Act erasure until they: Have completed any period of incarceration, parole, special parole, medical parole, compassionate parole, or transitional supervision for any conviction on or after January 1, 2000; Have completed serving any period of probation for any crime with a conviction on or after January 1, 2000, and Are not the subject of any pending criminal charges in Connecticut. The Clean Slate Act also applies to misdemeanor convictions while a person was under 18 years of age if the person's conviction was before they turned 18 years of age and the offense occurred on or after January 1, 2000, and before July 1, 2012. Motor vehicle offenses and violations of 51-164r are excluded. If a person, while under the age of 18, was convicted of a misdemeanor before January 1, 2000, such person may file a petition with the Superior Court at the location in which the conviction occurred and request an order of erasure.  Any person who has their convictions erased pursuant to the Clean Slate Act shall be deemed to have never been arrested for the crimes that were erased and may swear so under oath.

If your privilege to drive has been permanently revoked under Connecticut General Statutes §14–227a(g) because of a 3rd conviction for DUI you may still be eligible to petition the DMV to reverse that suspension or reduce the length of that suspension. The process and procedure for reversing or reducing a lifetime license suspension can be found in Connecticut General Statutes § 14-111(i). In order to apply for a reversal or reduction of a permanent license suspension a person must be at least two years from the date of the permanent revocation. (In practice the DMV prefers for there to be a longer period of time before they will grant the application.) In addition, a person must not have any other suspensions or outstanding obligations on their license and all the other conditions for reinstatement must be met before the application will be entertained. To start the process and applicant must request a hearing before the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles for reversal or reduction of their permanent license revocation. This request must be sent in writing to the Department of Motor Vehicles and must state specifically the reasons why the applicant is entitled to the reversal or reduction. The Commissioner of the DMV shall consider each application and review each applicant’s driver’s record and then may grant a hearing. It is the Commissioner’s discretion whether to grant the hearing or not. Once the DMV has received your written request for a hearing they will write back and provide a list of other obligations the applicant must meet in order for the application to be successful. The DMV will often require: 1) Proof that you have completed an operator retraining program; 2) A completed medical form (Form P- 142m) which a licensed doctor must complete on behalf of the applicant based on a personal examination that occurs within 90 days the application submission; 3) A completed Form P263 “Authorization for Reversal or Reduction of Suspension”; and 4) A copy of the applicant’s criminal history which can be obtained for a fee from the State Police after you have been fingerprinted at the local police department. Once the DMV has the information they have requested they will send written notice of the date, time and location of the hearing. You are entitled to be represented by an attorney at the hearing. At the time of the hearing letters of recommendation and other documents in support of the petition will be accepted by the DMV and will be taken into consideration in their determination of whether the applicant has earned a reduction or reversal of their permanent revocation. In order for the applicant to be successful in their request for a reversal or reduction of their permeant license suspension they must show that the reversal or reduction will not endanger the public safety or welfare. In order to show that the applicant must provide evidence that will include, but not be limited to: Proof that an alcohol or drug education and treatment program that has been completed since the most recent suspension or conviction, Proof that the applicant has not been convicted of, nor had their operating privilege suspended for, any offense related to alcohol or drugs in the prior two years, and Proof they have not operated a motor vehicle for two years.  If the request to reverse or reduce the permanent license suspension is granted the Commissioner of DMV will require the installation of an ignition interlocking device (IID) for life. This lifetime IID requirement can be reduced to 15 years from the date of the reversal or reduction, but will require another application and hearing at the DMV.

If your privilege to drive has been permanently revoked under CGS 14–227a(g) because of a 3rd conviction for DUI you may still be eligible to petition the DMV to reverse that suspension or reduce the length of that suspension. CGS 14–111(i) discusses the process and procedure for reversing or reducing a lifetime license suspension. In order to apply for a reversal or reduction of a permanent license suspension, a person must be at least two years from the date of the permanent revocation. (In practice the DMV prefers for there to be a longer period of time before they will grant the application.) In addition, a person must not have any other suspensions or outstanding obligations on their license and all the other conditions for reinstatement must be met before the application will be entertained. To start the process and applicant must request a hearing before the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles for reversal or reduction of their permanent license revocation. This request must be sent in writing to the Department of Motor Vehicles and must state specifically the reasons why the applicant is entitled to the reversal or reduction. The Commissioner of the DMV shall consider each application and review each applicant’s driver’s record and then may grant a hearing. It is the Commissioner’s discretion whether to grant the hearing or not. Once the DMV has received your written request for a hearing they will write back and provide a list of other obligations the applicant must meet in order for the application to be successful. The DMV will often require: 1) Proof that you have completed an operator retraining program; 2) A completed medical form (P- 142m) which a licensed doctor must complete on behalf of the applicant based on a personal examination that occurrs within 90 days of submitting the application; 3) A completed Form P263 “Authorization for Reversal or Reduction of Suspension”; and 4) A copy of the applicant’s criminal history which can be obtained for a fee from the State Police after you have been fingerprinted at the local police department. Once the DMV has the information they have requested they will send written notice of the date, time, and location of the hearing. You are entitled to be represented by an attorney at the hearing. At the time of the hearing letters of recommendation and other documents in support of the petition will be accepted by the DMV and will be taken into consideration in their determination of whether the applicant has earned a reduction or reversal of their permanent revocation. In order for the applicant to be successful in their request for a reversal or reduction of their permeant license suspension, they must show that the reversal or reduction will not endanger the public safety or welfare. In order to show that the applicant must provide evidence that will include, but not be limited to: a) Proof that an alcohol or drug education and treatment program that has been completed since the most recent suspension or conviction. b) Proof that the applicant has not been convicted nor had their operating privilege suspended for any offense related to alcohol or drugs in the prior two years. c) Proof they have not operated a motor vehicle for two years. If the request to reverse or reduce the permanent license suspension is granted the Commissioner of DMV will require the installation of an ignition interlocking device (IID) for life. This lifetime IID requirement can be reduced to 15 years from the date of the reversal or reduction but will require another application and hearing at the DMV. An Act Concerning Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use CannabisDUI/ License Restoration

In June, Governor Lamont signed into law An Act Concerning Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis. This sweeping act drastically changes how the State of Connecticut deals with possession and cultivation of Marijuana and even provides for the erasure of prior act Marijuana related criminal records. A few of the new provisions of the law are below: Beginning July 1, 2021 for adults over 21: *it is legal to possess up to 1.5 ounces of Marijuana (or its equivalent) on your person and to possess up to 5 ounces (or its equivalent) locked in a container in the home, vehicle glove box or vehicle trunk. * it is legal to possess less than 5 ounces on one's person or less than 8 ounces in a locked glove box or vehicle truck is decriminalized. * a first offense of possessing more than 5 ounces on one's person or more than 8 ounces in one's locked glove box or locked vehicle trunk is decriminalized but a second offense is a class D Misdemeanor. *possession of cannabis paraphernalia is legalized. * odor of cannabis or burnt cannabis cannot be used as a basis to stop or search. *possession or suspected possession of up to 5 ounces of cannabis is no longer allowed as a basis to stop or search. * it is prohibited for state-legal cannabis possession or use from being grounds to revoke parole, special parole or probation except in certain circumstances. Sometime after July 1, 2021 the Department of Consumer Protection can authorize producers to also produce cannabis for adult use. Beginning October 1, 2021 medical marijuana patients who are least 18 can grow up to 3 mature and 3 immature cannabis plants in their homes. Beginning July 1, 2022 individuals can petition for erasure of prior convictions for possession, drug paraphernalia, and sale and manufacture of 4 or few ounces of cannabis. Beginning January 1, 2023 the new law provides for automatic erasure of convictions from January 1, 2000 through Sept 12, 2015 for possession of fewer than 4 ounces. The law provides for a number of protections to prevent underage use including making it an A Misdemeanor for a person who is 23 or older to give or sell cannabis to someone who is under 21 and makes it a class A Misdemeanor for a cannabis establishment to sell products to anyone under the age of 21. Possession of cannabis by individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 is a fine except that a second or subsequent charge of possession of 5 ounces or more of cannabis (or its equivalent) is a D Misdemeanor. Possession of cannabis by individuals under the age of 18 ranges from a written warning for a 1st offense; to a mandatory youth services referral for a 2nd offense and finally to an adjudication as a delinquent in juvenile court for a 3rd or subsequent offense. There is a 60 day loss of driver’s license for anyone under 21 convicted of possessing any amount of cannabis. Cannabis and hemp smoking is prohibited in any place that prohibits tobacco under the Clean Indoors Act. The law also bans smoking and e-cigarette use in the workplace regardless of the number of employees. Individuals with certain prior convictions are disqualified from owning a cannabis establishment. Most new licenses will be granted by lottery and at least 50% of the new license will be given to social equity applicants. Beginning July 1, 2023 60%-75% of the cannabis excise tax revenue will be directed to the Social Equity and Innovation Fund and can be used to promote social equity in relation to access to capital for business, funding workforce education and funding for community investments. To see a more full summary of the sweeping new law and its many provisions see the attached link: https://www.mpp.org/states/connecticut/summary-of-connecticuts-sb-1201-an-act-concerning-responsible-and-equitable-regulation-of-adult-use-cannabis/

Connecticut has moved forward it's Covid-19 vaccine timeline! Everyone over 45 will be eligible on Friday March 19 and all residents 16 and older will be eligible on April 5, 2021. This moves forward the eligibility for the younger group by more than a month. As of late last week Connecticut had administered more than 1.25 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. About one quarter of the state’s residents have now received at least one dose. More than half of residents aged 55 and older have received at least one dose.

Governor Lamont announced today that he has expanded the next phase of Coronavirus vaccines. The expanded group will include anyone over the age of 65 and anyone with a high risk health condition. The newly expanded Phase 1b will now include approximately 1.3 million Connecticut Residents. Eligibility within Phase 1b will be rolled out in waves. 

Governor Ned Lamont issued Executive Order 9N today. It increases the fine for businesses that fail to comply with the State's Covid -19 protocols from $500 to $10,000. The order takes effect at 12:01am Thanksgiving morning. 

On November 9, 2020 Governor Ned Lamont issued Executive Order 9L extending the expiration date of his previously issued coronavirus related Executive Orders. Specifically his Executive Orders issued on March 10, 2020 and September 1, 2020 have now been extended until February 9, 2021 unless they are terminated earlier. The orders were issued in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the public health and civil preparedness emergencies in Connecticut. Any individual section of any order that is scheduled to expire on any specific date will still expire on that specific date. Any municipal, agency or department order that has not yet expired shall remain in effect until February 9, 2021. All of the Covid-19 Executive Orders can be found at ct.gov/coronavirus