January 17, 2020
IN THE LOOP
The latest from the folks across the street from the Capitol

From Paddi's Desk
by Paddi LeShane

Around the halls of the state legislature.

The LOB is hopping this week but not in the manner folks thought it would. The week has come and gone, and there are still no signs of a special session. There are rumors afoot that the legislature will make another attempt at a special session for the toll authorization proposal by the Governor during the week prior to Opening Day. Only time will tell.

Not much changed concerning the makeup of the House this past week. The results of the special elections returned different persons but the same party in office for the 48th and 132nd House seats. There's one more special election up before the start of the session, but many pundits think it will remain in Republican hands. The impact on the toll debate doesn't seem to be much, even given the Republican attempts to turn the Eastern CT seat in the 48th from Democrat to Republican this past Tuesday, which failed.

Instead, the LOB is playing catch up on all those interim study issues that were legislated last June with hope of meeting their deadlines for final recommendations to be submitted to the legislature. Discussions and debates surrounding issues such as re-tooling the states bottle bill, doing a deep dive on the impacts to patients on high deductible health insurance plans as well as mental illness concerns in higher education, racial profiling and Land Transfer Act revisions that have been ongoing since the fall. It's expected that after the Governor's budget, which will be presented on February 5th during the Opening Day ceremonies, these topics will enjoy center stage as well as many of the hot button issues that did not pass last session such as predictive scheduling and public healthcare options to name a few.

About the only real news coming out of the past week has been about the legislators beginning to announce their plans for either seeking re-election or retiring at the end of 2020. The biggest news of all is that popular West Hartford State Rep. Joe Verrengia announced he will not seek re-election. After nine years, he's looking to spend time with his family and spend the rest of his term wrapping up his long career in public service. We anticipate to see more folks announce their plans for the 2020 election cycle as the local town committee nomination processes starts to get into high gear.

Just a calendar note for all, April 28th is CT's presidential primary which is a week before the adjournment of the 2020 session of the CT General Assembly. While there's not much on the Republican side, it will be interesting to see the House Democrats that line up with the many candidates still on the run. Former Vice President Biden seems to still enjoy a large following in Connecticut with Sanders, Warren and Buttgieg in close proximity. There's not been much traction from our neighboring former Mayor Bloomberg to date, but then again there hasn't been as much focus in CT politics on the Democratic candidates as there has been on the sitting president!

That's all I've got for this week.  
 

CT Agency Corner
How Will The State Handle a Short Term Deficit Without the Rainy Day Fund 
by Michael Johnson
 
Short sessions in CT are famously called a "90-day sprint" when the Governor introduces his budget on the first day and the rest of the session is reserved for getting out of the session unscathed before the election season officially begins. 
 
The only part of the short session that slows down is when the tax collection numbers come in less than expected and legislators are stuck scrambling with two weeks left to close a budget gap.
 
2018 was the first time in 12 years the legislature collected more revenue than expected which was due to the Trump tax code changes being a net positive for the state budget. In the past, when the budget dips during a short session the legislature is forced in an election year to avoid new revenue and rely on cuts and one-time enhancements known as "sweeps" and "diversions". 
 
How will the rubber hit the road this year? The legislature has more than enough rainy day money (approximately $2.5B) to be able to handle a $100M rain storm if one hovers over the state. Despite that, the Governor has made it clear that he does not want to support using that fund to close a short term gap. Legislators on the other hand (who all are up for reelection this year) would prefer to not "rock the boat" and use a small portion of the fund to assist with the budget.
 
The legislature and governor are fortunate to only be looking at a small deficit this year (less than 1% of the total budget) but fiscal years 2022-2024 anticipate to be short close to $1B a year which is 5% of the total budget. This cycle will be a test to see what will happen to the rainy day fund. 



Did You Know?
This Month in CT History
January 11, 1975
Whalers Play Their First Hockey Game at Hartford Civic Center
 
The Whalers had been organized in 1972 as one of the inaugural teams of the World Hockey Association, a professional hockey league that sought to rival the National Hockey League. For the first two years of their existence, the New England Whalers called the city of Boston home, but team owner became frustrated with his team playing second fiddle to Boston's other sports teams.
 
The city of Hartford appeared to be a perfect choice, with only one drawback: the new Civic Center wouldn't be complete until halfway through the Whalers' third season. So, the New England Whalers played the first half of the season "at home" in Springfield, Mass. before making their debut appearance at their new home at the Civic Center on January 11, 1975. That night, in front of a sellout crowd of over 10,000 fans, the New England Whalers beat the San Diego Mariners 4-3 in a thrilling overtime game.
 
In 1979, when the World Hockey Association merged with the NHL, the New England Whalers were one of only four WHA teams to survive the merger intact, although objections over the team's "New England" label from the NHL's Boston Bruins forced the franchise to rebrand itself as the Hartford Whalers. The Whalers played in Hartford for a total of 22 years before they were moved to North Carolina in 1997. Today, the Hartford Whalers retain an active and passionate national fanbase, and according to sports merchandise sales, the Whalers remain one of the most popular defunct team brands in the United States.
 
In This Issue:

Municipal
Roundup
by Ryan Bingham

As municipalities continue to struggle with rising recycling and waste costs, CT's Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) is asking municipalities for a huge commitment, or else the state may be in even more dire straits down the line.

MIRA is asking member municipalities to commit to new 30-year contracts for waste disposal by June 1, 2020 in order to renovate the failing trash-to-energy plant. In order to finance the $330 million project, a minimum of 51 member towns need to commit to new, long-term contracts. Without commitments from these municipalities, MIRA's plant could be shut down entirely within the next two years and begin shipping to mega-landfills out of state. "[MIRA] has infrastructure in dire, desperate need of reinvestment, repair, refurbishment," said Thomas Kirk, executive director of the agency. "Its ability to sustain operations is quite frankly in doubt right now."

As the cost of waste continues to increase, towns are going to have to find creative ways to absorb it, or municipal leaders worry that the waste disposal crisis will directly result in tax hikes or the cutting of services. Other leaders want CT to continue and make stronger efforts to reduce waste, thus easing the burden and reliance on traditional waste disposal systems.

Either way, while there are no commitments from the state or legislature to fund the project currently, we can expect these discussions to be on the forefront in the legislative session.

2020 Behind the Scenes
by Chelsea Neelon

This week, we featured Representative William "Bill" Simanski who represents the 62nd House District.
 
What motivated you to run for office?
When Rich Ferrari, a long term incumbent, lost his election in 2008 the Republican Town Committee began looking for a person with recognition in the district, to run against his successor Annie Hornish. As a former four-term First Selectman, the RTC (Republican Town Committee) sought me out and encouraged me to run for the 62nd District House seat.

What are some of your legislative priorities this session?
Since this is the "short session" wherein fiscal matters are to be the focus, I will be joining with my colleagues to see what can be accomplished to rein in spending, enact structural changes and manage our pension liabilities.  

Last question! What's your favorite hobby?
I love riding my Harley through the rural roads in my district and northwest Connecticut.

Upcoming Events

Senator Henri Martin Re-Election Fundraiser
6PM-8PM
Monday, January 20
Better Half Brewery
Bristol, CT

Representative Kerry Wood Re-Election Fundraiser
5PM-7PM
Tuesday, January 21
River Restaurant
Wethersfield, CT

Majority Leader Matt Ritter Re-Election Fundraiser
5PM-7PM
Wednesday, January 22
Home of SOTS Denise Merrill, 135 Elizabeth St. Hartford, CT

Representative Jason Rojas Re-Election Fundraiser
5:30PM-7:30PM
Thursday, January 23
Elicit Brewing
Manchester, CT

Rep. Chris Rosario 2020 Campaign Kickoff
6PM-8PM
Thursday, January 23
Omanel Portuguese Restaurant
Bridgeport, CT

Senate Democrats Fundraiser
4:30PM-6PM
Tuesday, January 28
Red Rock Tavern
Hartford, CT

Representative Jason Rojas PAC Fundraiser
4:30PM-6:30PM
Wednesday, January 29
Firebox Restaurant
Hartford, CT

Senate Republicans Fundraiser
4PM-5:30PM
Thursday, January 30
Agave Restaurant
Hartford, CT