News from State Senator Steve Cassano

March 2012

Capitol address
Legislative Office Building
Room 2100
Hartford, CT 06106-1591

On the Web
www.SenatorCassano.cga.ct.gov

Phone
Capitol: 860-240-5302
Toll-free: 1-800-842-1420

Upcoming Job Fair

Jobs State unemployment dropped to a 32-month low in December, and a new poll by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association shows that 89 percent of state business owners expect their company performance to remain stable or improve in the next quarter.

In October, the legislature passed a bill offering financial incentives for local manufacturers to hire and train new workers. This money will help to reduce the number workers who are still unemployed.

We cannot rest until every Connecticut resident who wants a good-paying job can get one. If you are a jobseeker, you should be aware of an upcoming state Department of Labor Job Fair that is being held in the Great Path Academy Gymnasium at Manchester Community College on Saturday, April 14 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Growing State Transit

Transit I recently co-hosted a two-hour roundtable discussion at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on transit-oriented development (TOD) and how it benefits commuters, businesses, the economy and the environment.

We had over 125 attendees, including representatives from the Malloy administration, the business and environmental sectors, municipalities, realtors and more. There is no greater generator of jobs than creating transportation corridors, and Connecticut has two major projects that will be underway soon.

My Stance on Sunday Sales

On February 28—when an estimated 900 people visited the State Capitol to debate the proposed Sunday sale of alcohol—I testified before the General Law Committee in favor of limited Sunday sales, noting that the more than two-dozen package store owners who I have met with in my district support a newly modified version of governor’s plan.

Last year at this time of year I was meeting with 26 different package store owners in their stores in Manchester, Glastonbury, Bolton and Marlborough. All 26 were opposed to opening on a Sunday. Today, many store owners are willing to support Sunday sales if it is coupled with a major overhaul of our alcohol sales here in Connecticut that preserves the the system of small business ownership that already exists.

We’ve made a lot of piecemeal changes to our state liquor laws since Prohibition. Now, with the push on for Sunday sales, we have an opportunity to review the entire industry. That’s what needs to be done. Sunday sales needs to be a separate bill, and a package of other, far-reaching reforms needs to be studied and considered separately.

Read Across America Day

Reading
I recently had the pleasure of reading “And To Think That We Thought We Would Never Be Friends” by Mary Ann Hoberman to third-graders at the Nathan Hale School in Manchester as part of “Read Across America Day. ” Now in its 15th year, this program of the National Education Association focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships and reading resources. (March 2, 2012)