Advocacy in Action | June 11, 2026
Connecticut 2026 Election Season
Connecticut’s 2026 election season is underway, with attention building around several key races ahead of the August 11, 2026 Connecticut Primary Election.
Voters will select party nominees for a number of statewide and federal offices, including:
- Governor & Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of the State
- State Treasurer
- State Comptroller
- Connecticut State Senate
- Connecticut House of Representatives
- U.S. House of Representatives (Connecticut’s Congressional Districts)
As the primary approaches, voters are encouraged to review candidates, confirm their registration status, and stay aware of important election deadlines, including early voting from August 3–9. Connecticut’s General Election will take place on November 3, 2026, with early voting available from October 19–November 1.
- To check your voter registration status or polling location, visit the Connecticut Secretary of the State's voter information page: Voter Registration
- To register to vote or update your registration, visit: CT Register
- To view candidates running in your district and learn more about the 2026 elections, visit: CT Voter
Connecticut Economic Update from the State Comptroller
Connecticut added a solid 5,700 payroll jobs in April, a sign that despite rising unemployment, organizations are still hiring. However, consumers are feeling the squeeze as inflation outpaces wage growth.
Connecticut’s unemployment rate rose to 5.0% in April from 4.8% in March, as job-searchers are taking longer to find jobs. The labor force participation rate fell to 63.2%, from 64.3% last year. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3% in April.
Upcoming Webinars
Understanding Hemp-Derived THC Policy & Opportunities
Tuesday, June 23
12PM
Join the National Restaurant Association for an in-depth discussion on hemp-derived THC policy and what it means for restaurants. Policy experts will break down the current regulatory framework, explain how federal and state approaches are diverging, and highlight key legislative trends shaping the future of these products. We’ll also explore practical ways that restaurants are seeing success creating hemp-derived THC beverage programs.
Child Labor Law Compliance in the Foodservice Industry: Keeping Teens Safe This Summer
Wednesday, June 24
2PM
Join the National Restaurant Association and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division for a presentation that will give restaurant operators, managers, and HR professionals a comprehensive understanding of federal child labor laws applicable to the foodservice sector. Learn about permissible work hours for teenagers, prohibited jobs, and common compliance issues.
Navigating Summer’s Headwinds: Tourism Trends, Consumer Behavior & Cost Controls
Wednesday, July 1
2PM
This webinar will focus on the recent results of the National Restaurant Association’s new summer tourism survey, and also bring together industry experts, restaurant leaders, and tourism strategists to unpack the current state of summer tourism and what it could mean for restaurant performance across urban, suburban, and destination markets. Attendees will take away practical insights into how to position their businesses to capture demand, protect margins, and build resilience despite a traffic slowdown.
ICYMI: 2026 Legislative & Policy Landscape
Recording Available
This webinar focuses on the latest legislation at the federal, state, and local levels and how it could impact your business, how the 2026 midterm elections could change the political environment heading into 2027, and how you can get involved with the National Restaurant Association and its state restaurant association partners at all levels of government.
Department of Labor has Officially Rescinded the Overtime Rule
The Department of Labor has officially rescinded the Biden-era overtime rule, formally removing a 2024 regulation that would have expanded overtime eligibility for millions of salaried workers.
The now-defunct rule would have raised the salary threshold for overtime eligibility to nearly $59,000 annually. Instead, the DOL is restoring the 2019 standard—$684 per week (about $35,500 annually).
- There are no immediate changes to federal overtime requirements, current standards remain in place.
- Employers can continue using the $35,568 salary threshold for exempt employees.
- Operators who adjusted pay or classifications in anticipation of the 2024 rule should talk with their legal teams about what this means for their operations.
- State-level overtime laws may still impose higher thresholds, requiring continued compliance review.
Comments Submitted: Traceability Requirements
The National Restaurant Association’s policy team provided the U.S. Food & Drug Administration with comments and recommendations related to its recent draft guidance document on additional traceability requirements.
The team addressed challenges that would affect business operations for members who are trying to comply with the rule, including identifying the information the FDA expects operators to maintain as part of its required Key Data Elements, and asked for clarification on certain terms within the draft document.
Comments Submitted: Third Party Delivery Fees
The National Restaurant Association have submitted public comments to the FTC in response to their request for information on third-party delivery fees. Thank you to our members for completing the quick survey we sent out.
As we know, off-premises dining now accounts for the majority of restaurant orders, and a large portion of this segment occurs through third-party delivery. Despite this increase, according to National's survey data, nearly half of restaurant operators do not make a profit on this growing segment of their business.
Comment highlights include:
- Restaurants need flexibility to adjust their prices for third-party delivery to reflect real costs including delivery commissions and packaging.
- Pricing restrictions could backfire and result in higher prices for all consumers.
- Any FTC rules should exclude first-party delivery so restaurants can manage their own customer relationships.
Dignity Act of 2025
The National Restaurant Association announced its support for the Dignity Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that, would create sensible solutions to address the broken immigration system while providing even more security for the nation’s borders.
Immigration is fundamental to the restaurant and foodservice industry. More than 1 in 5 people working in the industry today are immigrants, shaping everything from menu trends to the local communities restaurants serve.
The Dignity Act aligns with the Association’s principles as it protects the restaurant workforce and builds a modern immigration system for the future.
In addition to the important solutions in the Dignity Act, the Association would like to see additional legislation addressing fixing the work visa system. This would include the creation of work visa programs for low-skilled, high-demand employees in industries that consistently face labor shortages like the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement (EWEA) visa, exempting returning workers from the annual H-2B cap, and streamlining the work visa application process to facilitate faster processing.