General Law Chair Lemar: “Have you seen those towing articles?” (Hartford) Connecticut’s towing industry better watch out. There’s a new sheriff in town — and he’s got his sights set on scrapping storage fees, eliminating ​“patrol towing,” requiring companies to take credit cards, and otherwise protecting consumers.That sheriff is State Rep. Roland Lemar, who is taking over as House chair of the General Law Committee, after spending six years co-running the state legislature’s Transportation Committee.During a Wednesday afternoon interview on the first day of the Connecticut General Assembly’s new legislative session, Lemar spoke about how he’s hoping to turn the committee into the legislature’s answer to the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — fighting for consumers all the time.“I’m more excited heading into this session than I’ve been in a long time, moving over from Transportation to General Law,” Lemar said on the House floor in Hartford. ​“It’s really reinvigorated me, looking at a lot of our consumer protection statutes. How do I rebalance so many of our state laws to be more consumer-friendly?”Lemar rattled off a laundry list of industries he wants to investigate and policy ideas he is hoping to implement with his new chairmanship, with the overarching goal of taking power from corporations and putting it back in the hands of Connecticut residents. Those include the alcohol, tobacco and gambling industries, but also a ​“strong set of regulations” to protect residents from artificial intelligence, improved data privacy laws, and eliminating junk fees and price gouging on consumer products. Midway through the interview, state Attorney General William Tong stopped by to boost Lemar’s credentials for the role, saying he is ​“proud and excited” for the veteran legislator’s new role. “He is prepared to lead on all of the state’s price gouging and consumer protection issues,” Tong said. ​“He understands that consumers are hurting, they’re getting squeezed, and it’s our job to push back and give Connecticut families a little breathing room.”One of Lemar’s priorities is to regulate towing, which was the hottest topic on the House floor Wednesday after an investigation published by the CT Mirror on Sunday exposed flagrant abuses in the state’s towing system.“Have you seen those towing articles?” he asked, almost incredulous.In 2023, a bill Lemar proposed to protect consumers whose vehicles were towed passed the legislature’s Transportation Committee but was not brought to the full House after facing opposition from towing companies.Now, he says his committee will be focusing on the consumer protection aspects of towing reform, many of which are drawn from that 2023 bill. Those include requiring towing companies to take credit cards, eliminating ​“patrol towing” (where tow trucks drive around looking for vehicles to tow), and ensuring people aren’t charged storage fees on days when the tow company’s lot is closed.“There’s major reforms necessary in the industry, clearly, because Connecticut residents are getting taken advantage of,” Lemar said. ​“We got to root out a lot of the bad actors that are in the towing industry, but put in some basic protections that our residents deserve.”