By Susan Wallerstein

A recent New York Times article (7/21/10) described how Maine is revisiting its longstanding practice of funding public employees’ pensions exclusively through a state retirement system.  Public sector employees, including teachers in Connecticut and 13 other states, do not currently participate in the federal Social Security program.  Recent articles about deferred retirement option plans (DROP) describe the benefits of allowing area public safety employees who retire to be re-hired in the same positions.  Policymakers explain that these plans typically generate savings for participating towns and cities while allowing them to retain highly qualified individuals.

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Larry Cafero is one of the few legislators that get why it’s important to not just be a voice of opposition as a minority party leader, but that you have to present solutions not just opposition. As minority leader he consistently outmaneuvers the leaden Senate Majority Leader Don Williams in presenting the issue to the public. It’s nice to see him recognized for some of his work.

from a press release:

American Legion Names Rep. Cafero Legislator of the Year

Rocky Hill – The American Legion Department of Connecticut has named Norwalk State Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. Legislator of the Year for his commitment to members of the military and their families at its 92^nd annual convention at the Marriott Hotel.

Cafero was cited for his contribution to the interests of all service members and for going “above and beyond the call of duty,’’ for veterans and their families. He was introduced by American Legion official John Monahan.

Cafero told the audience, “This award means more to me than any other I have ever received in my life.’’ Cafero said society must never forgot the sacrifice and commitment that veterans have made for their country and that too often we lose track of the struggles that they have endured.

“From someone who did not serve, to those who did…thank you, thank you thank you,’’ Cafero told the crowd. Numerous past commanders were also honored for their service to the organization during the convention.

Cafero has consistently supported veterans’ issues over the years and has enlisted public recognition of veterans and their families. Cafero spearheaded the drive to exempt 50 percent of veterans’ pensions from state income taxes. He also helped dedicate a commemorative Support our Troops Connecticut license plate and exempt Gold Star families from paying additional fees for their license plates.

“Amazing” says State Rep John Geragosian -D New Brittain.

“We were better off when they were playing solitaire,” says Turfgrrl.

“We shouldn’t be in the airport business,” says House Minority leader Larry Cafero.

So what are they doing up in Hartford? Well they, and by they I mean everyone in Hartford but the House and Senate Republicans, have bought into the idea that today’s spending can be put on a credit card for tomorrow’s residents to pay. They call it Economic Recovery Revenue Bonds. I call it doubling down on a losing hand.

“What I tell people is that I’m not very good with finances, but we balanced the budget with some very difficult choices,” Sen.�Edith G. Prague, D-Columbia, said. “We did our best. Hopefully things will get a little better.”

What they are essentially doing is borrowing 1.3 billion, and paying out of future revenues 180 million a year for 10 years. They are getting around the constitutional balanced budget amendment by actually issuing the bonds next fiscal year, when they hope the 1.3 billion really just needs to be 1 billion. Or something like that.

Here’s the problem:

Here’s the solution:

Larry Cafero has given up on negotiations with Democratic leaders on the subject of the State budget. According to a Ken Dixon CT Post report:
Larry Cafero has given up on negotiations with Democratic leaders on the subject of the State budget. According to a Ken Dixon CT Post report:

Minority Republicans, predicting that an imminent budget deal between Gov. M. Jodi Rell and legislative Democrats will not contain enough spending cuts, abandoned bipartisan negotiations on Saturday.

The Republicans said they are afraid that the deal will fail to address the state’s looming multi-billion-dollar deficit.

Speaker of the House Christopher G. Donovan, D-Meriden, called the GOP protest “unfortunate,” but he welcomed their input if they want to rejoin talks.

Rell’s office said Saturday that a negotiated restructuring of the $19-billion budget scheduled to begin July 1 has not been reached.

House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, said during a mid-afternoon news conference that it became plain to them Friday night that their input was being ignored by the Republican governor and majority leaders.

“The macaroni’s cooked,” Cafero said in a news conference outside the House chamber, backed by dozens of House and Senate Republicans. He said he participated briefly in a bipartisan meeting Friday night, but walked out around 9:15, when it became clear that GOP concerns were not part of the talks.

“I’m disappointed in the product,” McKinney said.

“I’ve known all along that the governor is faced with dealing with a Democratic majority that has a veto-proof majority, a Democratic majority who in many budget negotiations have sat there with their hands folded, unwilling to move.”

The GOP leaders said they will not participate in further negotiations because their ideas for further union concessions; privatization of state services; and a reduction in the 52,000-member state government workforce, have been ignored.

“We put forth all of our ideas understanding that they would be discussed, picked and choosed from and unfortunately we found out that’s not going to be the case,” Cafero said. “The governor and the Democrats are on the precipice of a deal.”

He charged that the pending agreement does not include major attempts to address multi-billion-dollar deficits projected in the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2011.

McKinney said recent news of an increase in revenue may have hurt the cause of fiscal austerity.

“Unfortunately, I believe that news of having some extra revenue has given license for the people who are in charge not to engage in or try to seek and find real structural reform for our budget, for how we spend money and how we do business,” McKinney said.

“It appears that the will of the majority is now to simply put a Band-Aid on the problem and not to try to seek and fix the problem.”

from a press release:

REP PERONE: CT HOUSE PASSES BAN OF CADMIUM IN CHILDREN’S PRODUCTS

State Representatives Chris Perone (D-Norwalk)�announced that�the Connecticut House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation that will�prohibit the sale, manufacturing, and distribution of children’s jewelry that contains cadmium.

Connecticut�currently bans packaging and packaging components that use cadmium from being sold or used for promotional purposes. However, the law is silent when it comes to using the same chemical in the actual products. Today’s bill (HB 5314) specifically bans cadmium in jewelry made for children under age 12.

“Cadmium is a known cancer causing agent and it is completely unacceptable to allow children to be exposed to this highly toxic metal” said Rep. Perone. “Under current law, the use of cadmium in packaging is banned. Yet we permit the sale of cheap costume jewelry loaded with cadmium to be sold to our children. Today we changed that law and our children are safer because of it.”

Cadmium is a metal used in electroplating, pigments, and plastic that can have adverse health impacts in humans, especially children. It is currently ranked seventh on the U.S. Department of Public Health and Human Services priority list of 275 hazardous substances. It is a known carcinogen and has been shown to cause developmental problems in young children. The Chairwoman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently advised parents not to allow young children to be given or to play with cheap metal jewelry due to concerns over cadmium.

In the past year, there have been a number of incidents where children’s jewelry has been recalled due to their high levels of cadmium, including Wal-Mart’s January recall of 55,000 children’s necklaces made in�China.

“We applaud the House for passing health-protective limits on cadmium in children’s jewelry,” said Sarah Uhl, Coordinator of the Coalition for a Safe & Healthy CT. “We urge the Senate to approve this bill and keep our state at the forefront of efforts to move away from known toxic hazards and toward protecting future generations from serious and unnecessary harm.”

Several other states have moved in the direction of banning or limiting use of the substance, including�Washington�and�California.��The ban of cadmium has also been taken up in the legislatures of the following states:Florida,�Illinois,�Minnesota,�Mississippi,�New Jersey, and�New York. The bill now goes to the State Senate for consideration.

from a press release:

SEN. DUFF: SENATE APPROVES CHILD�SAFE HARBOR LEGISLATION

Thanks Brien McMahon students for their advocacy on behalf of bill

Hartford – In legislative session today, the state Senate approved legislation unanimously that extends safe harbor to minors who are victims of sexual exploitation, reported state Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk).

Under current law, prostitution is considered a crime regardless of the offender’s age. The bill—approved unanimously by consent in the Senate today—creates the presumption that a 16 or 17-year-old charged with prostitution was coerced into committing the offense by another person in violation of laws against trafficking in persons and that younger children would be free from prosecution in all cases.

On the floor of the Senate, Senator Duff recognized the student members of the Center for Youth Leadership at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk for their support and advocacy on behalf of this legislation.

“Even on their spring vacation, the students from the Center for Youth Leadership sent numerous e-mails in support of this legislation, working diligently to see this bill brought through the legislature,” said Senator Duff. “I’m proud of the effort these Norwalk teenagers put into this legislation—which will help to protect children who are coerced and forced into a bad situation through no fault of their own—and was proud to support the bill in the Senate today.”

The bill increases the penalty for promoting the prostitution of a person under 18 years old by making it a class B felony, which carries a prison sentence of one to 20 years, a fine of up to $15,000 or both. The bill imposes a nine-month mandatory minimum prison sentence for promoting prostitution of someone under age 18.

The legislation—Senate Bill 153, An Act Providing a Safe Harbor for Exploited Children—now moves to the state House of Representatives for consideration.

The 2010 regular legislative session adjourns on May 5.

Here’s a startling factoid, 30% of the judicial system dockets are tied up with domestic violence cases, according to Gerald Fox, State Rep from Stamford. Naturally this has prompted the House into action:

HOUSE VOTES TO APPROVE SERIES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BILLS

Legislation addresses judicial, education, and human services issues

The Connecticut House of Representatives on Tuesday evening voted in favor of a three-part legislative package that takes a comprehensive approach in dealing with family violence in the areas of the judicial and criminal justice systems, housing and human services issues, and education matters.

The legislation is the result of a bipartisan task force created late last year by�Speaker of the House Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) charged with identifying trends and research pertaining to domestic violence matters and developing a series of legislative recommendations.

“Not a week goes by without yet another horrific story about domestic violence in our communities,” Donovan said. “That’s why it was so important to develop a comprehensive approach to a serious issue that has a wide-ranging impact on people’s lives.��I am proud that the Connecticut General Assembly stood tall today in voicing its support for the victims.��We owe them and their families nothing less.��We also owe a debt of gratitude to the Representative Mae Flexer and the members of the Domestic Violence Task Force for their vision and hard work.”

State Representative Mae Flexer (D-Killingly,�Plainfield,�Sterling) served as chairwoman of the task force and played a key role in authoring the legislation.��“We met with prosecutors, survivors, and advocates when creating this legislation,” she said.��“The state has an obligation to ensure that victims of domestic violence are receiving the help they need.��Law enforcement, service providers, and educators must have the necessary tools that will empower them against the horrible crime of family and teen dating violence.��The changes we approved today are the most sweeping reforms to domestic violence laws in�Connecticut�in the past 25 years.”

Changes to the judicial portion of the package includes the�creation of a pilot program for electronic monitoring for the highest risk domestic violence offenders; improvement of the enforcement of protective orders; enhancement of information sharing in family violence cases among appropriate state agencies; elimination of the look-back period and for persistent family violence offenders; authorization for prosecutors to consider out-of-state offenses for persistent family violence offenders; implementation of employment protections for family violence victims;�and the creation of three additional domestic violence court dockets.

“Most people don’t realize that about 30 percent of criminal court dockets involve domestic violence,” said�State Representatives Gerald Fox III (D-Stamford), Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee.��“Enhancing the tools of the legal system, particularly in the area of protective orders, is critical to reducing the incidence of domestic violence.”

Other changes approved include a requirement that funding from the state’s marriage license surcharge is adequately distributed to domestic violence shelters in a timely manner; the loosening of penalties for survivors of domestic violence who need to terminate their housing leases; and the addition of teen dating and domestic violence education to educational staff training programs.

The approved bills, which next move to the State Senate for their consideration, are:

• HB 5315 (An Act Concerning Education And The Reduction Of Domestic Violence)
• HB 5246 (An Act Concerning The Protection Of, And Services For, Victims Of Domestic Violence)
• HB 5497 (An Act Concerning The Recommendations Of The Speaker Of The House Of Representatives’ Task Force On Domestic Violence).

Inaction gripping the hearts and minds of Hartford legislators has resulted in the spending two-step. Step one, allow for longevity bonuses to be paid out to state employees. Step two, put off any bond offerings because those financial returns of state bonds have been so exemplary.

But the tax-writing finance committee moved to push that further to make $412.7 million in bond de-authorizations Monday, including 255 individual cancelations and reductions.

“We have not added any new authorizations,” said Sen. Donald DeFronzo, a New�Britain Democrat who co-chairs the bonding subcommittee of the finance committee.�”We do not include any authorizations for the UConn medical school.”

Rep. Carlo Leone, a Stamford Democrat who co-chairs the subcommittee with DeFronzo, said lawmakers are responding because of concerns about a “negative outlook” and potential bond downgrade from�the Wall Street bond-rating agencies.

“We all recognize that we’re in a tough fiscal environment,” said Rep. Cameron Staples, a New Haven Democrat who co-chairs the finance committee.

With bipartisan support, the bond de-authorization bill was moved to the “consent” calendar for non-controversial items.

Lawmakers also discussed the selling of bonds to refurbish the service plazas along Interstate 95 under an agreement that was reached with the state in November 2009. Under the old contract, the state got 11 cents per gallon from gasoline sales,�and now the state is getting one cent, officials said.

What was that last line again? The state is getting less money in the fab deal struck by Governor Rell in selling off, er leasing our service plazas? I’m not the only one asking that question.

State Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, said he is concerned with several aspects of the agreement. McDonald noted, for example, that Connecticut has given up a signficant cut of rest area profits.

“It’s a bad deal. There’s no doubt about it,” said McDonald, who is a member of both the Finance and Transportation committees.

But Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, although in favor of a joint hearing on the contract, said “it seems to me we’re getting a very good deal indeed.”

Boucher, who also sits on the Finance and Transportation committees, argued that is because besides providing food and gas, the partners are also going to be investing $178 million to overhaul the rest stops � an expense that might otherwise have to be footed by a cash-strapped state government.

“We are lucky to have a private investor that will shoulder the cost of this during a difficult time and it will create jobs,” Boucher said. “We should characterize this as a postive, fortuitous opportunity for the state of Connecticut.”

State Sen. Donald DeFronzo, D-New Britain, who co-chairs the Transportation Committee and is a member of the Finance Committee, said he is awaiting a thorough review of the contract being conducted by the state’s non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis.

“It’s a very complicated, involved analysis,” DeFronzo said. “But the idea of a hearing is good.”

A hearing might be a good idea before raising some more fees:

Lawmakers also debated over municipal fee increases on a bill that divided chiefly along partisan lines – with Democrats supporting the fee increases and Republicans against. The bill would increase certain notary fees, town clerk fees, marriage licenses, burial and cremation permits, and dog and kennel license fees.

By Senator Toni Boucher

I thought you might be interested in a review of last week’s public hearings on bills regarding other issues that are of special interest to our communities.

The Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee took up the annual $250 business entity nuisance tax on every company in Connecticut, including those that make no profit. The Finance Committee is now considering proposed legislation that would partially remove this tax, but at the same time establish a new tax on certain bonuses. In my view, this legislation, Senate Bill 1, simply replaces one anti-business tax with another anti-business tax — a tax that no other state is considering imposing.

The Transportation Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 427, which would further restrict the use of cell phones and various other electronic devices while operating motor vehicles. Also under consideration by the Transportation Committee are House Bill 5033 which would require seat belts on school buses, and House Bill 5474 which calls for the establishment of electronic tolls at state borders. More fuel efficient cars have resulted in declining revenues from the gas tax, and so some are looking for new ways to raise money for the state. It has still not been determined if reinstituting tolls would be possible due to federal restrictions. Questions to be answered include: will the state cut the gas tax; will border towns receive additional compensation; will the revenue stream be used only for transportation projects; are there computerized alternatives to e-z passes; and will businesses in border towns lose out-of-state customers?

Topics under consideration by the Education Committee include House Bill 5425, An Act Concerning Special Educa-tion which would establish that the burden of proof lies with the party requesting a special education hearing, and House Bill 5491 An Act Concerning Certain School Districts Reforms to Re-duce the Achievement Gap in Connec-ticut which would allow parents to vote to restructure a school if they are in need of improvement.

When constituents take the time to share their concerns and propose ideas about state issues that are important to them, I have often been able to spearhead changes in state law that not only assist them but also help many others. Some of those legislative proposals under consideration this year include:

Senate Bill 363, An Act Concerning Polling Places For Primaries, would permit municipalities to save money by using fewer polling places for primaries, which generally attract fewer voters than general elections.

Senate Bill 335, An Act Concerning Justices of the Peace which would allow justices of the peace who are authorized to officiate at marriages in other states to perform weddings in Connecticut.

Senate Bill 253, An Act Concerning Proof Of Delivery Of Cancellation Notification Of Life Insurance Policies, which would require insurers to notify customers by registered or certified mail at least 15 days before terminating life insurance benefits.

The Government Administration & Elections Committee is holding a public hearing regarding House Joint Resolution 65, Resolution Memorializing Congress To Abide By The Tenth Amendment, at 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 17, in Room 2B of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Boucher can be reached at 1-800-842-1421 or via e-mail to Toni.Boucher@cga.ct.gov.

The Hartford legislature couldn’t bring itself to get a bill out of committee in order to hold an up or down vote on beer and wine sales on Sundays. But they voted out of committee a bill to allow farm stands to sell pickles and salsa. So you can buy pickles on Sunday but can’t get pickled on a Sunday unless you are in a bar.