Category: State News

Jim Himes reports that he has been in constant communication with the Fourth District’s small business and non-profit communities during this uncertain time. Congress’ aggressive and escalating response to the crisis – embodied in the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and the CARES Act – demonstrates the seriousness with which we take this threat to our local communities. These economic relief packages can help small businesses, certain non-profits, and other employers survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Please review the information below and attached to this email that the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship and I compiled to assist you and organizations in the Fourth District.

Payment Protection Program (PPP) Loans

The program provides cash-flow assistance through 100 percent federally guaranteed loans to employers who maintain their payroll during this emergency. If employers maintain their payroll, the government would forgive the loans. PPP provides forgiveness of up to 8 weeks of payroll based on employee retention and salary levels, no SBA fees, and at least six months of deferral with maximum deferrals of up to a year. Small businesses and other eligible entities will be able to apply if COVID-19 harmed them between February 15, 2020, and June 30, 2020. This program is retroactive to February 15, 2020, in order to help bring workers who may have already been laid off back onto payrolls.

This Friday, April 3, 2020, small businesses (including non-profits) and sole proprietorships can apply. Independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply starting on Friday, April 10, 2020. Loans are available through June 30, 2020.

Small Business Debt Relief Program

This program will provide immediate relief to small businesses with non-disaster SBA loans, in particular 7(a), 504, and microloans. Under it, SBA will cover all loan payments on these SBA loans, including principal, interest, and fees, for six months. This relief will also be available to new borrowers who take out loans within six months of the CARES Act’s enactment.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans & Emergency Economic Injury Grants

These grants provide an emergency advance of up to $10,000 to small businesses and private non-profits harmed by COVID-19 within three days of applying for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). To access the advance, you must first apply for an EIDL and then request the advance. The advance does not need to be repaid under any circumstance and may be used to keep employees on payroll, to pay for sick leave, meet increased production costs due to supply chain disruptions or pay business obligations, including debts, rent, and mortgage payments.

SharedWork Program

The program allows employers to reduce the hours of full-time employees by as much as 60 percent, while their workers collect partial unemployment benefits to replace a portion of their lost wages. All employers with two or more full-time or permanent part-time employees can participate in the program, which is not designed for seasonal separations. To qualify, the business’ reduction of work cannot be less than 10 percent or more than 60 percent.

Refundable Tax Credits for Paid Leave Obligations

As required under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance on the government’s plan to provide tax credits for eligible small and midsize businesses that offer paid leave for workers.

Employee Retention Credit

The credit is not available to employers receiving assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program.

This provision of the CARES Act provides a refundable payroll tax credit for 50 percent of wages paid by eligible employers to certain employees during the COVID-19 crisis. The credit is available to employers, including non-profits, whose operations have been fully or partially suspended as a result of a government order limiting commerce, travel or group meetings. The credit is also provided to employers who have experienced a greater than 50 percent reduction in quarterly receipts, measured on a year-over-year basis. This Employee Retention Credit applies to qualified wages paid after March 12, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. The maximum amount of qualified wages taken into account with respect to each employee for all calendar quarters is $10,000, so that the maximum credit for an Eligible Employer for qualified wages paid to any employee is $5,000.

Delay of Payment of Employer Payroll Taxes

Deferral is not provided to employers receiving assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program. 

This provision would allow taxpayers to defer paying the employer portion of certain payroll taxes through the end of 2020, with all 2020 deferred amounts due in two equal installments, one at the end of 2021, the other at the end of 2022. Payroll taxes that can be deferred include the employer portion of FICA taxes, the employer and employee representative portion of Railroad Retirement taxes (that are attributable to the employer FICA rate), and half of SECA tax liability.

Counseling & Guidance

Many small business owners need a business counselor to navigate the various resources available to them. Local resource partners include the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Women’s Business Center (WBC), or SCORE mentorship chapter. Find one of these local resource partner’s through the SBA

. Other community resources to turn to include the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development , Fairfield County Community Foundation, and the Connecticut Business & Industry Association

Call my Bridgeport District Office at (203) 333-6600 or contact me through my website  if you have any questions about these resources or need help getting in touch with the Small Business Administration , IRS, or any related federal agency.

This press release was made possible by:

#WASHINGTON—In response to the United Nations’ $2 billion emergency appeal last week to help fight COVID-19, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Wednesday led 16 Senate Democrats

in urging the State Department to join the international community in funding international humanitarian assistance and protect the more than 70 million displaced people globally. Specifically, the senators urged United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to contribute at least $500 million to the United Nation’s interagency emergency appeal issued last week to fight COVID-19 around the world. Murphy issued

a similar call last week when the United Nations announced its appeal.

“While all countries are struggling to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19, areas with existing humanitarian crises are particularly vulnerable and ill-equipped to tackle this global pandemic. Internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees, and asylum seekers often come from war-torn, fragile, and poor countries with little to no health care systems in place: a toxic combination that will make the scourge of COVID-19 particularly deadly,” the senators wrote.

The senators continued: “The COVID-19 epidemic has devastated some of the world’s best healthcare systems, and will surely wreak havoc on displaced people who are already living at a disadvantage. We urge you to join the international community in answering the call from the United Nations by contributing at least $500 million toward this lifesaving $2 billion appeal.”

Others who joined Murphy in this effort include U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).

A full text of the letter  can be found here and below.

This press release is made possible by:

HARTFORD, CT) – As the State of Connecticut continues taking actions in response to the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Governor Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2020:

Data updates on testing in Connecticut

Since yesterday’s update, an additional 557 Connecticut residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 3,128. To date, more than 15,600 tests have been conducted in Connecticut among both state and private laboratories. Approximately 608 patients have been hospitalized. The total statewide total number of fatalities is 69.

In addition to the deaths related to COVID-19 that have been reported to the Department of Public Health (DPH), this update contains information on the number of deaths that have been reported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). Today, the OCME provided information on 14 additional COVID-19 related deaths that occurred during March 17 to 29. There were 16 COVID-19 related deaths on March 30, and 3 on March 31. Moving forward, deaths reported to the either the OCME or DPH will be included in the daily COVID-19 update. All data in this report are preliminary; data for previous dates will be updated as new reports are received and data errors are corrected. Hospitalization data were collected by the Connecticut Hospital Association.

A county-by-county breakdown includes:

For several additional charts and tables containing more data groups, including a town-by-town breakdown of positive cases in each municipality and a breakdown of cases and deaths among age groups, visit ct.gov/coronavirus

Governor Lamont signs 19^th executive order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

Governor Lamont today signed another executive order – the 19^th since he enacted the emergency declarations  – that builds upon his efforts to encourage mitigation strategies that slow down transmission of the virus.

Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 7R  enacts the following provisions:

·       Continuation of funding for boards of education: The order requires the Connecticut State Department of Education to continue processing appropriated state grant funds intended to support boards of education through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, including ECS grants, payments for special education, and Choice programming. It also requires municipalities to continue providing funding to local boards of education as set forth in the approved annual school budgets.

·       Continuation of payment of public school staff: The order requires school districts to continue to employ, or restore to employment if already laid off, and pay school staff who are directly employed by the local or regional boards of education.

·       Preservation of student transportation services and special education providers: The order requires local boards of education and municipalities to negotiate amendments to contracts related to student transportation and special education services with the goal of continuing to make payments to transportation and special education providers so they may compensate their active employees, sustain the continuity of service when school resumes, and require the contracted company to attest and provide reasonable documentation of the fact that it is charging only the actual and reasonable cost of sustaining wage and health insurance payments for active employees and fleet.

·       Restrictions on entrance to state parks, forests, and other lands: In light of significant visitors to certain state parks in recent days, the order gives the commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection the authorization to ban visitors from entering state parks and other lands under the agency’s control after the property has reached a capacity adequate to supporting implementation of social distancing policies to limit the spread of COVID-19.

·       Curbside pickup of alcoholic beverages permitted: The order authorizes package stores and grocery stores to permit the sale of curbside pickup of all alcoholic beverages allowed by their permit type in any space adjacent to their permit premise and during the days and hours allowed for legal sale.

Connecticut National Guard deploys federal mobile medical station at Southern Connecticut State University

The Connecticut National Guard today activated 150 personnel to the campus of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven to help with staging and unloading a mobile medical station provided to the state by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Guard’s mission deploying the station on the campus will continue Wednesday.

Governor Lamont reaches agreement with banks and credit unions to provide mortgage payment relief

Governor Lamont  announced that his administration has reached an agreement with over credit unions and banks in Connecticut to offer mortgage relief to the state’s residents and businesses who continue to face hardship caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Under the agreement, the following relief policies are being offered by participating financial institutions:

·       90-day grace period for all mortgage payments: Participating financial institutions are now offering mortgage-payment forbearances of up to 90 days, which will allow homeowners to reduce or delay monthly mortgage payments. In addition, the institutions will:

o   Provide a streamlined process for requesting forbearance for COVID-19-related reasons, supported with available documentation;

o   Confirm approval and terms of forbearance program; and

o   Provide the opportunity to extend forbearance agreements if faced with continued hardship resulting from COVID-19.

·       Relief from fees and charges for 90 days: For at least 90 days, participating financial institutions will waive or refund mortgage-related late fees and other fees including early CD withdrawals.

·       No new foreclosures for 60 days: Financial institutions will not start any foreclosure sales or evictions.

·       No credit score changes for accessing relief: For those taking advantage of this COVID-19-related relief, late or missed payments will not be shared with credit reporting agencies.

The agreement, which was negotiated on behalf of the Lamont administration by Commissioner Jorge Perez at the Connecticut Department of Banking, builds upon similar initiatives that have been enacted in recent days in California and New Jersey, and has been endorsed by the Connecticut Bankers Association and the Credit Union League of Connecticut. More than 50 credit unions and banks statewide are participating, including Webster Bank, American Eagle Financial Credit Union, Liberty Bank, Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, Bank of America, Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union, and Peoples United Bank. Additional financial institutions are expected to join the initiative in the coming days. The Department of Banking will maintain updated list of participating institutions on its website

“This agreement with our financial institutions will allow Connecticut residents to obtain some relief as this public health emergency has had an impact on thousands of people in our state,” Governor Lamont said. “I thank each of these financial institutions that will provide this relief and applaud their participation in this agreement. The way we are going to get through this crisis is by working together, and this is an example of how we are going to get that done.”

For more information, read the press release issued today by Governor Lamont

Office of Health Strategy further streamlines approval process for additional hospital beds

To further streamline the approval process for additional hospital beds to accommodate a growing number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients, the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) today released revised guidance and is now including outpatient surgical facilities among those required to simply complete a notification form, rather than apply for a Certificate of Need (CON) waiver. The intent is to accelerate the implementation of emergency planning to address the COVID-19 crisis, approve expanded facilities to meet urgent demand, and still provide OHS a mechanism to track changes. OHS is providing the state’s hospitals and outpatient surgical facilities with a revised form to submit to the agency when seeking to perform these actions.

As before, once the state’s public health emergency is lifted, all temporary approvals will be rescinded and the full statutory, CON process will be restored.

Providing information to Connecticut residents

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ and other guidance and resources, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can also call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance and TDD/TTY access. It intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider.

This press release is made possible by:

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration has reached an agreement with over 50 credit unions and banks in Connecticut to offer mortgage relief to the state’s residents and businesses who continue to face hardship caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Under the agreement, the following relief policies are being offered by participating financial institutions:

·       90-day grace period for all mortgage payments: Participating financial institutions are now offering mortgage-payment forbearances of up to 90 days, which will allow homeowners to reduce or delay monthly mortgage payments. In addition, the institutions will:

o   Provide a streamlined process for requesting forbearance for COVID-19-related reasons, supported with available documentation;

o   Confirm approval and terms of forbearance program; and

o   Provide the opportunity to extend forbearance agreements if faced with continued hardship resulting from COVID-19.

·       Relief from fees and charges for 90 days: For at least 90 days, participating financial institutions will waive or refund mortgage-related late fees and other fees including early CD withdrawals.

·       No new foreclosures for 60 days: Financial institutions will not start any foreclosure sales or evictions.

·       No credit score changes for accessing relief: For those taking advantage of this COVID-19-related relief, late or missed payments will not be shared with credit reporting agencies.

The agreement, which was negotiated on behalf of the Lamont administration by Commissioner Jorge Perez at the Connecticut Department of Banking, builds upon similar initiatives that have been enacted in recent days in California and New Jersey, and has been endorsed by the Connecticut Bankers Association and the Credit Union League of Connecticut. More than 50 credit unions and banks statewide are participating, including Webster Bank, American Eagle Financial Credit Union, Liberty Bank, Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, Bank of America, Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union, and Peoples United Bank. Additional financial institutions are expected to join the initiative in the coming days. The Department of Banking will maintain updated list of participating institutions on its website

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“This agreement with our financial institutions will allow Connecticut residents to obtain some relief as this public health emergency has had an impact on thousands of people in our state,” Governor Lamont said. “I thank each of these financial institutions that will provide this relief and applaud their participation in this agreement. The way we are going to get through this crisis is by working together, and this is an example of how we are going to get that done.”

The Department of Banking, along with the state’s banks and credit unions, is reminding residents that their money remains safe during the COVID-19 crisis and protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). No deposits have ever been lost under the protection of the FDIC and NCUA.

“This is a time when we need our entire financial services industry to come together to work tirelessly for the people of Connecticut, which is why I have asked the banks and credit unions to join forces and present one united approach which tells all of Connecticut, ‘We are in this together,’” Commissioner Perez said. “I am pleased to see that these efforts are well underway and that they are helping Connecticut residents work through this challenge.”

Leadership at Connecticut’s credit unions and banks said that they are flexibly meeting member and customer needs everyday on a case-by-case basis in a number of ways that may include fee waivers, access to short-term loans, loan deferrals and uninterrupted access to digital services, even though some credit unions and banks have temporarily limited physical access to their lobbies.

Bruce Adams, president and CEO of the Credit Union League of Connecticut, said, “We view ourselves as the financial first responders in this crisis, and I applaud Governor Lamont and Commissioner Perez for their leadership in partnering with us to provide even more financial solutions for the people of Connecticut.”

Tom Mongellow, president and CEO of the Connecticut Bankers Association, said, “Connecticut banks and credit unions are open for business, and statewide we have quickly and voluntarily responded to Governor Lamont’s and Commissioner Perez’s directives. Our financial institutions continue to ensure the financial well-being of the people and businesses they serve across the state, while protecting the health of their team members and customers.”

Adams and Mongellow are stressing that customers with loans should stay in close contact with their financial institution to identify their particular needs and work on customized solutions. They are also reminding customers that measures to protect people’s health and safety continue to be available:

·       Drive-through services are available at numerous branches;

·       Individual appointments for in-person meetings are available at many financial institutions;

·       Call centers employees stand ready to assist customers and members;

·       Technology platforms give ready access to online services like bill pay, transfers, remote depositing of checks and ATMs for cash needs; and

·       People can use mobile payment channels and debit cards or credit cards to make purchases.

This press release is made possible by:

WETHERSFIELD, CT) – The Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Sibongile Magubane – acting under the authority of a recent Executive Order signed by Governor Ned Lamont – approved the request from Connecticut licensed driving schools to provide online classroom training to their students.

“In the face of this unprecedented health crisis and at a time when social distancing is so important, we want to help businesses regulated by DMV to continue to operate, as well as assist driving school students with continuing their education on the path to getting a driver’s license,” Commissioner Magubane said. 

Driving schools were notified yesterday of the Commissioner’s approval. The approval is effective immediately and until further notice.

For answers to questions, updates, or more information about other DMV services, please visit https://ctdmv.info

HARTFORD, CT) – As the State of Connecticut continues taking actions in response to the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Governor Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, 2020:

Data updates on testing in Connecticut

Since yesterday’s update, an additional 469 Connecticut residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,993. To date, more than 11,900 tests have been conducted in Connecticut among both state and private laboratories. Approximately 404 people have been hospitalized. There has been another fatality due to complications of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total number of fatalities to 34 (21 in Fairfield County, 6 in New Haven County, 4 in Tolland County, 2 in Hartford County, and 1 in Middlesex County).

It should be noted that the increase in hospitalizations reflected in today’s report reflects a change to provide the most up-to-date information from the Connecticut Hospital Association. The distribution by county is based on where hospitals are located, not where patients reside.

A county-by-county breakdown includes:

For several additional charts and tables containing more data groups, including a town-by-town breakdown of positive cases in each municipality and a breakdown of cases and deaths among age groups, visit ct.gov/coronavirus

Major disaster declaration approved for Connecticut

 Governor Lamont’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration for the State of Connecticut in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was approved today, unlocking additional federal assistance programs for the state.

 Today’s approval is for public assistance, meaning that impacted state agencies and municipalities in all eight counties will be reimbursed for 75 percent of the costs associated with their response and emergency protective measures. The governor’s other request for disaster assistance, including individual assistance that could provide Connecticut residents with a number of critical benefits, such as expanded unemployment assistance, food benefits, and child care assistance, remains under review by the White House.

 For more information, read the press release Governor Lamont issued today

U.S. Senator Blumenthal (D-Conn.) posted the following Tweet regarding President Trump’s travel advisory for Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey:

Erratic. Impulsive. Dangerous. 180 degree flip flop in less than 8 hours. Now no quarantine. Less talk, more action, Mr President. We still lack ventilators, masks, tests, & other medical supplies.

This press release was made possible by:

GOVERNOR LAMONT PROVIDES UPDATE ON CONNECTICUT’S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE EFFORTS

Latest Data as of 9:00PM on Thursday, March 26, 2020

(HARTFORD, CT) – As the State of Connecticut continues taking actions in response to the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Governor Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2020:

Data updated on testing in Connecticut

Since yesterday’s update, an additional 137 Connecticut residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,012. To date, more than 6,500 tests have been conducted in Connecticut among both state and private laboratories. Approximately 125 people have been hospitalized and there have been another 2 fatalities, bringing the total number of fatalities due to complications of COVID-19 to 21 (13 in Fairfield County, 3 in Tolland County, 2 in Hartford County, 2 in New Haven County, and 1 in Middlesex County).

A county-by-county breakdown includes:

For several additional charts and tables containing more data groups, including a town-by-town breakdown of positive cases in each municipality and a breakdown of cases and deaths among age groups, visit ct.gov/coronavirus

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Governor Lamont signs fifteenth executive order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

Governor Lamont today signed another executive order – the fifteenth since he enacted the emergency declarations

– that builds upon his efforts to encourage mitigation strategies that slow down the transmission of the virus.

Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 7N

enacts the following provisions:

·       Restricts all social and recreational gatherings to no more than five people: The order modifies the governor’s earlier executive order placing limits on the amount of people who can participate in social and recreational gatherings and reduces that number to no more than five people, through at least April 30, 2020, unless otherwise modified. This order includes, but is not limited to, community, civic, leisure, or sporting events; parades; concerns; festivals; plays or live performances; conventions and similar activities; except that religious, spiritual, or worship gatherings will remain subject only to the prohibition of 50 persons or more. This does not apply to government operations, private workplaces, retail establishments, or other activities that are not social or recreational gatherings.

·       Restricts restaurant payment and pickup operations: Where reasonably practicable, the order requires restaurants, eating establishments, and any bars that remain open for sales of food for off-premise consumption to limit the entrance of customers or third party delivery personnel into their locations to the minimum extent necessary to pick up and/or pay for orders, use touchless payment systems, and require remote ordering and payment. The order does not require businesses to acquire or use ordering or payment technology that they do not already have, doesn’t prohibit drive-through ordering and pickup, and doesn’t prohibit the in-person payment or cash payment where this is no reasonable alternative. Previously issued guidance for hospital and business cafeterias remains in effect.

·       Further restricts retail operations: The order requires all retail establishments that have been allowed to remain open and permit customers inside to take appropriate and reasonable measures to ensure customers maintain six feet of distance between each other and to manage any resulting lines to maintain such distance while people are waiting to enter. It also requires these establishments, where reasonably practical, to employ touchless payment technology if they already have such technology available and the customer has such technology available.

·       Requires firearm transactions to be conducted by appointment only: The order requires all retail businesses that sell firearms, ammunition, and other similar components or supplies to conduct all transactions by appointment only in order to limit person-to-person contact as much as possible, effective immediately. Appointments must be limited in order to allow a six-foot distance between any customers and staff in a store, and only customers conducting such transactions will be allowed in the store.

·       Suspension of tax on single-use checkout bags: The order temporarily suspends certain state statutes in order to suspend any tax on single-use plastic checkout bags at grocery stores and other retail businesses.

·       Prohibits employers from requiring employees to place items in customers’ reusable bags: The order prohibits employers of any grocery store or retail business from requiring their employees to bag items into a customer-provided reusable bag. Customers are still permitted to use reusable bags, but they may need to bag their own items.

·       Suspends 21-month limit on Temporary Family Assistance: The order modifies certain statutes and regulations to exclude from the 21-month time limit on receipt of Temporary Family Assistance all months of such assistance received during the public health and civil preparedness emergency. Suspending the time limit for this program will help families get the time and resources they need to get back on their path to self-sufficiency after the emergency is over.

·       Suspends school testing assessments for the 2019-2020 school year: Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major disruption on schools, the order waives all annual student assessment test requirements for the current school year.

This press release was made possible by:

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To view the SBA webinar that describes how to apply for an economic injury disaster loan, click here

https://www.cedf.com/workshops/recordedpresentations/#disaster

To view a presentation that provides step by step instructions on how to complete an SBA loan application, click here

https://www.cedf.com/Customer-Content/www/CMS/files/SBA_Economic_Injury_Disaster_Loan.pdf

Connecticut Insurance Department Commissioner Andrew N. Mais has called on insurers to immediately institute a grace period for insurance premium payments in light of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The emergency public health measures have contributed to a loss of income for both consumers and businesses,” said Commissioner Mais. “It is imperative that we all work to maintain the security that insurance provides when consumers need it most.”

In Bulletin IC-40 released today, the Connecticut Insurance Department is requesting that all admitted and nonadmitted insurance companies that offer any insurance coverage in Connecticut — including, life, health, auto, property, casualty and other types of insurance —immediately provide consumers with at least a 60-day grace period without interest or penalty to pay their insurance premiums. Institutions that receive regular payments from insurance companies are encouraged to offer insurance companies the same forbearance those companies are offering their consumers.

“A grace period will allow policyholders who may need help due to circumstances beyond their control additional time to pay and avoid a coverage lapse or cancellation,” said Commissioner Mais.

This requested grace period is intended to be applied to premiums due after the initial premium has been paid to secure coverage. It is not intended to change the terms of the issued policy or be considered a forgiveness of the premium.

In addition, the Insurance Department asked insurers to take steps to include consumer-friendly and convenient methods of payment, such as online options, to eliminate the need for in-person office visits and better protect the safety of workers and customers.

Insurers, brokers, and agents with questions on Bulletin IC-40  can contact the department directly by email at cid.pc@ct.gov.

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including guidance and other resources, visit ct.gov/coronavirus

Regular email news updates are available from the Governor’s Office by subscribing online here

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Consumers with questions about their insurance can contact the department, by:

• Email at insurance@ct.gov.
• Ask a question or file a complaint online

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• Call the Consumer Helpline at 800-203-3447 or 860-297-3900.

This press release is made possible by: