Connecticut legislators adjourned late Wednesday without passing a state budget or Governor Dannel Malloy's criminal justice bill.
But they planned to return, maybe as early as next week, to vote on a few key things.
Below are some notes on bills that passed, and bills that failed during this year's regular session of the Connecticut General Assembly.
Bills That Passed
Campus Police: The bill allows the state's regional community colleges to create special armed police forces. Officers would have to go through the same training that regular police do, and they'd be able to make arrests and be certified every three years. Four community colleges in the state already have certified officers on campus, but they don't carry firearms.
Medical Marijuana: Legislation allows minors with certain debilitating conditions to use Connecticut's medical marijuana program. The conditions include severe epilepsy and terminal illnesses, and treatment would require parental consent and the approval of two doctors.
Restraining Orders: The legislation requires people with temporary restraining orders against them to transfer their firearms to police or a firearms dealer within 24 hours after being served with the order. A judge could determine not to impose a formal restraining order, and return the firearms. The goal of the bill was said to be a common-sense way to reduce violence against women and children.
Opioid Abuse: First-time opioidprescriptions for adults are limited to seven-day dosages under a bill that combined ideas from more than 50 bills submitted this session to address opioid drug abuse. Subsequent prescriptions can be filled for longer periods. For minors, the law is more strict, limiting all opioid prescriptions, including subsequent refills, to seven days.
Retirement Accounts: The bill creates a new agency that will establish a Roth individual retirement savings account program for private sector workers whose employers have at least five employees. Workers would be automatically enrolled unless they opt out.
Animal Advocates: Under the bill, law school students or attorneys would be allowed to volunteer as legal advocates to assist in the prosecution of animal abuse cases.
Teacher Records: School boards will be required to provide information to other districts about whether a teacher applicant was disciplined for abuse, neglect, or sexual misconduct.
School Threats: The bill makes it a Class C felony, punishable by up to ten years in prison, for intending to cause the evacuation of a school or school grounds with a threat.
Handicapped Signs: The Department of Administrative Services isrequired to come up with regulations that will modernize the handicapped sign with a more active figure.
Bills That Failed
Tesla: The Senate failed to take up a bill that would have allowed electric car maker Tesla Motors to sell its vehicles directly to consumers, bypassing the state's franchise system.
Fantasy Sports: Despite being included in an early tax bill, lawmakers decided not to act on legislation that would authorize fantasy sports after Attorney General George Jepsen warned it could risk Connecticut's slot machine revenue-sharing agreement with the state's two federally recognized Indian tribes.
Gambling Study: A proposal to study the impact of allowing a third casino in Connecticut died in committee. Meanwhile, the two federally recognized tribes did not submit a proposal for legislation approval to open their proposed jointly owned, third casino to compete with the MGM Resorts International casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, saying they'll return with a site next year.
Weaponized Drones: A proposal creating a new class C felony for those who attach weapons to drones has failed for the second year in a row. While it passed in the House of Representatives, it didn't come up for a Senate vote.
Cecil's Law: The House of Representatives failed to vote on a bill that would ban the importing, possessing, offering for sale or transporting in Connecticut big game specimens, including certain elephants, lions, leopards and two rhinoceros species.
This report includes information from The Associated Press.
