News from Sullivan & LeShane, Inc.

June 25, 2021

In This Issue:

From Paddi's Desk

CT Agency Corner

Municipal Roundup

From Inside The Golden Dome

This Day in CT History

Ahh the memories!

This week brought back feelings of digging out after a huge snow storm despite the warm temperatures in Connecticut! Once the “snow” stopped falling, folks were able to dig into the 850+ pages of the implementer bill, the longer than long language of the recreational marijuana bill and the dozens of bills passed on the last day of session that were served up “auction” style without a formal briefing on their content.

A lot was packed into the three days of special session. While much of the language had been discussed prior to enactment, some elements were radically changed, and sprinkled here and there were new surprises added at the last minute. A special session can only deal with items outlined in the “call to the session” so all items were limited to “things related to the state budget” and the legalization of recreational marijuana. While that might sound limited in nature, the definition of “related to the state budget” gets stretched further and further every special session.

In order to make up for the hours and hours of Senate debate, dozens of bills which were not controversial or that were technical in nature were packaged together as a consent calendar with almost no debate and voted on as a package deal. This part of the last day of session is usually perfectly orchestrated since no one can vote against the consent calendar - if they did the whole tower of bills would fall down!

The House took two different roads. Many bills were screened as “consentable” items, but various members asked for individual votes on them to express their opinion or to mention a local district connection before the vote was taken by roll and passed unanimously with those in the chamber. Other bills were also packaged like in the Senate and voted on as a bulk vote. It’s interesting that just because a bill is passed on consent or packaged as a “consentable” item, there is no guarantee the other chamber will do the same when it arrives on their calendar.

Unlike the mid-session days when there were significant ups and downs in collaboration with the Democratic and Republican leaders, the last day or so did have some shining moments of “we’re all in this together.” For lobbyists, the last hours of session are filled with anxiety and tension. We laugh at Sullivan & LeShane that no matter what we do, or how hard we work to get our critical clients’ needs done as early as possible we always have a bill that’s a “no brainer” or has been negotiated to death end up being the last one approved as the gavel comes slamming down in the chamber! This session it was one of Ryan’s client’s bill which had support all over both chambers, but it just lingered along. It’s almost like the obedient child who gets no attention while all the “challenging children” in a family get all the attention. So on Wednesday night of the last day of session, we were all huddled in our conference room with baited breath to hear the bill number called on the last and final Senate consent calendar at 11:55 PM. Five minutes to spare!

While we live by the motto “never let them see you sweat” we were joyous as the bill number was read off by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and excited for the client who had invested several sessions to convince the naysayers of the merits of the bill.

While the S&L team makes every effort to keep the drama out of what we do... it’s become a team tradition to have one of the last bills if not THE last bill called as the gavel comes pounding down in either the House or Senate. We never know whose bill is going to be tagged for that “honor” but we know it will always make for nervous clients and great war stories for sessions to come!

Details on Legalized Recreational Marijuana

Unless you've been living in a sound proof basement that has no cell reception, you've heard that Connecticut has officially legalized recreational use of marijuana.

There are a lot of odds and ends to this law that is set to take effect next Thursday so here's a quick guide to what you should know:

The newly passed legalization law allows possession up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and cultivation of marijuana by adults. It will also expunge low-level criminal records related to marijuana.
Cannabis products are capped at 30 percent THC by weight for cannabis flower and all other products (except cartridges for vaping) at 60 percent THC.
Medical marijuana product are exempt from the potency caps. Retailers would also need to provide access to low-THC and high-CBD products.
In July 2022, the state’s sales tax of 6.35 percent would apply to cannabis, and an additional excise tax based on THC content would be imposed.
Adults 18 to 20 years old who are caught with small amounts cannabis would be subject to a $50 civil fine. People under age 18 could not be arrested for simple cannabis possession.
Existing medical marijuana dispensaries could become “hybrid retailers” to also serve adult-use consumers.
Home cultivation would be permitted—first for medical marijuana patients and later for adult-use consumers.
Most criminal convictions for possession of less than four ounces of cannabis would be automatically expunged beginning in 2023.
Cities and towns with a population higher than 50,000 people would need to provide a designated area for public cannabis consumption.

Municipal Races Gearing Up

We’ve got some updates to local elections coming in hot and heavy this week as many Frist Selectmen and Mayors finish their grueling budget cycle which included some mix of new state and federal dollars as reported last week.

First Selectwoman Jayme Stevenson, of Darien, has announced this week that she will not be running for a sixth term there. Stevenson threw her hat in the ring for Lieutenant Governor in 2018 and has been very vocal on local issues statewide. In her release she mentioned that “there are too many meaningful projects completed and problems solved to mention” but she’s most proud of “the people who work tirelessly to support our residents and businesses” in the town. She added ““The decision to step aside was very difficult given the exciting, transformational work we’ve done to plan for the Darien of our future and the close friendships I’ve made along the way,” she said. “I feel humbled and gratified by all we’ve set in motion. New leadership and fresh ideas, grounded by our history and community values, are healthy for our community.”

Right down I-95 in Greenwich, First Selectman Fred Camillo announced he’ll be running for a 2^nd term of office and his challenger has emerged. William Kelly, a former member of the Board of Education and Board of Estimate and Taxation, will challenge Camillo for the top spot and has received the endorsement of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. There certainly will be a lot of positioning in Greenwich as this week, Sen. Alex Kasser decided to resign which will undoubtedly cause a cascade of interested parties from both local and state elected officials vying for that spot.

Governor Lamont Signs the Budget and Implementer

Reaching its final step in the legislative process, the 2022-2023 biennium state budget document was signed into law this week by Governor Ned Lamont. While the budget was bipartisan, with eight Republican Senators and twenty two Republican Representatives joining the Democrats in each chamber, the budget implementer bill was not. Still, the House Ranking Member on the Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee Rep. Holly Cheeseman (R-Niantic) joined the Governor, Lt. Governor, and other Democratic leaders for a ceremonial bill signing on Wednesday at the Capitol.

Included in this $46.7 billion budget is the use of $1.75 billion in federal funds that came to the state from the American Rescue Plan. Proponents have touted this as a historic budget, which makes investments in childcare by expanding coverage for parent fees in Care4Kids programs, increases investments in K-12 and higher education, and expands healthcare insurance and supports working and middle class families through expanding tax credits. Many have cited this as a budget to meet the needs of the state as we rebuild from the pandemic. Nonprofits will receive an $100 million increase in state support as well. On municipal aid, included in this budget is a new three tiered PILOT reimbursement system for municipalities based on their grand lists, which builds equity into the formula by considering need and also results in increases to all municipalities (the current reimbursement levels are around 25% and now the lowest reimbursement rate will be 30%).

You can watch a recording of the full ceremony here on CTN.

June 25th, 1956: The Hollywood Superstar & the Roxbury Writer

Today in 1956, the small, rural, western Connecticut town of Roxbury was swarmed by reporters who had learned that the internationally famous starlet Marilyn Monroe was there visiting her fiancée, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Arthur Miller.

The couple had been dating for months, and they had announced their plans to marry the week before. Miller, famous for writing Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, had a reputation as a straight-laced, introverted author. This was quite the opposite of Marilyn Monroe’s unpredictable, attention-seeking demeanor. The American press was infatuated with what they regarded as one of the unlikeliest romantic matches in Hollywood history.

On discovering that Monroe was to meet Miller’s mother and two children from his previous marriage on June 25th, reporters crowded in front of Miller’s Roxbury home, apparently ready to stay until they caught a glimpse of the famous actress, who stayed inside throughout the day. After 7:00 pm that evening, Arthur Miller emerged from his home. In an effort to placate the paparazzi and request some privacy, he greeted them with, “What do you fellows want? Maybe we can straighten things out.”

The full article, provided by CT Humanities, is available here.

Sullivan & LeShane, Inc.