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

Malloy opens session with plea for ‘Connecticut fairness’

  • Politics
  • by Mark Pazniokas and Keith M. Phaneuf
  • February 7, 2018
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Clarice Silber :: CTMirror.org

First Lady Cathy Malloy with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and their granddaughter Grace

In his final State of the State address, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposed a progressive agenda Wednesday to the legislators who shut him out of last year’s budget talks, promising to help fellow Democrats raise the minimum wage, enhance paid sick day protections, address sexual harassment and take a stand on pay equity as acts of “Connecticut fairness.”

His attempt to shape the political agenda of his final year as governor was an early effort to frame his legacy. Malloy cast his proposals as overdue expansions and updates of policies enacted in his tumultuous first seven years in office, including first-in-the-nation laws that raised the minimum wage to $10.10 and required certain private employers to offer paid sick days.

Malloy, 62, the first Democrat elected governor of Connecticut in a generation, coming to office with the narrowest win by any governor here in more than half a century, seems certain to exit as one of the least popular in the U.S., possessing little leverage over a closely divided legislature already focused on re-election campaigns.

But before an audience that included his newborn granddaughter, Malloy gamely embraced the zeitgeist of the moment, repeatedly seeking common cause with Democratic legislators hungry to debate anything other than the budget. He contrasted the relative comity of Connecticut and its General Assembly with the divisions of Washington in Congress and the angry rhetoric of President Trump, never mentioning the president by name.

Malloy released his budget proposals Monday, an effort to give himself room to talk about other things. For a day at least, the governor succeeded in stepping from beneath the cloud of the state’s chronic fiscal and economic challenges, which have helped keep his approval ratings consistently below 25 percent.

Unburdened, Malloy spoke with a voice unheard in recent years as he talked about economic justice, sexual harassment, young Dreamers seeking legal status, the dangers of climate change, and the need to preserve access to health care. Legislators rewarded him with applause, if not equally from both sides of the aisle, interrupting three dozen times in a 35-minute speech that covered a range of issues under the unifying umbrella of fairness.

“We find ourselves at a defining moment in our history, as a state and as a nation. We can no-longer afford the luxury of silence, or the alluring comfort of the status quo,” Malloy said. ”This year, in the face of growing national inequity and unfairness, I want to begin a conversation about a series of common-sense changes we can adopt to advance our proud tradition of ‘Connecticut Fairness’.”

Malloy wore a pink ribbon on his lapel, as did many lawmakers, a gesture to the MeToo movement against sexual harassment.

Related links

Text of the governor’s final State of the State

“Far too many people have been denigrated, intimidated, and violated in their workplace. I want to applaud the legions of courageous women across our nation who have come forward to share their stories of sexual harassment. The reality is we are long overdue for an honest reckoning over harassment in the workplace,” Malloy said. “There is an immediate need to change workplace culture – from small towns to Hollywood, from the mailroom to the boardroom, and from the jailhouse, to the statehouse, all the way up to the White House.”

His speech complemented the “values agenda” released the previous day by House and Senate Democrats, a statement of goals for the three-month session that opened Wednesday and the re-election campaigns to follow.  Malloy committed himself to helping Democrats  raise the minimum wage, without saying if he agreed with Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney’s call to increase the minimum to $15 over five years.

“We should be leaders on this issue once again,” Malloy said, then he directly addressed the Senate leader: “Sen. Looney, you have been a stalwart champion for working people in our state. I am committed to working with you and members of both chambers this session. Together, let’s pass a bill that ensures another January does not come and go without a raise in Connecticut’s minimum wage.

He also gave encouragement to backers of paid family leave. Bills have been filed in each of the past three years to create an employee-funded program that would partly reimburse participants for wages lost due to leaves taken to care for family members.

Malloy said working people should not fear losing their jobs just because they get sick.

“It’s why in 2011 we passed the first paid sick law in the nation. Since then, eight states and Washington, D.C., have followed our lead,” Malloy said. “A person should not worry about losing wages when they catch the flu. A parent should not need to choose between lost pay and taking care of a sick child. And customers should not worry about being served by a sick employee. This year, the opportunity is before us to improve our paid sick leave laws.  Let’s catch up with states that have now surpassed us on this front.”

Malloy said Connecticut, which has cut the number of its uninsured residents by half since the passage of the Affordable Care Act during the administration of President Obama, should preserve the law against attacks in Washington.

“Connecticut Fairness should mean keeping health insurance affordable for everyone. We must take action to ensure stability in our insurance marketplace and to contain premium costs for consumers. We can do something our neighbors in Massachusetts have already done on a bipartisan basis and under a Republican governor,” he said. “Together, let’s pass a bill that preserves the most vital elements of the Affordable Care Act – including the individual mandate.  Let’s make it clear that in Connecticut, healthcare is a fundamental right.”

The governor also reiterated his call for the legislature to ban “bump stocks,” the accessory that allowed the Las Vegas gunman to effectively convert semi-automatic rifles into machine guns. And he indicated a desire to make a final attempt at protecting youthful offenders from adult criminal records, an effort that failed last year.

His speech played well to the Democratic base.

“I thought it was a great way to set the temperature,” said Lori J. Pelletier, the president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, adding that “making sure everyone has a good-paying job is not a partisan issue. It’s about what’s good for the state of Connecticut.”

“We’re very encouraged by his commitment to put the needs of Connecticut’s workers, who have made so many sacrifices over the years, first. His plan to ensure fairness in the workplace is a welcomed return to the policies he campaigned on and made Connecticut a national leader for other states to follow,” said Linsday Farrell, the executive director of the Connecticut Working Families Party, a labor offshoot.

A rapprochement by the governor and legislative Democrats would be significant, but no guarantee of substantive change. The Senate remains evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, and the defection of just four Democrats on any issue in the House gives the GOP effective control.

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas :: CtMirror.rog

Malloy delivering his address in the House chamber.

Democrats loved hearing a speech about topics other than the budget. Republicans, who hope to win control of both chambers this fall for the first time since Ronald Reagan’s re-election landslide of 1984, were quick to change the conversation back to the Democrats’ stewardship of the state’s finances.

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, and Senate Republican leader Len Fasano of North Haven, both labeled the governor’s address as “purely political.”

“All you need to know is that in a state overwhelmed with taxes, debt and deficits, the governor did not utter one word about the economy,” Klarides said. “That’s because they have no positive record to run on.”

Fasano ridiculed the governor’s emphasis on fairness as a theme.

“Where is the fairness in that we are one of the highest-taxed states in the country?” Fasano said. “Where is the fairness in an economy that is failing. That’s the fairness I want to talk about.”

Joseph F. Brennan, the president of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said his members expect government to continue efforts to stabilize finances and to stimulate the economy, despite the obstacles of election-year politics.

“The business community is starting to grow our economy at a higher rate than we have seen in years, and we can’t slow down the process,” Brennan said.

The field of gubernatorial contenders gave Malloy’s address mixed reviews, splitting along predictable, partisan lines.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and former U.S. Comptroller David Walker, both Republicans, said the governor spoke volumes by saying little about fiscal issues.

“I was surprised and disappointed,” Walker said, adding that while pay equity, for example, is an important issue, “if we don’t put our finances in order, everyone is going to suffer.”

With analysts projecting a deficit topping $5 billion in the two-year state budget cycle immediately after the election, “this is the Connecticut moment,” Boughton said. “This is the 800-pound gorilla in the room.”

But Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, a Democrat and former general counsel to Malloy, praised the governor’s agenda. “You have a Democratic Party that seems united in pushing issues of fairness and economic fairness,” Bronin said. “I hope that in Connecticut we can rise above the divisive partisanship we see in Washington and in other parts of the country.”

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.

Keith M. Phaneuf A winner of numerous journalism awards, Keith Phaneuf has been CT Mirror’s state finances reporter since it launched in 2010. The former State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, Keith has spent most of 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut’s transportation and social services networks. A former contributing writer to The New York Times, Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Feds will not be placing migrant children in Connecticut
by Mark Pazniokas

The closed Juvenile Training School had been under consideration as a shelter

Lamont closed the restaurants. Now he is their promoter.
by Mark Pazniokas

A year after Gov. Ned Lamont banned indoor dining due to COVID-19, the industry has welcomed him as its savior.

CT lawmakers call for funding to stop ‘mass killing’ of Black and brown children
by Kelan Lyons

Lawmakers identified a $5 billion proposal by the Biden administration, and marijuana and sports-betting legalization efforts, as potential funding.

Lamont faults CDC on J&J vaccine pause: ‘I would have handled it differently’
by Mark Pazniokas

Gov. Ned Lamont and other governors expressed dismay to the White House over pausing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

GOP retains Monroe-Newtown seat in CT House
by Mark Pazniokas

Republican Tony Scott of Monroe won a special election Tuesday in the 112th House District of Monroe and Newtown.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion College students in Connecticut should be vaccinated now
by Dayna Vadala

If the state of Connecticut wants its institutions of higher learning to return to normal in the fall, it’s going to have to get shots into the arms of the students.

Opinion Connecticut, be a International leader against hair discrimination among children
by Faith D. Crittenden, Jade A. Anderson, MD, and Whitney L. Stuard

On March 1, 2020, Connecticut became the eighth state to pass the Crown Act, a national legislative movement that recognizes natural hair and cultural headwear discrimination as a form of racial discrimination in the workplace. While we are  in strong support and advocate for this law, it is important to recognize the limitations of the Crown Act and how it can be improved upon in future policy.

Opinion Three lessons for schools across America from Secretary Cardona’s hometown
by Mark Benigni

Over the past decade, Meriden Public Schools -- where U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona served as assistant superintendent -- has become a unique laboratory for new ideas that push the boundaries of what is possible in public education. And many of those ideas have paid off.

Opinion A healthcare system too broken to fix
by Sosena Kedebe MD

On March 25, the White house announced that it was going to invest over $6 billion in health centers that are funded through the Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in order to expand COVID-19 vaccinations and other health services provided to vulnerable populations. As a chief medical officer for a health center that is strained to reach some of the most disenfranchised patient population in Hartford, this was great news. Yet there was a part of me that took the news with a deep concern. Why you might ask?

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