Connecticut Targets Fraud in Bottle Redemption

0:00Connecticut lawmakers just dialed back big plans for the Bottle Redemption program, zeroing in on one key fix, criminal charges for beverage sellers, caught up in fraud schemes, they originally pushed for a distributor stewardship setup, state-specific labels on bottles, and dropping the refund rates of 5 cents, but A, strike all amendments to Senate Bill 457 last week, wiped most of that out to get something passed. Everyone's reacting to the sky high redemption rate hitting 97% by the end of 2025, which officials blame partly, on fake returns flooding the system. Earlier this year in February, they rushed through an emergency bill, hiking fines for fraud, making redemption centers track big drop-offs, and letting local cops chase out-of-state cheaters, but some leaders say it's still not cutting it deep enough. Now Senate Bill 457 heads back to the Senate floor, while another push to slash the rate to 5 cents if redemption's top 100. Percent sits stalled after clearing committee,

1:00leaving the fraud fight as the main move forward this session. That's the story for today, Hartford News Today, driven by AI. I'm Corey with the story.