The Courant wrote about the bills that passed those that didn’t this session. What the Courant didn’t do was put it in context of what the legislature should have be doing. First, the budget deficit that Hartford is finally acknowledging isn’t news, all along Connecticut operates in a fantasy world of budgeting, where revenue is counted even though it hasn’t yet been received, and accordingly is spent as if it exists. This inappropriate accounting mess hasn’t been fixed in years, despite Comptroller Nancy Wyman pushing the issue, also for years. All our honorable representatives in Hartford has to do was adopt GAAP, an accounting standard that each municipality must adhere to. But no, silly issues like smoking in cars took up time.

The other big issue that should have been tackled is property tax reform. Connecticut must modernize and regionalise. 169 ways of doing things that cross town borders isn’t the best way to run government.

Instead here are theCourant’s picks of the highlights or lowlights first up the ones that passed:

TEEN DRIVING - Tougher rules for teen drivers, such as an 11

p.m. curfew, more behind-the-wheel training and parental attendance

at driver education classes passed the General Assembly and were

signed into law by Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

MINIMUM WAGE - Lawmakers voted to boost the hourly wage from

$7.65 to $8 beginning Jan. 1, 2009, and to $8.25 beginning Jan. 1,

2010. It’s unclear if Rell will sign the bill.

GLOBAL WARMING - Bill will make Connecticut the fifth state to

adopt mandatory limits between now and 2020 on greenhouse gas

pollution that contributes global warming. State agencies will be

required to adopt policies to meet the new caps.

SAFE TOYS - Lawmakers approved limits for lead in children’s

products. Any products that fail to comply will be banned and

considered hazardous.

VOTING AGE - Voters will be asked in November to amend the state

constitution and allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries so long as

they turn 18 by the general election.

MORTGAGE RELIEF - Reacting to the subprime mortgage crisis,

lawmakers passed a bill that includes new, affordable refinancing

programs with flexible credit underwriting to help homeowners, and

tightens restrictions on mortgage lenders.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE - In the wake of two deadly home invasions in

Cheshire and New Britain, a bill that toughens penalties for repeat

offenders passed the General Assembly. But it’s unclear if $10

million for more prosecutors, probation officers and other criminal

justice workers will become reality given the state’s deficit

problems.

NOOSE HANGING - Bill makes it a crime to use nooses to

intimidate people. The legislation stems from several high-profile

noose-hanging incidents in Connecticut.

HEALTH INSURANCE - A campaign to open up the state employee

health insurance program to small businesses, municipalities and

nonprofit agencies to help them save money made it’s way through

the session. But it’s questionable whether Rell will sign the bill.

PRESERVATION - A steering committee is created that will oversee

efforts to preserve open space land, restore historic buidings and

protect the state’s character over the next decade. Advocates hope

$100 million a year will ultimately be dedicated to the cause.

METAL THEFT - Scrap metal processors are required to record

certain information for all loads of scrap metal purchased or

received, including a description, weight and price paid for the

load. Also, the person who delivered the load must be identified.

The minimum wage was the only bill imho that qualifies as a legislative winner.

Now onto to the ones that didn’t pass, again from the Courant:

NURSING HOMES - Legislation increasing minimum nursing-home

staffing levels and strenghtening financial accountability and

oversight of the facilities died despite Democrats announcing they

had reached an “historic” agreement.

CASINO SMOKING - An effort to ban smoking in the state’s two

tribal casinos was snuffed out after the House of Representatives

failed to take the bill up for a vote.

BOTTLE BILL - A push to expand the longtime bottle redemption

bill to include plastic containers for water, juice, sports drinks

and flavored teas has fallen flat once again.

RENTAL ASSISTANCE - Because of the decision to stick with the

2008-09 budget approved last year, funding was not included to

provide rental assistance to public housing tenants.

PLASTIC BAG BAN - Despite concerns about plastic grocery bags

littering the environment, a bill that would have stopped stores

from using them died during the legislative process.

SMOKING IN CARS - A move to ban smoking in a motor vehicle while

traveling with a young child fell short. It was modeled after the

state’s child restraint system law.

WITCHES - Even though many lawmakers are history buffs, a

resolution aimed at restoring the good names of people convicted of

witchcraft in Connecticut during Colonial times died early on the

legislative session.

CLOTHESLINES - While there was a lot of debate over the

so-called “right to dry,” a bill that would have stopped

condominium associations and municipalities from forbidding

clotheslines never made it out of the legislature.

ICE MISSLES - Legislation penalizing people who don’t clean the

snow and ice from the roofs of their vehicles melted away.

OPEN CONTAINER - A bill banning passengers from having an open

container of alcohol got snagged in the House of Representatives

after hours of debate. It marked the second year in a row that the

issue has died in the House.

401(K) PLANS - A bill authorizing the state comptroller to seek

a third party to establish the first-in-the-nation, state sponsored

410(k) plan for small businesses died in the House.

PENSION REVOCATION - An effort to revoke or reduce the pensions

of elected state and municipal officials, as well as state and

local employees, has once again fizzled. This year it died due to

inaction following a dispute between the House and Senate.

SICK LEAVE - Employers with 50 or more workers, including

municipalities and nonprofit agencies, came close to having to

provide their workers with 6 1/2 days of paid sick time. The bill

died due to inaction in the House.

BILLBOARDS - A bill that was supposed to soften Gov. M. Jodi

Rell’s executive order that stops the renewal of leases for

billboards on state property died in the House.

Of these, the Nursing Home bill should have been discussed more and made it through. Regulating Nursing homes will become more of a pressing issue as baby boomers age.

source: Courant, Sampling of bills that won and lost, by Associated Press, May 11, 2008