Advocacy in Action | March 12, 2026
2026 Legislative Tracker
The Connecticut Restaurant & Hospitality Association actively monitors a wide range of legislation throughout each legislative session. It's important to note that the introduction of a bill does not guarantee its passage.
The CRHA Bill Tracker gives you a sense of the breadth and variety of legislation we track throughout session, as well as an overview on the status of each bill. This tracker will get updated regularly with the latest information coming out of session.
SB 436: An Act Concerning Advanced Notice of An Employee's Work Schedule By An Employer
This week, Scott testified before the Labor & Public Employees Committee regarding Senate Bill 436, which would require certain employers to provide workers with their schedules at least 14 days in advance, limiting the ability to change those schedules once posted.
Scott argued the bill could unintentionally impact the hospitality industry, which relies heavily on flexible scheduling due to unpredictable factors like weather, tourism, reservations, and events. Many workers also value the ability to swap shifts or pick up hours on short notice. SB 436 could create staffing challenges, reduce flexibility for employees, and impose rigid scheduling requirements that do not align with how restaurants and hotels typically operate.
In the 2025 session, the CRHA fought against a similar predictive scheduling bill which did not pass.
| Read CRHA Testimony |
Watch the National Restaurant Association & Restaurant Law Center’s immigration webinar on-demand.
The session examines compliance considerations, including Iā9 audits and administrative inspections, approaches to communicating with employees about immigration related topics, and factors to consider when responding to enforcement activity, including understanding employer rights, and minimizing operational disruption while remaining compliant.
Department of Consumer Protection: Liquor Law Education Program
Effective January 1, 2026, the Department of Consumer Protection requires all on-premises and off-premises permit applicants to complete the Liquor Law Education Program.
This training addresses preventing the sale of alcohol to minors, overserving, and restrictions on alcohol promotions. In addition, how to apply for a new permit, ownership or control changes, and substitute permittee requests.
On and off premise liquor permittees will be required to complete the program, if they submit one of the following applications on or after January 1, 2026:
- New application
- Transfer of Interest / Transfer of Stock
- Substitute Permittee
The following individuals must complete the training:
- The applicant
- The permittee
- The backer entity
- All individual owners/members/shareholders of the backer entity, full ownership structure
This training does not replace the need for front-of-house training such as ServSafe Alcohol.
Webinar: New Tax Deductions Could Mean Bigger Refunds for Restaurant Employees
šļø Monday, March 23
š 2PM
Millions of restaurant and hospitality workers could qualify for new federal tax deductions when they file their 2025 returns. Under No Tax on Tips and No Tax on Overtime, eligible employees may be able to deduct reported tips and overtime premium pay from their federal tax returns, and even in some state tax returns.
To help employees make the most of these changes, the National Restaurant Association is hosting a free, employee-focused webinar with H&R Block.
Latest on Tariffs
The U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued an order on IEEPA tariff refunds last week - a major development that could trigger widespread reimbursements for importers.
The court directed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to refund IEEPA tariffs across a wide range of import entries, and to do so automatically. Importers do not need to file refund requests. CBP is required to issue refunds proactively.
CBP said it could not comply with the details of CIT’s order but said it would institute a system where an importer would file a claim with CBP (not the courts) to claim refunds. CBP aims to have this system in place by mid-April. While the CIT still needs to approve this system, we expect to hear from the court later this week.
A group of State Governors are urging congressional leaders to limit the president’s ability to impose tariffs after the Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump decision, in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president authority to impose tariffs.
The letter argues that the broad tariffs imposed under that claimed authority have raised prices for consumers and harmed farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses, costing many families hundreds to over a thousand dollars per year.
The letter asks Congress not to codify the tariffs the Court invalidated, and instead to pass legislation that restores congressional control over tariff policy by creating clear limits and requiring congressional review or approval before large emergency tariffs can be implemented.