Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 23, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 5 numerous ways and urges customers to call them if they're having trouble paying their bill. Legislature moves minimum wage hike bill forward A major legislative committee narrowly passed legislation that would raise Connecticut's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021. House Bill 5388 would increase the minimum wage from $10.10 to $15 over the next three years. It would also tie future minimum wage hikes to the rate of inflation. The Appropriations Committee approved the legislation voting 27-24. The bill still needs approval from the House and Senate, in addition to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's signature before it becomes law. Under the bill, the state's minimum wage would spike from $10.10 to $12 on Jan. 1, 2019; from $12 to $13.50 on Jan. 1, 2020; and from $13.50 to $15 on Jan. 1, 2021. Lawmakers back new workplace harassment laws Connecticut lawmakers unanimously approved expanding and modernizing the state's workplace harassment laws to increase employer-employee communications regarding illicit workplace behavior. The Appropriations Committee voted in favor of House Bill 5043, which would require employers with three or more workers to communicate the dangers of harassment. It also tasks employers with 15 or more employees to conduct annual awareness and anti- harassment training and education to all supervisors. The proposal also updates training sessions to include education that encourages bystander intervention and methods of preventing workplace harassment. The committee's approval moves the bill to the House of Representatives. Hartford Rail Line to launch June 16 The long-awaited CTrail Hartford Line will launch on June 16 with trains operating between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, officials announced. Developers are hoping the $769 million rail line will allow employers to draw from a larger workforce pool in the Hartford and Springfield regions and broaden workers' employment reach. Transportation officials said the rail service encourages economic development by expanding access to major employment centers, business and recreational travel, spurs development of nearby train stations, while providing environmental benefits and fast transportation. Beginning June 18, trains will run approximately every 45 minutes during the morning and evening peak hours. A total of 17 trains per day will run between New Haven and Hartford while another 12 trains operate between Hartford and Springfield, officials said. With trains traveling as fast as 110 mph, a trip from New Haven to Springfield is scheduled to take 81 minutes. CT greenlights program testing driverless vehicles Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced the launch of a pilot program that allows Connecticut manufacturers and fleet service providers to test self-driving vehicles on public roadways. Public Act 17-69 allows testing of driverless vehicles in up to four municipalities, as Connecticut looks to keep pace with other states in early stage adoption of autonomous vehicle technology. The governor signed legislation establishing the pilot program in June 2017 after it was adopted in both chambers with bipartisan support. Under the program, municipalities interested in participating are required to submit an application to the state to allow the autonomous vehicles on their roadways. PDS has been meeting the needs of the construction industry since 1965. Our dedicated team of design and construction professionals welcomes the challenge of serving its past and future customers on their most demanding projects. Mitchell Volvo | Simsbury, Connecticut PDS completed renovations to two buildings using the design build delivery method. The showroom of 6,000 square feet was upgraded to meet the new Volvo prototype. New entrance systems, lighting, large-format tile, wood fl ooring, wood grille ceilings and frameless glass offi ces are some of the new features. The 7,000 square foot sales and service building renovation includes new insulated overhead doors, LED lighting, epoxy paint and a resinous fl ooring system which greatly enhanced the service department building. Project Size: 13,000 SF 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 (860) 242-8586 | Fax (860) 242-8587 www.pdsec.com DESIGN BUILDERS • GENERAL CONTRACTORS • CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS SPOTLIGHT ON: A PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC. THINK • PLAN • BUILD STAY INFORMED WITH FREE BUSINESS ENEWS GO TO WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM CLICK ON 'SUBSCRIBE' ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO FIND OUT MORE CALL 860-236-9998 OR ADVERTISING@HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM Among the new stops on the CTrail Hartford Line will be a new train station in Berlin at 51 Depot Road, which has been under construction since last year. PHOTO | HBJ FILE

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