Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Three days to go, with 296 bills awaiting a final vote

  • Politics
  • by Mark Pazniokas
  • May 5, 2014
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy with the speaker of the House and Senate president pro tem

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas / The CT Mirror

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy with the Democratic leaders, Rep. J. Brendan Sharkey and Sen. Donald E. Williams Jr.

The Connecticut General Assembly began the final three days of its 2014 session Monday with 56 bills already passed and sent to the governor – and 296, five times as many, awaiting final action in one chamber after winning passage in the other.

Let the negotiations begin.

The best route to final passage is a deal among top legislative leaders of both parties for little or no debate or, even better, a place on a bipartisan “aircraft carrier,” one of the bills with must-pass provisions that are amended to carry the substance of other legislation.

Now that the state budget framework for the next fiscal year is set – final passage of the budget came early Sunday in the Senate, though a fiscal implementer bill still awaits action – legislators will focus on who’s ready to deal. With time short, the GOP minority enjoys an effective veto by extending debates.

The Senate is holding 159 bills that have passed the House, while the House calendar carries 137 bills that have passed the Senate.

One of the bills sitting on the Senate calendar is a priority of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. New financial reporting rules on nursing homes that were proposed by Malloy at the request of a union ally, SEIU 1199 New England, were approved by the House on an 86-57 vote Tuesday after an eight-hour debate.

Hundreds others have passed neither chamber, most given up for dead. Some will get by on their merits, other will be exchanged as hostages, and many, many, many will expire at the constitutional adjournment deadline: Wednesday, at the stroke of midnight.

Final action on all but one of the 56 bills to clear both chambers has come in just the past 10 days. The exception is the minimum-wage increase, passed on March 26 and signed immediately by Malloy.

One of the higher profile bills to pass neither chamber is a measure that would regulate the purchase of nonprofit hospitals by for-profit companies. No bill will be brought to a vote with a negotiated agreement, and none appears close.

A compact committing Connecticut to a movement to base presidential elections on the national popular vote never came to a vote in either chamber, as was the case with a bill to require bonus pay for retail employees forced to work on holidays, a measure to regulate the disposal of waste generated by out-of-state fracking and one of the governor’s bills.

A proposal by the Malloy administration to streamline the regulatory process would diminish the legislature’s role in reviewing regulations, never a popular concept among lawmakers.

A labor bill that cleared the committee process, only to languish on the House calendar, would bar companies from seeking state economic assistance if any of their top executives are paid more than 50 times the average salary of the rest of the workforce.

An outcry over the prospect of $100,000 judicial pensions at age 70, no matter how few years of state service, has produced no action. The Senate leadership is sitting on a proposal to proportionally reduce the pensions of judges who serve less than 10 years.

Also awaiting action in the Senate is a House bill that would ban employers and employment agencies from discriminating against the unemployed in help-wanted ads.

The GOP leaders, Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero Jr, left, and Sen. John P. McKinney.

CT Mirror

The GOP leaders, Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero Jr, left, and Sen. John P. McKinney.

Other House bills on the Senate calendar would ease the way for adult adoptees to obtain birth certificates; require retailers to provide cash refunds on gift-card balances; allow Sunday bow hunting of deer; regulate tree trimming by utilities; allow towns to collect property taxes of some college and hospital expansions; restrict cadmium in children’s jewelry; address neglected cemeteries; impose guidelines to prevent concussions; and limit liability for horse owners.

The tree-trimming, cemetery and property-tax bills are on the personal wish list of House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey. Passage of some or all of those measures in the Senate may ease the way for final approve of some Senate bills in the House.

Awaiting action in the House is a priority of Malloy, legislative leaders and consumer groups: A bill offering consumer protections in dealings with electric retailers. It passed the Senate unanimously.

AARP, Connecticut Citizen Action Group, ConnPIRG and the Legal Assistance Resource Center say the bill was too deferential to the interests of electric retailers in that it failed to cap variable rates. They have been lobbying House members to make changes.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Pazniokas is the Capitol Bureau Chief and a co-founder of CT Mirror. He is a frequent contributor to WNPR, a former state politics writer for The Hartford Courant and Journal Inquirer, and contributor for The New York Times.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
With billions in federal relief on the way to CT, legislators assert their role in deciding how to spend it
by Keith M. Phaneuf and Mark Pazniokas

With an unusual bill, state legislators are reminding Gov. Ned Lamont they have significant role in disbursing federal coronavirus relief.

Rep. Patricia Billie Miller wins vacant Senate seat
by Mark Pazniokas

Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford, won a special election to the state Senate.

Final passage of ‘Crown Act’ comes on unanimous vote
by Mark Pazniokas

With a unanimous vote, Connecticut became the latest state to adopt legislation prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race.

Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as U.S. Secretary of Education
by Adria Watson

Cardona was the youngest principal in the state of Connecticut.

Nora Dannehy named top legal aide to Lamont
by Mark Pazniokas

The hiring of Nora Dannehy brings a high-profile legal talent into Lamont's office at the mid-point of his four-year term.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion The Board of Regents’ changes must not shortchange its students or faculty
by Carrie Andreoletti, PhD

As a university professor and a lifespan developmental psychologist, I tend to approach my work from a developmental perspective. This means I aim to foster a lifelong love of learning and to help others find a sense of meaning and purpose, as well as confidence in their ability to reach their goals. My approach to higher education is shaped by my desire to provide the best possible education for my students. This is why the recent Board of Regents’ proposed changes at the four state universities have me worried.

Opinion How to close schooling opportunity gaps created by the pandemic
by Carol Gale

We ask school district leaders to trust your public servants whose daily work life involves assessing student needs and planning or modifying instruction to meet those needs. Listen to their voices, as we have, and allocate precious resources on interventions that will offer increased opportunities for Hartford students to succeed.

Opinion A new guide for schools: How to work with families this spring
by Michael Arrington and Erika Haynes

With months of remote and hybrid learning to go, families and educators continue to adapt and innovate to meet the moment. Since August, we’ve spoken with hundreds of parents, caregivers, family support groups, educators, and students across Connecticut and the country about things things that have worked --strategies, big and small, that have made this time more manageable and helped children learn and stay connected with peers.

Opinion Housing is a human right
by Tenaya Taylor

Nonprofit Accountability Group is a queer- and trans-led group based in Hartford that is dedicated to creating racial equity by directing resources to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and disabled children and families. NAG was founded in 2020 as an organization with a transformative approach to implementing nonprofit accountability by creating relationships within the community, nonprofits, and their funders.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO