Capitol News from State Senator Andrew Maynard

September 2009 Issue

Capitol address
Legislative Office Building
Room 3000
Hartford, CT 06106-1595

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

Phone
Capitol: 860-240-0584
Toll-free: 1-800-842-1420

In this month’s Capitol News, I offer my take on the state budget as well as details about legislation that will keep an eye on regulatory impact on small businesses in Connecticut and about a bill that will help monitor the health of Long Island Sound.

Andrew Maynard

A Two-year Budget for Connecticut

After months of frustration and difficult negotiations with the executive branch, Connecticut has a two-year budget in place. Many of us worked to keep the focus on jobs and economic recovery and sought to make thoughtful reductions to state spending. We made more than $3 billion in spending reductions, targeting every part of state government.

CT budget graphic At the same time, some things are just not responsible to cut, like public safety and health care for children. We fought to protect things like the Life Star medical helicopter, southeastern Connecticut’s small business incubator, public libraries and family resource centers.

I remain troubled that our budget growth is outpacing the growth of our economy, and I’m very concerned about the size of our state’s future deficit. The difficulty lies in striking a balance between vital services and the means to pay for those services. I will continue to work to ensure that we’re extremely careful with our public dollars.

Reducing Impact on Small Businesses

solar panel workers According to the most recent data available from the federal Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, Connecticut has more than 75,000 small employers in operation in the state. These businesses represent 97.4 percent of all of our employers and 49.6 percent of private sector employment.

Especially in this challenging economic environment, small businesses need our support, which is why I voted in favor of legislation that will help keep an eye on regulations that might impact our small businesses. The bill, which is effective on October 1, requires any state agency proposing a regulation to identify how it affects small businesses and include that analysis as part of the fiscal note that it submits to the legislature’s Regulations Review Committee.

Protecting Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound photo
Long Island Sound is one of Connecticut’s most precious natural resources, and it plays a major role in our local and state economies. It’s a source of employment, recreation and tourism. However, as a resident of a shoreline community and as vice chair of the General Assembly’s Environment Committee, I believe that it must be closely guarded and preserved.

This year, I voted to override the governor’s veto of a bill that creates a bi-state Long Island Sound Commission. This 14-member commission, which will include members from New York as well as Connecticut, will review major environmental, ecological and energy issues involving the Sound when potential threats arise, then seek consensus on strategies and recommend action.

I remain committed to meeting our goals of nitrogen reduction in the Sound and to fighting negative impacts on our local fisheries. I believe that this commission will serve as a strong safeguard of this important resource and was proud to support its creation.