Sen. Kelly Statement on Gov. Lamont’s $10,000 Business Fines for Violating State COVID-19 Rules

Senate Republican Leader-elect Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) released the following statement in response to Governor Ned Lamont increasing the state’s fines on businesses that violate state COVID-19 rules from $500 to $10,000:

“While I understand the Governor’s goal to deter bad actors who ignore the rules and contribute to the community spread of the virus, it’s wrong to provoke fear and implement enormous fines without defining a clear appeal process and making a concerted effort to increase communication and assistance to those trying to create jobs and figure out how to navigate the pandemic. Instead of focusing on penalizing job creators and job growth, the governor must make a stronger commitment to focus on positive actions our state can take to help small business and jobs, while also reducing community spread so that our families can gather safely and more people can return to work.”