Commissioner Andrew Mais of the Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) has announced a significant milestone for the state’s captive insurance sector in 2023. The sector experienced a remarkable 37% growth, marked by the addition of 10 new captive insurers, indicating a 22% increase, and an impressive 108% surge with 13 new cell risk-bearing entities. This achievement, resulting in a total of 78 net gain of captive entities, marks the fourth consecutive year of sustained net growth since 2020.
Connecticut’s approvals include the establishment of new insurers and the relocation of existing captive insurers to the state. The state has seen a notable increase in new businesses choosing Connecticut for their captive programs this year. These captive entities predominantly issue policies to cover risks retained by businesses, addressing challenges such as commercial auto liability, general liability, workers’ compensation, contractual liability, climate risk, business interruption, mechanical breakdown, employment practices liability, reputation risk, cyber-attacks, and other ESG risks.
Commissioner Mais attributes this growth to recent pro-captive legislations, increased staffing, internal support, and collaborations across the state. Connecticut continues to attract global captive insurers and service providers, solidifying its position as a premier domicile and reinforcing its title as the insurance capital of the world.
Fenhua Liu, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the CID Captive Insurance Division, affirms that under Commissioner Mais’s leadership, they will continue to employ a risk and principles-based approach, providing cost-efficient and flexible regulations to ensure the long-term success of captive insurers.
Connecticut has received prestigious awards, including being named Captive Domicile of the Year for 2022 and 2023 by Captive Review in the category of written premiums under $5 billion. The state has also been recognized as the fastest-growing captive domicile in Captive Review’s World Domicile Update for 2020, 2021, and 2022. Captive International honored Connecticut as the Domicile of the Year in 2022 and a top-three Domicile of the Year in 2021 and 2023. Fenhua Liu was featured on Captive Review’s Power 50 list in 2023, acknowledging her influential role in the captive insurance sector.
To further promote and celebrate these achievements, the Connecticut Insurance Department, in collaboration with various organizations, will host the inaugural Connecticut Captive Insurance Forum on April 16, 2024. This event aims to benefit all captive stakeholders through networking and educational opportunities.
On January 16, 2024, at 1:37 PM, the Westport Fire Department responded to a residential structure fire at 65 Compo Rd South. The incident occurred in the afternoon at approximately 1:30 PM, with first arriving units encountering moderate to heavy fire conditions on the second floor of a residential building comprising two living units. Firefighters deployed two hose lines, conducted victim searches, and successfully evacuated all human occupants. Unfortunately, one family pet was rescued, while another was found deceased in the building.
The Westport Fire Marshal’s Office initiated an investigation into the fire. Concurrently, the fire department was already responding to the area due to a large fallen tree across the road, causing power and utility lines to collapse and posing an additional hazard to the scene. As of the current report, there are no reported civilian or firefighter injuries. The building was declared uninhabitable, prompting the relocation of residents to stay with family. The Red Cross provided assistance to one resident for relocation. All fire units cleared the scene by 3:38 PM. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Norwalk Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance with identifying the pictured individual. The individual is a suspect in a robbery that occurred on January 15, 2024 in the parking lot of 5 Haviland Street. The suspect approached the victim armed with a handgun and demanded he hand over his personal items and vehicle. The victim complied and was not injured. The suspect fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. Anyone who recognizes the suspect or has any information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Taylor at 203-854-3183, or by email at Ltaylor@norwalkct.gov. Anonymous tips can be left at any of the following:
Norwalk Police Tip Line: 203-854-3111
Anonymous Internet tips can be sent to Norwalk Police website at: www.norwalkpd.com Anonymous text tips can be submitted by typing “NORWALKPD” into the text field, followed
In an announcement made today, Governor Ned Lamont disclosed the creation of the Connecticut Interagency Council on Homelessness, a panel comprising agency heads from his administration. This council will focus on fostering collaboration among various state agencies to enhance the state’s efforts in preventing and responding to homelessness. The leadership of the council will include key figures from state agencies responsible for housing and intervention support services, such as the Department of Housing, the Department of Social Services, and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Governor Lamont emphasized the importance of ensuring everyone has access to a safe and warm home, calling for a holistic approach that addresses factors contributing to homelessness. The council has been assigned three primary goals: strengthening existing programs, improving the effectiveness of the homelessness response system, and meeting housing demands. These objectives encompass refining health and human services, enhancing housing stability, and creating more affordable housing across the state.
Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno has been appointed as the chairperson of the council, with leaders from various state offices serving as members. Additionally, certain offices will contribute as ad hoc members to ensure comprehensive representation. Governor Lamont urges council members to amplify the voices of those directly impacted by homelessness and to establish an advisory committee for practitioners and advocates to provide ongoing feedback. The Office of the Governor will collaborate with the Connecticut General Assembly to address challenges and opportunities in a coordinated manner.
“Some of the oldest newspapers in the country, like the Hartford Courant, have closed their newsrooms, & it is a national tragedy, a painful and traumatic time, for reporters, editors, and their industry, and a deep danger for our democracy.” [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, delivered opening remarks at a hearing titled “Oversight of A.I.: The Future of Journalism.” “It is, in fact, a perfect storm. The result of increasing costs, declining revenue, and exploding disinformation. And a lot of the cause of this perfect storm is in fact technologies like Artificial Intelligence,” said Blumenthal in his opening remarks at the hearing. “It is literally eating away at the lifeblood of our democracy, which as we all know is essential to local jobs, local accountability, local awareness and knowledge…local reporting is truly the result of sweat and tears, and sometimes even blood of local reporters.” “The rise of Big Tech has been directly responsible for the decline in local news, and it is largely the cause of that perfect storm, accelerating and expanding the destruction of local reporting. First Meta, Google, and OpenAI are using the hard work of newspapers and authors to train their AI models without compensation or credit. Adding insult to injury, those models are then used to compete with newspapers and broadcast, cannibalizing readership and revenue from the journalistic institutions that generate the content in the first place,” Blumenthal said, citing a recent New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, along with deep concerns AI will directly replace journalists. “Our purpose here must be to determine how we can ensure that reporters and readers reap the benefits of AI and avoid the pitfalls,” emphasized Blumenthal. “We need to move more quickly than we did on social media, and learn from our mistakes, in the delay there.” Blumenthal pointed to potential standards Congress can build consensus around in this area, including licensing requirements, an AI framework similar to the bipartisan proposal by Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), clarifying that Section 230 does not apply to AI, and updating antitrust laws to stop Big Tech’s monopolistic practices in advertising as proposed by the AMERICA Act and the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act. Video of Blumenthal’s opening remarks can be found here. Video of Blumenthal’s witness questions and comments can be found here and here. The full transcript of Blumenthal’s opening statement is available below. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): I’m pleased to convene the subcommittee and welcome our witnesses, welcome everyone who has come to hear, and of course my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for a hearing that is critical to our democracy, critical to the future of journalism in the United States, because local reporting is the lifeblood of our democracy, and local reporting by newspapers and broadcast stations are in existential crisis. It is, in fact, a perfect storm. The result of increasing costs, declining revenue, and exploding disinformation. And a lot of the cause of this perfect storm is in fact technologies like Artificial Intelligence. Not new, not original for me to observe it. But it is literally eating away at the lifeblood of our democracy, which as we all know is essential to local jobs, local accountability, local awareness and knowledge. Everything from obituaries to the planning and zoning commission. And you can’t get it anywhere else. National news, you can buy by the yard, or by the word. But local reporting is truly the result of sweat and tears, and sometimes even blood of local reporters. What we are seeing, and it is a stark fact about American journalism in existential crisis, is the decline and potential death of local reporting as a result of that perfect storm. Local papers are closing at a staggering rate. One third of our newspapers have been lost in the last two decades. I don’t need to tell anyone here that some of the oldest newspapers in the country, like the Hartford Courant, have closed their newsrooms, and it is a national tragedy, a painful and traumatic time, for reporters, editors, and their industry, and a deep danger for our democracy. Hedge funds are buying those papers, not for the news they can communicate, but often for the real estate that they own. They are publishing weekly instead of daily, and they are buying out reporting staffs, sometimes firing them. Millions of Americans now live in a news desert, where there is no local paper, and that’s especially true for rural populations and communities of color, so there is an equity aspect to this challenge as well. For any of us on this panel, we know the importance of local news, but so should people who live in those communities. Because just as local police and fire services are the first responders, local reporters are often the first informers, and that information is no less important to them than fire and police service in the long term. The rise of Big Tech has been directly responsible for the decline in local news, and it is largely the cause of that perfect storm, accelerating and expanding the destruction of local reporting. First Meta, Google, and OpenAI are using the hard work of newspapers and authors to train their AI models without compensation or credit. Adding insult to injury, those models are then used to compete with newspapers and broadcast, cannibalizing readership and revenue from the journalistic institutions that generate the content in the first place. As the New York Times’ recent lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft shows, those AI models will even essentially plagiarize articles and directly permit readers to evade pay walls to access protected content free of charge. I realize that those claims and allegations are yet to be contended or concluded in court, but they are certainly more than plausible. Second, the models may also misidentify or misattribute statements about media-outlet content or endorsement of a product, and the result is more rampant misinformation and disinformation online and damage to the brand and credibility of those media outlets. And there are legitimate fears that AI will directly replace journalists. The experiments we have seen with fake reporters are a breach of trust. It is never a substitute for local reporters in local newsrooms, broadcasters, journalists who reflect their community and talk to their neighbors. So our purpose here must be to determine how we can ensure that reporters and readers reap the benefits of AI and avoid the pitfalls. That’s been one of the themes of our hearings. And another has been that we need to move more quickly than we did on social media, and learn from our mistakes, in the delay there. Once again, we need to learn from the mistakes of that failure to oversee social media and adopt standards, and I think there are some that maybe we can form a consensus around, just as Senator Hawley and I have on the framework that we have proposed. First on licensing, guaranteeing that newspapers and broadcasters are given credit financially and publicly for reporting and other content they provide. Second, on an AI framework such as we proposed, requiring transparency about the limits and use of AI models, including disclosures when copyrighted material is used, as provided for in our framework now, but we may need to expand on it and make it more explicit. Third, on Section 230, clarifying that Section 230 does not apply to AI, again as Senator Hawley and I have proposed in our legislation, to create the right incentives for companies to develop trustworthy products. And finally, — not really finally, but fourth — updating our antitrust laws to stop Big Tech’s monopolistic business practices in advertising that undercut newspapers. And I want to thank my colleagues Senator Klobuchar and Senator Lee for their work on legislation that I have joined as a cosponsor. We are fortunate to have an extraordinary panel today. I want to thank all of you for being here. And now, turn to the Ranking Member for his comment.
On January 09, 2024, at approximately 7:00PM, the Bridgeport Emergency Operations Center received a call for a motor vehicle accident involving a male pedestrian. The collision occurred at the intersection of Beechmont Avenue and Springdale Street. The pedestrian was struck by a 2011 gray Nissan Altima 2.5 traveling southbound on Beechmont Avenue. The victim was in the roadway walking southbound on Beechmont Avenue. American Medical Response, the Bridgeport Fire Department and Bridgeport Police all responded to this intersection to investigate the accident and render aid.
The victim was transported to Saint Vincent’s Hospital for serious injuries sustained at the scene.
The female operator of the striking vehicle remained on scene and cooperated with police. The male passenger was arrested on scene for an unrelated criminal charge.
This accident is currently being investigated by Bridgeport Police Department Traffic Officer T. Gallbronner. I am asking anyone with information pertaining to this accident to contact the Traffic Division immediately at (203) 576-7640 or the Bridgeport Police Tips Hotline at 203-576-TIPS. Officer Gallbronner can also be reached by email at Thomas.Gallbronner@bridgeportct.gov.
WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Wednesday led 28 of his Senate colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy requesting information about the company’s Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program and its efforts to avoid legal liability for the persistent mistreatment of DSP drivers. The senators are also seeking information regarding Amazon’s justification for refusing to bargain with union representatives of DSP employees and requiring DPSs to sign non-poaching agreements.
“Amazon’s freight truck drivers haul a variety of goods across highways every day, and their branded delivery vehicles are a virtually unavoidable feature in neighborhoods all over the country. Though nearly all Americans are familiar with and reliant on the services of Amazon- branded vehicles – which are operated by drivers in Amazon-branded vests who exclusively deliver packages with big, bold Amazon labels – few realize that Amazon refuses to acknowledge the workers who operate these vehicles as its legal employees,” the senators wrote.
The senators detailed the dangerous working conditions of DSP drivers: “An overwhelming body of reporting suggests this system of control without responsibility exacts an awful toll on drivers. Drivers have been made to work in extreme heat without air conditioning, forced to make deliveries in the snow without proper safety equipment like snow tires or chains, and are often pressured to skip breaks. In some instances, drivers have been forced to work for nearly twelve hours without access to a restroom. In 2021, researchers used publicly disclosed OSHA 300A summary data to estimate that DSP drivers were injured at a rate of 18.3 injuries per 100 workers in 2021. In other words, nearly one in five drivers was injured on the job. This represented a shocking 38% increase over the 2020 injury rate.
“Amazon is also facing numerous allegations of flagrant violations of the National Labor Relations Act, including refusal to recognize and bargain with workers who recently voted to unionize with the Teamsters, holding captive audience meetings to stifle worker organizing efforts, reducing DSP routes in response to union activity, and terminating DSP employees in retaliation for union organizing and other protected activities,” the senators added.
U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Maizie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) Tina Smith (D-Minn.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also signed the letter.
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
Dear Mr. Jassy,
We write to express concerns regarding reports that Amazon inflicts persistent mistreatment on its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) drivers and to request further information regarding Amazon’s DSP program.
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Sanders recently launched an investigation into “the abysmal safety record in Amazon’s warehouses and the company’s treatment of workers who are injured in those warehouses.” In response to a growing body of public reporting, expert analyses, and constituent concerns shared with our offices, we are conducting a similar but distinct oversight inquiry into Amazon’s DSP program.
Amazon’s freight truck drivers haul a variety of goods across highways every day, and their branded delivery vehicles are a virtually unavoidable feature in neighborhoods all over the country. Though nearly all Americans are familiar with and reliant on the services of Amazon- branded vehicles – which are operated by drivers in Amazon-branded vests who exclusively deliver packages with big, bold Amazon labels – few realize that Amazon refuses to acknowledge the workers who operate these vehicles as its legal employees.
Even though Amazon reportedly exercises near-total control over the wages and working conditions of its delivery drivers, it appears to avoid legal liability through a network of delivery service partners – supposedly independent businesses that contract with Amazon. On paper, Amazon claims that these DSPs are the real employers of its delivery drivers. But as has been reported, DSPs have little discretion over key aspects of their businesses, which means that Amazon may be required to shoulder legal responsibility as an employer of DSP drivers.
An overwhelming body of reporting suggests this system of control without responsibility exacts an awful toll on drivers. Drivers have been made to work in extreme heat without air conditioning, forced to make deliveries in the snow without proper safety equipment like snow tires or chains, and are often pressured to skip breaks. In some instances, drivers have been forced to work for nearly twelve hours without access to a restroom. In 2021, researchers used publicly disclosed OSHA 300A summary data to estimate that DSP drivers were injured at a rate of 18.3 injuries per 100 workers in 2021. In other words, nearly one in five drivers was injured on the job. This represented a shocking 38% increase over the 2020 injury rate.
Over the last few years, reports of unsafe and unfair working conditions have demonstrated that widespread safety and labor violations appear to be a feature, not a bug, of the DSP program. As a result, Amazon drivers and dispatchers have picketed 25 Amazon warehouses across nine states over the past several months, including Connecticut, California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.
Amazon is also facing numerous allegations of flagrant violations of the National Labor Relations Act, including refusal to recognize and bargain with workers who recently voted to unionize with the Teamsters, holding captive audience meetings to stifle worker organizing efforts, reducing DSP routes in response to union activity, and terminating DSP employees in retaliation for union organizing and other protected activities.
In addition to being dangerous for workers, the structure of Amazon’s DSP program may help Amazon escape regulatory scrutiny. The DSP program is a highly fragmented, captive business model, characterized by its use of leased vans and other vehicles under 10,000 pounds. Because these vehicles are not subject to certain commercial vehicle regulations, it is nearly impossible to conduct oversight or regulatory efforts to analyze and understand the full universe of DSP operations. And while Amazon reportedly contracts with a workforce that is nearly as large as the U.S. Postal Service, there is no clear reporting requirement that would enable regulators to effectively identify all DSPs.
Clearly, further Senate oversight of Amazon’s DSP program is overdue. In furtherance of this inquiry, we request answers to the following questions by February 10, 2024:
What is Amazon management’s justification for insisting it is not obligated to bargain with union representatives of DSP employees, given the control Amazon wields over the terms and conditions of DSP employees, such as their wages, working conditions, routes, and hours of availability?
What is the justification for Amazon’s requirement that several DSPs sign non-poaching agreements, in light of the company’s claim that it does not control the working conditions of its DSP’s employees?
Under what circumstances might an Amazon DSP possess a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number and be subject to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) inspection? Under what circumstances might an Amazon DSP operate under an Amazon DOT number?
If DSPs are indeed independent entities, are DSPs permitted to work with Amazon’s direct package delivery competitors? Why, or why not? If so, what percentage of current DSPs work directly with Amazon’s competitors?
Is Amazon responsible for the provision and maintenance of DSP vehicles and other safety and health conditions at its DSPs? If so, what is Amazon’s process for ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations?
On average, at what percentage or dollar amount does Amazon subsidize the costs of vehicles and equipment for DSPs? What additional details can you provide as to the vehicle and operations financing model Amazon offers to prospective DSPs?
Does Amazon limit the number of delivery stations a DSP may operate out of or restrict how much DSPs can scale operations within the Amazon network?
What companies has Amazon contracted with as a part of its DSP program? Where are these companies operating their DSP programs?
Does Amazon have a standard lease agreement that DSP companies must sign to receive vehicle fleets? Please provide a copy of the standard lease agreement or copies of your 10 most recently entered lease agreements.
Does Amazon possess copies of OSHA 300A and OSHA 300 filings for all currently active DSP companies for the past 3 years (2020-2023)? If so, please provide this information. If no, please explain why Amazon does not collect this information.
What is the DSP turnover rate, and how many DSPs have stopped participating in the DSP program since 2018? Please provide this information by calendar year.
Does Amazon collect data on the automobile crash rates involving DSPs over the last 10 years (2013-2023)? If so, please provide this information. If not, please explain why Amazon does not collect this information.
We look forward to your prompt attention to this request.
On December 22, 2023, at around 11:00 pm, Bridgeport Police Officers swiftly responded to a report of a shooting in the 100 block of Dekalb Avenue. Upon arrival, the officers located the victim, a 21-year-old Naugatuck man, who had sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound (a graze) to the head. The victim was promptly transported to a nearby hospital by AMR Ambulance for medical treatment. The Detective Bureau assumed control of the investigation, conducting a thorough examination of the scene, collecting evidence, and conducting interviews. It was determined that the victim, seated in a parked car with friends from the Dekalb Avenue neighborhood, was shot. Despite the frightening incident, the victim and his friends managed to seek refuge inside a residence on Dekalb Avenue, from where they contacted the police. Authorities believe this to be an isolated occurrence and encourage anyone with information to reach out to Detective Kenneth McKenna, the case officer, at 203-581-5245 or use the Bridgeport Police Tips Line at 203-576-TIPS.
Governor Ned Lamont has announced the implementation of three significant tax relief measures in Connecticut at the beginning of 2024. These measures, stemming from the fiscal year 2024-2025 state budget, include the largest income tax reduction in state history, an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income workers, and an expansion of exemptions on certain pension and annuity earnings to benefit seniors. The total tax reduction is estimated at approximately $460.3 million, reflecting the state’s commitment to providing relief to middle-income workers, low-income workers, and seniors. Governor Lamont attributes these tax cuts to the fiscal discipline implemented over the past five years, stabilizing the state’s fiscal situation and ending years of deficits.
Starting January 1, 2024, Connecticut’s income tax rates will decrease, marking the first rate reduction in the state since the mid-1990s. The reduction targets middle-class tax filers, capping benefits at $150,000 for single filers and $300,000 for joint filers, and is estimated to benefit over one million tax filers. Additionally, the EITC for low-income workers will increase from 30.5% to 40% of the federal EITC, providing an additional $44.6 million in state tax credits to around 211,000 low-income filers. The third measure involves an expansion of deductions for certain IRA distributions and pension and annuity earnings for seniors, benefiting approximately 300,000 filers.
Governor Lamont emphasizes that these tax relief measures are made possible by prudent financial management, and the state’s fiscal guardrails are expected to ensure revenue growth surpasses fixed costs for the coming years. The changes align with Connecticut’s commitment to creating a more equitable tax structure, providing meaningful relief to a broad spectrum of taxpayers.
The Stratford Library Reference Department and its Knit Wits program present a Yarn Swap on Saturday, January 27 (2024) at 11 am. The program is free and open to the public. One crafter’s unwanted yarn is another’s inspiration. Do you have a yarn stash that is languishing, unused and unappreciated? Crafters are invited to bring their unwanted yarn to the Library’s first-ever Yarn Swap. Participants should package their yarn in clear bags and be ready to negotiate with fellow yarn lovers. Tables will be available to set-up and display yarns and crafters can also bring knitting accessories (books, needles, project bags) which need to be in good and clean condition. Attendees are also encouraged to stay and knit. Light refreshments will be available. The Yarn Swap will be held in the Stratford Library Lovell Room from 11 am – 2 pm on January 27. Due to limited space, registration is required by calling the Stratford Library at 203.385.4164 or online at: https://stratfordlibrary.libcal.com/event/11364456.
