Author: Alex

Executive Order Requires Application Fees Be Refunded if Licenses, Certificates, and Permits Are Not Processed by Certain Deadlines

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed an executive order (Executive Order No. 26-1) to improve the processes and response times Connecticut residents and businesses face when applying for and renewing state licenses, certifications, and permits, with the goal of making it easier and faster to interact and complete such transactions with state government.

The executive order sets up a process that will ultimately enable residents and businesses to have their application fees refunded if their application has not been processed by certain, prescribed deadlines. It also implements a review of existing digital services that residents and businesses use to apply for licenses, certificates, and businesses, and directs state agencies to determine which license, certification, and permit processes could benefit from additional technological resources, including online applications.

The initiative is part of Governor Lamont’s ongoing commitment to make it easier and faster to interact with Connecticut state government and improve how government operates.

“Since our administration began, we’ve made significant progress in bringing more state government transactions online, improving processing times, and eliminating backlogs, and I want us to take another step forward in making these services work faster and be even easier to navigate,” Governor Lamont said. “Connecticut residents deserve a state government that is as responsive as possible. With this order, we are going to set specific standards that will let Connecticut residents and businesses know how long it will take for agencies to process their applications, and if that is not met they will get their money back.”

Specifically, the executive order requires all state agencies under Governor Lamont’s authority to compile and submit to his office within a specific period a report containing a list of all licenses, certifications, and permits issued by the agencies and a summary of what they are and how applications are accepted (e.g. paper, email, web portal, or other). Among other information, the reports must also contain data on how many applications are received annually and how long on average it takes to process them. Additionally, agencies must propose a maximum number of days for applications to be completed for each individual license, permit, and certification.

Following receipt of the agency reports, the executive order requires the Office of the Governor to publish a list setting deadlines that each license, certification, and permit must be approved or denied. After publication of that list, if an agency has not completed processing applications within the designated amount of time required for each respective license, certification, and permit, applicants may request a refund of the application fee from the agency.

The executive order was modeled after a recent, successful initiative launched in Pennsylvania under the leadership of Governor Josh Shapiro. That initiative has been recognized nationally for its success in improving government efficiencies and the delivery of digital services.

Since taking office, the Lamont administration has implemented numerous initiatives to reduce wait times and streamline state government transactions and bring them online. This includes the launch of several one-stop-shop portals – including business.ct.gov, jobs.ct.gov, and health.ct.gov – and the launch of online services at several state agencies for transactions that previously required in-person visits and paper forms.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the below statement following the release of two reports by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) efforts to implement reforms aimed at addressing sexual misconduct:

“I am deeply disappointed that USCG has dropped the ball on basic reporting requirements that would provide transparency about sexual misconduct in the Coast Guard. GAO’s findings reveal that the Coast Guard’s culture of coverup—exposed by my PSI investigation—continues to this day. While the Coast Guard has taken some steps to support survivors, it is clear more work needs to be done to adequately protect cadets and Coasties.”

In September 2023, as then-Chair of PSI, Blumenthal initiated an inquiry into the Coast Guard’s failure to disclose Operation Fouled Anchor, an internal Coast Guard investigation into the decades-long systemic mishandling of sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy.

In December 2024, Blumenthal released a bipartisan interim staff report on the Coast Guard’s efforts to conceal Operation Fouled Anchor. The report, Coast Guard Efforts to Conceal the Operation Fouled Anchor Investigation from Congress and the Public, includes several newly released documents, among which is an email explaining that then-Commandant Admiral Schultz chose not to affirmatively disclose Operation Fouled Anchor to either Congress or the public based on the continuing nature of the investigation.

In the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2026, Blumenthal championed numerous provisions to protect survivors of misconduct and hold perpetrators and those who enabled them accountable. At the request of Blumenthal, the following provisions were included in the NDAA for FY26:

• Requiring the Coast Guard to maintain, for at least 50 years, evidence of sexual misconduct and sexual assault reporting forms, as well as affirming survivors’ rights to access records related to their investigations;
• Requiring a record of a complaint of misconduct to be placed in the non-restricted record of any service member who was convicted by courts martial, punished administratively, or a recipient of non-judicial punishment for the misconduct, regardless of grade;
• Permits a Board of Review to review and downgrade the discharge status of anyone who was found by clear and convincing evidence to have committed sexual assault or harassment while on active duty;
• Permits reopening of retired grade determinations for members who knew of and failed to report misconduct in their command or who failed to carry out applicable law; and
• Requires the Coast Guard to annually report instances of misconduct at the Academy and detail plans to reduce and prevent such misconduct for the next year.