Month: March 2017
Senator Osten E-News: Educational Opportunity for Veterans; Rehabilitation of Route 66 Bridge Over Lyman Brook in Marlborough
Sen. Gerratana E-news: Educational Opportunity for Veterans
McCrory XL Center Survey
You may have recently heard about the plan for the state to borrow and spend $250 million to renovate the XL Center so it can be used as the home site for the majority of UConn men’s and women’s basketball games and for the UConn men’s hockey team. The XL Center would also continue to host some music concerts as well as family shows, motor sports, trade shows, conventions and community events.
Some like the idea of having the state pay for improvements that will benefit downtown Hartford businesses, draw people into Hartford and provide more entertainment for young Hartford residents.
Others worry about the $250 million price tag. Some people argue that we cannot afford this cost when we are cutting the state budget in many other areas.
Please fill out the survey below. As always you can also contact my office at 860-240-1453 or Toll-free: 1-800-842-1420.
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McCrory Survey 2017
We have a lot of important work to do over the next two years in Connecticut. We need to continue to rebuild our economy and grow jobs, provide the best public education for our children and preserve a secure retirement for seniors. I encourage you to contact me about state issues that are important to you. Please fill out the survey below. As always you can also contact my office at 860-240-1453 or Toll-free: 1-800-842-1420.
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Putting a Stop to the Silver Sands Buildout
In Hartford, I have introduced Senate Bill 605 which would ensure the state could not pursue the controversial buildout of Silver Sands Beach State Park without approval from the town of Milford. This bill would establish a moratorium on construction of the project until the Milford Board of Alderman votes to approve it.
In addition to this bill, I have submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in order to obtain more information on this project. DEEP has not provided information explaining why this buildout is necessary, and whether it would damage the neighborhood and endanger local wildlife. The people of Milford deserve more information on this $10 million project.
To put a stop to the Silver Sands buildout, please sign the petition below.
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Sen. Osten Listens to Ledyard’s Concerns About Proposed State Budget
Sen. Osten Listens to Ledyard’s Concerns About Proposed
State Budget
State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) took her budget-listening tour to Ledyard Town Hall Tuesday night, where nearly a dozen local residents turned out to express some of their concerns with Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed biennial state budget and what they would like to see local legislators like Sen. Osten do differently.
Sen. Osten—who is Co-Chair of the legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee—listened for two hours as nearly a dozen residents shared their thoughts on a variety of budget-related matters
“I got a lot of good information last night in Ledyard that I can take back to the committee and share with them where people in my district are on some of our spending priorities,” Sen. Osten said. “Obviously I cannot promise that every concern will be addressed, but the public input does significantly shape our final product, which will be different from the governor’s proposed budget, no doubt about it.”
Ledyard citizens spoke on a number of budget-related issues, including:
- The importance of state financial aid to towns and how that largess can affect local property tax rates
- Binding arbitration laws and how towns negotiate union contracts
- Whether towns should have to pay for funding some of their own teacher retirement costs
- State-supplied ECS (educational cost sharing) funds
- So-called ‘lockboxes’ not just for transportation-related revenues and expenses, but also for casino slot revenues that are supposed to be used for education expenses
- Gov. Malloy’s proposed gun permit fee increase, which Sen. Osten opposes
- Electronic highways tolls and—if instituted—how those could effects gas taxes
- What the possible legalization of marijuana could mean for Connecticut
- The issue of local police issuing traffic tickets and whether they receive enough local revenue from those fines
- A breakdown on the revenue collected from local traffic tickets, where that revenue goes, and how this compares to other states
- The possibility of instituting mandatory drug-testing of all state employees
- Casino revenue sharing for host towns
Sen. Osten reminds her constituents that her next budget listening session will be Friday, April 28 at 8 a.m. at TJ’s Café in Sprague; she is also in the process of scheduling a budget listening session in Montville.
Citing Economic Benefits and Public Opinion, Senate President Looney Provides Testimony in Support of Legalization and Regulation of Marijuana
Citing Economic Benefits and Public Opinion, Senate President Looney Provides Testimony in Support of Legalization and Regulation of Marijuana
Citing the economic benefits and growing public support, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) today provided testimony to the Judiciary Committee in support of his proposed legislation, Senate Bill 11, An Act Concerning the Legalization and Taxation of the Retail Sale of Marijuana.
“Marijuana prohibition has lasted 80 years,” said Senator Looney in written testimony. “Yet, it has been just as much of a failure as America’s short-lived experiment with alcohol prohibition. It is time we take the same rational, common-sense approach to marijuana, as we did with alcohol: regulating and taxing it.”
Senate Bill 11 proposes a structure for taxation of marijuana and marijuana products inspired by the approach to legalization and taxation taken in Colorado. The Connecticut bill would impose a special 23.65 percent sales tax on all marijuana and marijuana products at retail. This special sales tax would be in addition to, not in replacement of, the regular state sales tax of 6.35 percent, and would amount to a combined effective sales tax at retail of 30 percent.
“Legalization can also help Connecticut’s economy,” testified Senator Looney. “It is estimated that, in 2015, the legal marijuana industry in Colorado created more than 18,000 new full-time jobs and generated $2.4 billion in economic activity. A recent report projects that, by 2020, the legal cannabis market will create more than a quarter of a million jobs nationally. And these jobs will come with the protections workers deserve, from minimum wage and overtime regulations to unemployment insurance and Social Security.”
Based on an Office of Fiscal Analysis report on Colorado’s policy, the taxation of marijuana would generate significant revenue.
“I estimate that as drafted, Senate Bill 11 would raise approximately $18.5 million in the first six months of collections, $83.4 million in the following full year of collections, and $135 million in the third year from these taxes,” testified Senator Looney.
There is popular support for legalization in Connecticut. A March 11, 2015 poll by Quinnipiac University found that 63 percent of Connecticut voters support the legalization of marijuana. The support for legalization is not partisan or geographic.
Senator Looney also highlighted a report produced by the conservative libertarian Cato Institute titled “Dose of Reality: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations”.
The Cato Institute reviewed data regarding, among other things, marijuana usage, suicide rates, treatment admissions, crime, traffic fatalities, school suspensions and expulsions, standardized test scores, home prices, unemployment rates and correction and police expenditures in the states of Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska following legalization.
The report found that, “the absence of significant adverse consequences is especially striking given the sometimes dire predictions made by legalization opponents.” Regarding usage specifically, the report found that “state marijuana legalizations have had minimal effect on marijuana use and related outcomes.” The report also found that available data from Colorado and Alaska on marijuana use from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed no obvious effect of legalization on youth marijuana use.
“Our region is rapidly moving toward regulating marijuana—Maine and Massachusetts voters approved ballot initiatives in November and are expected to have stores open next year,” said Senator Looney. “Rhode Island, Vermont and New Jersey’s legislatures are all seriously considering enacting similar measures either this year or next. We need to make sure that Connecticut is not left behind as our neighbors move forward with common-sense marijuana policy.”
Senate Bill 11 proposes the following regulations:
Adult Possession Limits
- Adults who are 21 or older and would be allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana; and
- Individuals cultivating marijuana at home would be allowed to possess up to five marijuana plants per adult for personal use
State Regulation and Licensing
- Provides for five types of regulated marijuana businesses: retailers, lounges (in those municipalities that license them), cultivation facilities, product manufacturers, and laboratories
- The bill requires background checks for all owners, officers, managers, contractors, employees and other support staff of marijuana businesses
- The Department of Consumer Protection would develop comprehensive rules, including security, laboratory testing, packaging, record keeping, and inspections and restricting advertising
Local Control
- Municipalities could enact regulations and licensing requirements, limit the number of marijuana establishments, or ban the businesses altogether
- Marijuana lounges could only operate in municipalities that permit such lounges
Employers and Private Property
- Landlords could prohibit the smoking and growing of marijuana at their rentals.
- Property owners could prohibit the consumption and display of marijuana on their property.
- Employers would not have to accommodate employees under the influence, nor their possession of marijuana at work
Prohibited Conduct and Penalties
- Smoking marijuana in public would be an infraction and punishable by a civil fine of up to $90
- Sets a 5 nanogram per milliliter limit for driving under the influence of marijuana
- The Department of Consumer Protection could suspend or revoke the registration of a marijuana establishment if it commits multiple or serious violations of the law or regulations.
Existing Medical Marijuana Program
- Continues the existing medical marijuana program
- Currently licensed dispensaries will get priority in the new market
Hartley Leads Committee Passage of Bill to Cut Regulations and Expand Manufacturing Training
Hartley Leads Committee Passage of Bill to Cut Regulations And Expand Manufacturing Training
Bill is a priority of the Manufacturing Caucus, on which Hartley serves as a Co-Chair
Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) today announced the committee passage of a bill that aims to increase manufacturing training opportunities and cut burdensome regulations on manufacturers. Senate Bill 963, An Act Concerning Educational and Environmental Issues Related to Manufacturing, passed in the Commerce Committee, on which Hartley serves as Co-Chair. The bill now goes to the floor of the Senate for further consideration.
“Manufacturing is a critical part of Connecticut’s economy, and this bill will help it continue to grow,” said Senator Hartley. “By increasing our pipeline of vo-tech teachers we will also increase the number of students they train, thereby expanding the pool of qualified applicants for manufacturing positions. We are also working to get rid of unnecessary regulations that place an undue burden on manufacturers and make it harder for them to grow and thrive in our state.”
SB 963 makes several changes related to teacher certifications and training, allowing more qualified teachers to be certified as a technical high school occupational subjects teacher. The bill accomplishes this by reducing the number of years of industry experience needed for certification. The bill also requires the Board of Regents to expand the night, weekend and online course offerings for students studying to become manufacturing teachers.
The bill also establishes a working group that will be tasked with developing a program to train prison inmates for manufacturing jobs. This will allow people in prison to learn practical skills they can use to begin a career in manufacturing upon release from prison, helping them reintegrate into their community and lowering the risk of recidivism.
Finally, SB 963 lowers the regulatory burden placed on Connecticut’s manufacturers. The bill requires that Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) adopt new regulations consistent with federal hazardous waste regulations. Should DEEP fail to do this, the federal regulations will become standard in Connecticut. This is a change that has been requested by many manufacturers. Under current law, manufacturers in Connecticut have to ensure that they remain in compliance with federal regulations as well as outdated state regulations. Trying to abide by two sets of rules is obtrusive, expensive and time consuming for many Connecticut manufacturers. Senator Hartley’s bill changes this by and ensuring that manufacturers only have to follow one set of reasonable, modern rules.
Senate Majority Leader Duff’s Transportation Lockbox Proposal Wins Committee Approval
Senate Majority Leader Duff’s Transportation Lockbox Proposal Wins Committee Approval
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff’s (D-Norwalk) proposal to institute a transportation lockbox is one step closer to reality after winning the approval of the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee by a vote of 25-10. Senator Duff’s bill, Senate Joint Resolution No. 5, A Resolution Proposing an Amendment to the State Constitution Regarding the Special Transportation Fund, is headed to the Senate for consideration.
“A strong, modernized infrastructure is central to a thriving economy,” said Senator Duff who earlier this year testified before the Transportation Committee. “When I speak with business leaders in Norwalk and Darien and with others across the state, they repeatedly stress the need for an upgraded transportation system. Businesses need a transportation infrastructure that provides reliability and consistency in order to grow and succeed. This lockbox is to ensure that funds intended to be used for transportation remain reserved for that use only. I believe that creating a transportation lockbox is in the best interests of the fiscal health of Connecticut.”
Under Senator Duff’s proposal, funds deposited into the transportation lockbox would be used for public use or benefit, including but not limited to the payment of debt service on obligations incurred by the state for transportation purposes, road and bridge repair, and mass transit. Any monies placed in this protected fund are effectively sacrosanct and cannot be used for any purpose unrelated to transportation.
Under Article Twelve of our state constitution, this constitutional amendment would need the support and vote of three-fourths of the total membership of each house in order to be on the ballot for the voters’ consideration in November of 2018.