News from State Senator Joan Hartley

May 2011

Capitol address
Legislative Office Building
Room 1800
Hartford, CT 06106-1591

Hartley@senatedems.ct.gov

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

Phone
Capitol: 860-240-0006
Toll-free: 1-800-842-1420

With little time remaining in this year’s legislative session the pace has undeniably quickened at the Capitol. Intense scrutiny of the hundreds of bills remaining on the calendar and make-or-break decisions about their prospects for passage consume each day; our mandatory adjournment date is June 8. Here’s a brief update on some recent activity.

Biennial State Budget Enacted

Budget As of this writing the governor has signed into law a new 2-year state budget. Faced with a $3.2 billion dollar deficit the governor, to his credit, refused to resort to gimmicks of the past and did not rely on borrowing, one-time revenue sources or securitizations which only increase our indebtedness. However this budget, much to my regret, included millions of dollars of new spending—$483 million in the first year and $509 million in the second year--with at a time when we are facing the largest deficit in this state’s history. How do we start new programs when we can’t pay for what we are currently doing? Unfortunately the answer to this question—as determined by this budget—the largest tax increase ever—a tax increase of $1.4 billion.

When these new and exceptionally high taxes fail to bring in the anticipated revenue (as has been in the past), when these taxes simply are not enough where do we go? since Connecticut is already one of the highest-taxed states in the country. For these reasons I could not and did not vote for this budget.

Bills Advancing Through the Legislative Process

SB 882 AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATE SET-ASIDE PROGRAM, FILING REQUIREMENTS OF STATE CONTRACTORS, AND EVALUATION OF CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS is a legislative proposal that was generated by input from small businesses who have been discouraged from seeking to bid on state contracts due to the state’s onerous prequalification and bidding procedures.

I would like to personally thank all of the small businesses that contacted me and provided input on this proposal. The Department of Administrative Services, under the leadership of Commissioner Don DeFronzo, was exceptionally responsive to us and I am pleased to say that SB 882 will provide real and immediate changes which will support small businesses in their effort to be able to reasonably participate in state contracts.

SB 983 AN ACT CONCERNING CHILDREN AFFECTED BY DISASTER AND TERRORISM is a proposal which I was pleased to work with the Connecticut Commission on Children on and which was unanimously reported out of the Public Safety Committee which I co-chair. This bill , which passed both chambers and now awaits the governor’s signature, will require the State’s Disaster Response Plan to consider and include the needs of children in times of crisis.

Connecticut is the only state to have formally studied the impact on children of both the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina and has had a longstanding, lead role in this preparedness effort. This bill requires an amended plan to address evacuation of children, parental notification of any move to safety, reunification plan, and careful planning for children with disabilities and special needs.

HB 6319 AN ACT CONCERNING HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS FOR KOREAN WAR VETERANS, which I co-sponsored, gives local boards of education the ability to award high school diplomas to Korean War veterans who left school early for military service and never received them. The bill covers honorably discharged veterans from all branches of the military who served actively from June 27, 1950 to October 27, 1953. School boards are already permitted to do the same for veterans of World War II.

‘Happy’ Memorial Day

As this year’s Memorial Day approaches and once again we prepare for the traditional Memorial Day festivities, I wonder if the true meaning of this solemn occasion is sometimes overshadowed by the celebration and frivolity of the traditional backyard barbeques or neighborhood picnics.

There’s no question that Memorial Day is meant to be a serious event. It’s a day we set aside to remember those who died in military service to our country and acknowledge not only that sacrifice, but also the ideals for which all our military men and women serve.

Each Memorial Day we remember those who lost their lives so that we—and others—might be free, might have the right to vote, and might have the ability to choose the government we want. Each Memorial Day we remember the true cost of these freedoms.