Advocacy in Action | October 30, 2025
Upcoming Legal Boot Camp Webinars
Labor & Employment Law Essentials: Tip Credit, Wage Rules & More
🗓️ Tuesday, November 4
🕘 9:30AM
If you’re looking for answers surrounding Tip Credit - this is webinar for you! From tip pooling to overtime rules, restaurant labor laws are uniquely complex. This session breaks down the latest regulations, and gives you an opportunity to ask questions.
Topics include:
- Tip credits
- Wage compliance
- Best practices for managing your team legally and effectively
Beyond Daily Operations: Protecting the Long-Term Health of Your Business
🗓️ Wednesday, November 5
🕘 9:30AM
Learn how to protect your business, plan for the future, and stay ahead of legal risks. This session will cover best practices for business formation and structuring and discuss strategic tools for long-term business continuity and asset protection. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.
Topics include:
- Succession planning
- Ownership transitions
- Safeguarding personal & business assets
Opportunity: CRA & CHEF Board Positions
As we plan for 2026, we’re inviting industry professionals from across Connecticut to help shape the strategic direction of the Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) and the Connecticut Hospitality Educational Foundation (CHEF) through Board leadership roles, bringing in new voices and perspectives that reflect our evolving industry.
Both organizations play essential roles in strengthening Connecticut’s hospitality sector through advocacy, workforce development, and education. By serving on our Boards or Committees, you’ll help guide the priorities that impact our businesses, workforce, and future.
If you’re interested in being considered for a 2026 board position with either CRA or CHEF, please complete the brief interest form by Friday, November 7.
Snap Benefits: How to Support
We’re closely monitoring the ongoing federal government shutdown and its impact on food assistance programs. With November SNAP benefits suspended, millions of families nationwide, including many here in Connecticut, will feel the effects.
For those looking to help, you can support Connecticut Foodshare by:
Please Complete: Restaurant Business Conditions Survey
The National Restaurant Association Research and Knowledge Group launched the annual Restaurant Business Conditions Survey - please take a moment to give your input.
The information will be used to show policy makers how current business conditions are impacting the restaurant industry.
The survey is open until November 14.
Elections: Early Voting Continues
Early voting continues, providing all voters with the opportunity to cast their ballots prior to Election Day. This is the second general election that early voting has been available in the state.
For a list of every town and city’s early voting locations, visit MyVote.CT.gov. Voters can also check the website of their local registrar of voters for early voting location information. Voters can only vote in the town or city in which they are registered.
Upcoming hours of operation are:
- Thursday, October 30, 2025 – 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Friday, October 31, 2025 – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Saturday, November 1, 2025 – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday, November 2, 2025 – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Election Day is on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, and all polling places in Connecticut will be open 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
New Resources: No Tax on Tips
We’ve added new resources to the No Tax on Tips & Overtime and One Big Beautiful Bill page to bring you the latest updates. Included in the latest update is an article from Allied Member, Brody and Associates, detailing information on No Tax on Tips. Read here.
Marine Mammal Protection Act: Lawsuit Filed
The Restaurant Law Center (RLC), alongside the National Fisheries Institute and major seafood suppliers, filed a lawsuit against NOAA over the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
Starting January 1, 2026, the U.S. will ban seafood imports from countries that do not meet U.S. standards for protecting marine mammals - a move NOAA says affects 240 fisheries across 46 nations.
The ban threatens access to key products like pasteurized crab, heavily sourced from Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Major brands and state restaurant associations are already sounding the alarm over supply chain disruptions and price spikes.
A lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade which seeks to:
- Vacate the September 2 action.
- Compel the agency to adopt a lawful, results-based approach that balances conservation with global market realities.