Malloy signs bills on hospital conversion, electric suppliers, e-cigs, puppy mills

HARTFORD, Conn. – Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a handful of bills Tuesday, including legislation to ease the for-profit takeover of nonprofit hospitals, to create new requirements for third-party electricity suppliers and pet shops, and to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to children.

Malloy signed 23 bills Tuesday, bringing the total number of new laws passed during the 2014 session up to 100. As of Tuesday, the governor had vetoed two bills.

The so-called hospital conversion bill was negotiated and passed during the final days of the legislative session and will help for-profit hospitals, like Texas-based Tenet Healthcare Corporation, come into Connecticut and acquire physician practices without being in violation of current law.

Vin Petrini, senior vice president of public affairs at Yale New Haven Hospital, and Trip Pilgrim, senior vice president of development for Tenet, said in a joint statement following passage of the bill on May 7 that it would make it “extremely difficult for us to partner with hospitals in Connecticut to provide quality patient care.” Two hours after sending that email, which infuriated lawmakers who gave the companies a seat at the table, Petrini and Pilgrim, sent out a more congratulatory statement regarding passage of the bill.

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