The 2019 legislative session is expected to feature votes on a wide array of hot-button topics, from legalizing recreational marijuana to having tolls on Connecticut highways.

Among the three major changes possible this spring: legalizing recreational cannabis, three new gun laws and creation of a civil rights division within the office of Attorney General William Tong.

A Vote on Recreational Marijuana

The election of a governor who supports legalizing recreational marijuana use, an influx of progressive Democrats in the Legislature, and neighboring Massachusetts' decision to allow recreational marijuana use, have led many to believe Connecticut will follow suit this legislative session.

With the Democrats controlling the House and Senate, and with the election of Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, a supporter of recreational marijuana, many on both sides of the aisle believe 2019 is the year that Connecticut joins Massachusetts, Colorado and others around the country where recreational marijuana has sprouted new revenue sources. Government estimates indicate the new industry could generate upward of $30 million in tax revenue in the first year, according to the Connecticut General Assembly's nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis.

Last week, more than 40 Democrats introduced a legalization bill. Steven Stafstrom Jr., an attorney with Pullman & Comley and Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, supports legalization. He explained the likely process, including the work of three main committees that will discuss the issue.

The Judiciary Committee would determine legalization, and whether to erase past marijuana-related convictions. The General Law Committee would tackle other issues, such as who should sell the drug, in what form and with what age restrictions. Stafstrom supports a minimum age of 21 to purchase marijuana. A third group of lawmakers on the Finance Committee would set the tax rate for purchase.

“By and large my constituents have been supportive and are encouraging the state to move toward legalization,” Stafstrom said Wednesday. “I think polling data and perception certainly have moved toward ending prohibition.”

On the other side of the issue is Republican state Sen. Robert Sampson.

“As much as I have a Libertarian stance on things, I'm against creating more of a bureaucracy and this would do that,” Sampson, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the Connecticut Law Tribune Wednesday. “There would be a bureaucracy on who can grow marijuana and who can sell it.”

Sampson continued: “They are constantly acting on this issue without having any substantive information or knowledge. I also do not think the science regarding the effects of marijuana are conclusive.”

Firearms

The state could approve three new gun measures this legislative session, which runs through the first week in June. Most pro-gun groups oppose all of the measures, but Stafstrom said he sees support for the gun bills, which must pass the Judiciary Committee before heading for a final vote in both chambers.

The bills include a proposed ban on so-called ghost bills and 3-D printed guns, seeking to block the availability of downloadable blueprints for plastic guns. “This has bipartisan support,” Stafstrom said. “It's a topic that has made significant national news given the increasing prevalence of these weapons on our streets.”

The second bill would create a safe-storage law, affecting how people handle unloaded guns. Connecticut requires gun owners to lock and secure loaded firearms in residences with children. But the new bill would go a step further, requiring the same storage requirements for unloaded guns when minors are present. Supporters say this would prevent accidental shootings involving children who come across their parents' weapons.

The third bill would require individuals who openly carry guns to show their gun permit to law enforcement officers on request. It would change the law, which does not mandate showing permits to officers.

New Civil Rights Division

Keeping with his pledge to house a Civil Rights Division within his office, Connecticut's new attorney general submitted draft legislation this week, detailing his vision to legislators, who must sign off on the plan.

Tong's office has a civil rights department, but it can only defend the state against civil rights lawsuits. Now, the attorney general wants it to be able to initiate civil rights suits on behalf of the state and residents. The proposed division would act in concert with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, which receives discrimination complaints, investigates them and enforces human rights laws. Twenty-two states, including New York, Florida and Massachusetts have similar divisions.

“The thought is that the federal government continually strips away civil rights protections, and it's important for states to step into that breach,” said Nicole Lake, counsel to Tong and director of legislative affairs for the Office of the Attorney General.

Lake told the Connecticut Law Tribune Wednesday that Tong's office is ”looking for ways to be proactive to protect the rights of all Connecticut residents. These are purely civil cases. This would expand the authority of the office to bring civil rights cases.”