In This Issue:
From Paddi's Desk
CT Agency Corner
Municipal Roundup
From Inside The Golden Dome
This Day in CT History
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2022 CT General Assembly - Open for Business - Kind Of!
Wednesday, without much pomp and circumstance, the 2022 General Assembly convened, adopted their modified rules for the session, greeted the governor and listened politely to his state of the state ( with a couple standing ovations and cheering from his fellow Democrats) and his vision for the next year (and hopefully another four years based on the November elections).
The joint session was quickly adjourned and the house returned yesterday to tackle the governor’s wish list of 11 Executive orders to be codified into state law with a sunset date. In an unusual move, the House Democrats also introduced a somewhat confusing resolution to take away certain powers of the governor under certain emergency circumstances. As it was explained and debate continued, I'm not so sure who knows what exactly it will do and what impact it will have on the governor in reality.
Since our democracy is based on the separation of powers, the legislature is limited in what it can and can’t do as far as state agencies. They can develop policy and a pathway to achieve it, but the executive branch is in charge of getting it done in a fashion that falls within the broad policy directions. The governor has the exclusive right to direct and order the commissioners to take actions in case of an emergency declared under the authority given to him in the constitution. Soooooo – from my limited understanding, I am not really sure what the resolution will do to “curb” the governor's powers and have the legislature be the lead in cases of certain emergencies.
There was a lot of discussion about using the resolution to leverage federal dollars, but some debate was that other states have taken advantage of funds for a federal nutrition program and other benefits without being under a declaration of emergency. So at the end of the day many were scratching their heads wondering if indeed the resolution was that earthshattering.
Committees held a variety of organizational meetings to introduce the half dozen or so newly elected or appointed committee members based on some resignation over the interim. Many raised the agency proposals that were released to the public earlier in the week and others outlined the process moving forward to meet the fast passed schedule for the 2022 session.
Now we address the elephant in the room – the governor’s budget proposal and the OPM secretary's reaction. As is the tradition, after the session adjourns CT’s OPM Secretary (Melissa McCaw) holds a media briefing to review the details agency by agency and to answer the media’s questions.
As Secretary McCaw opened the briefing, she took a moment of personal time to set some ground rules regarding the recent media reports of crazy stuff going on at OPM related to departed Deputy Secretary Diamantis. Secretary McCaw stated that she has enjoyed a productive and solid working relationship with Governor Lamont and that it has been challenging assuming the role of the first female and woman of color to head the state budget and policy organization, and it has had its “moments”. She said that going forward she will be available for discussions, comments and interviews related to the substance of her work at OPM and will not make any further comments or take questions regarding the recent media coverage of OPM.
So the briefing then began. About 20 minutes into the Q&A, a bold reporter mentioned that it would be odd not to ask about her thoughts on the ongoing “review” and her thoughts and reactions. As a well-trained media spokesperson she again reminded the reporter that she has said what she will say, and that she would not comment further and then moved the discussion back to the issues at hand- the state’s budget. I guess the media is left to dig out the real story on their own!!
Today is a state holiday so it’s all quiet across the street. One interesting development from Wednesday’s session, Speaker Ritter announced he has asked the deputy leaders to convene in a meeting to discuss and recommend the “next steps” for opening the Legislative Office Building and the State Capitol to all and access to all floors. They also will recommend options related to vaccination status, masks and other related issues still in flux given the status of infection, hospitalization rates and spread of the disease. It’s anticipated that by March 1st the Legislative leaders will make public their next steps and maybe, just maybe, the café might reopen at some level and folks would be allowed to attend committee meetings, and maybe public hearings, in the Legislative Office Building.
Now wouldn’t that make for a great kick off to spring!??
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List of Legislators not Seeking Re-Election
We would like to give a huge thanks to the following legislators that will not be seeking re-election this year for all they have done for Connecticut, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors!
- Rep. Whitt Betts
- Rep. Bill Buckbee
- Rep. Tony D'Amelio
- Rep. David Wilson
- Rep. Joe De La Cruz
- Sen. Will Haskell
- Rep. Brandon McGee
- Sen. Kevin Witkos
- Sen. Dan Champagne
- Sen. Paul Formica
- Sen. Craig Miner
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DEEP to Pursue Consumer Packaging Proposal for 2022
The Environment Committee is set to raise a bill next Monday to entertain DEEP’s recommendations on how to tackle the consumer packaging waste in the state. The proposal, which is expected to be drafted as wide and comprehensive to start, has been a top priority for the department for years to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for any company that manufactures packaging waste for shipment and storing of products in Connecticut.
This is certainly not the first attempt by DEEP and the legislature to address this topic. In 2016 and 2017, the legislature had former State Senator Ted Kennedy Jr. (D-Branford) lead this initiative where a task force on the topic was created and the policy of requiring EPR for consumer packaging waste was defeated internally by the task force committee. The big defeat by the task force made the issue mute for the past four sessions but it appears that DEEP and EPR advocates are ready to renew a big push in the state.
Maine became the first state to sign Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation into law in 2021 for plastics and packaging materials, and Oregon passed a similar law as well later in the year. Several of these state bills require producers to pay for a portion of the costs of recycling materials that they put into the market which is expected to also be in the Connecticut bill.
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Municipalities and the Budget
The big news this week came from the governor’s budget address to the legislature during the opening day of session on Wednesday. There is a lot to unpack in that proposal and much more conversations to come regarding some of the proposals and their impact on local governments and boards of education. Immediately after, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) released their reaction. They gave kudos to the governor for his proposal to limit the property tax on motor vehicles to 29 mills, the caveat being that it doesn’t create fiscal holes in municipal budgets if the state doesn’t fund the difference in the out years once finances become constrained in the state.
Further, CCM also called on the Governor and General Assembly leaders to protect funding for the new Tiered PILOT program for local governments with large amounts of tax exempt property; and to look closely at those already statutorily enacted municipal aid programs that are funded at less than the 100 percent intended level. Investing in state aid commitments to towns and cities will go a long way toward restraining the financial burden on Connecticut’s overburdened property taxpayers. As the Governor is committed to tax reductions, his recommendations on direct property tax relief and increases in municipal and education aid will go a long way toward restraining local property taxes across the state
There is a long way to go for the governor’s budget proposal, and it almost will certainly require municipal leaders engaging their legislators to make amendments and additions to take a proposal that seemed to benefit many municipalities and make it better.
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Budget Overview
After joining Sullivan & LeShane a few months ago I was very excited to get started as the resident budget guy. During my ten years working for Senator Chris Murphy, before I made the jump, I spent a lot of time on federal appropriations and budget requests. I was on the ground floor for the various pandemic relief bills that brought billions to the state coffers. During the height of the pandemic in April 2020, Connecticut was allocated $1.382 billion by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Then, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) brought $2.55 billion statewide. While this benefit to the State might be considered to be a long term bank account, this federal pandemic relief expires, and soon. Like a gift card you forgot your grandparents gave you two years ago, the federal pandemic expires in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Utilizing these funds combined with the $6 billion Connecticut is estimated to get via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will be a lot to follow, but I am ready to keep you posted as details continue to pop up during the next few months of this wild ride.
Being the budget guy, I was excited to weed through the Governor’s outlined budget proposal for the next fiscal year. On page 4 of his budget, we start talkin’ cars. The Governor proposes lowering the limit on car tax rates from 45 mills to 29 mills. $160 million would be given to municipalities to help pay for a state-mandated cap on local motor vehicle taxes. On page 10, we hop on the Hartford rail line for the most interesting part of his budget you may have missed, $3 million allocated for an express train each weekday from the Springfield corridor through Hartford and down to Penn Station, a first of its kind. Recognizing that it’s hard to read this newsletter without internet access on the train, the Governor proposes $23 million to improve connectivity on our rail lines.
While we will follow the budget through the appropriations process, I will make sure to update you with in-flight information as we proceed.
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Best Practices for Virtual Meetings and Testimony
As we delve into session and public hearings begin to pop up, it is important that we provide you with some best practices on virtual meeting etiquette, as well as tips on testifying. Click here to access the guide we prepared for you! |
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February 11: England's Greatest Novelist Speed-Visits New Haven
On the evening of February 11, 1842, three words spread through the streets of New Haven like wildfire, causing crowds of people to rush toward the city’s downtown Tontine Hotel: “Dickens has come!” Just before 8:00 p.m. that night, Charles Dickens had arrived at the city’s Union Station, traveling by rail from Hartford. The man who was then the most famous author in the English-speaking world had just turned 30 years old four days earlier and was four weeks into what would become a six-month tour of North America.
While Dickens’ arrival did not come as a surprise (New Haven had been penciled in as a stop on his tour for some time), city residents were aware that his Elm City sojourn would be a brief one, and thousands filled the streets around the Toutine Hotel hoping to catch at least a glimpse of the literary celebrity before he left for New York City the next morning. The throngs of admirers became so unmanageable, hotel management had to place “two stout porters” at the foot of the hotel’s main staircase to act as crowd control, providing a much-needed barrier between the crowd and Mr. Dickens.
The guards proceeded to let small groups of three or four people at a time pass through to a reception room, where they could shake the hand of the man who had written Oliver Twist and Nicolas Nickleby, and who would go on to write A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, and other classic novels.
After three hours of nonstop meet-and-greets with Yale students, city officials, and other enthusiastic Connecticans, Dickens and his wife finally retired for the evening. And though Dickens’ stay in New Haven was a short one, the city left quite an impression on the British author, who included a description of its handsome, tree-lined streets in his North American travelogue, American Notes:
“New Haven, known also as the City of Elms, is a fine town. … Many of its streets are planted with grand old elm-tree; and the same natural ornaments surround Yale College, an establishment of considerable eminence and reputation. …Even in the winter time, these groups of well-grown trees, clustering among the busy streets and houses of a thriving city, have a very quaint appearance: seeming to bring about a kind of compromise between town and country; as if each had met the other half-way, and shaken hands upon it; which is at once novel and pleasant.”
A most memorable stay in the Elm City for one of English literature’s most famous authors, today in Connecticut history.
The original article from the CT Humanities Council can be found here.
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Sullivan & LeShane, Inc.
www.ctlobby.com | (860) 560-0000
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