How can you talk about reindeer in the state Senate with a straight face?
Sen. Edward Meyer managed to stay serious when he deemed Senate Bill 262 the Christmas bill. It would allow for the importation of reindeer between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day. Under the bill, reindeer would have to be exported from the state by Jan. 8 of that year.
I did not know this, but apparently Connecticut is one of several states that ban captive members of the Cervidae family, including reindeer, because of the threat of Chronic Wasting Disease.
Anyway, I am not sure why this bill was drafted, but from the very limited conversation in the Senate on the bill, I know that it has something to do with Torrington. It was a bill pushed by Sen. Andrew Roraback.
I've never heard a bill being discussed in the legislature before about reindeer, and I'm going to assume that it is not a common bill topic. As a result, I just had to share.
For those keeping track, Senate Bill 262 was put on the Senate's consent calendar. Vote will be determined shortly.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Healthcare update
House Speaker Chris Donovan's healthcare pooling bill and the SustiNet healthcare bill will likely be debated by state representatives tomorrow.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Senate could vote on death penalty
Senate President Don Williams said today that the Senate may have enough votes to pass a bill that would abolish the death penalty.
The House of Representatives passed the bill last week. If the Senate passes the bill, it will go to the governor, who supports the death penalty.
Williams said he would run the death penalty bill if he gets 19 people to vote in favor of it. He said he does not have a firm count today, but will have one soon.
The House of Representatives passed the bill last week. If the Senate passes the bill, it will go to the governor, who supports the death penalty.
Williams said he would run the death penalty bill if he gets 19 people to vote in favor of it. He said he does not have a firm count today, but will have one soon.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
How your local representatives voted
The House of Representatives voted 90-56 to replace the death penalty with a penalty for life imprisonment without the possibility of release for those convicted of capital felonies.
If the bill becomes law, it would only apply to those who commit murder after the date of passage, meaning that the two men arrested for the Cheshire home invasion would still be able to receive the death penalty.
The bill, House Bill No. 6578, must still be passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Rell before it becomes law. Rell supports the death penalty.
The following is how local lawmakers voted:
Rep. Abercrombie: Absent
Rep. Aresimowicz- Yes
Rep. Esty- Yes
Rep. Fritz- No
Rep. Mazurek- No
Rep. Mushinsky- Yes
Rep. Nardello- Yes
Rep. Zalaski- No
Rep. Candelora- No
Rep. Donovan- Yes
Rep. Altobello- Yes
If the bill becomes law, it would only apply to those who commit murder after the date of passage, meaning that the two men arrested for the Cheshire home invasion would still be able to receive the death penalty.
The bill, House Bill No. 6578, must still be passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Rell before it becomes law. Rell supports the death penalty.
The following is how local lawmakers voted:
Rep. Abercrombie: Absent
Rep. Aresimowicz- Yes
Rep. Esty- Yes
Rep. Fritz- No
Rep. Mazurek- No
Rep. Mushinsky- Yes
Rep. Nardello- Yes
Rep. Zalaski- No
Rep. Candelora- No
Rep. Donovan- Yes
Rep. Altobello- Yes
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Food and the General Assembly
Caucuses look to save on meal money
By: Amanda Falcone, Record-Journal
HARTFORD - Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, likes to cook and eat, making him the perfect person to be in charge of coordinating lunches and dinners for the House Democratic Caucus.
The General Assembly's four caucuses order food on the taxpayer's dime when they are in session for hours at a time, and for House Democrats, all meal requests go through Aresimowicz.
He is now known as the "food guy" among his Democratic colleagues.
Aresimowicz takes recommendations, shops for the best deals and takes note of any dietary restrictions. It's a volunteer responsibility he has embraced. He likes seeing people satisfied, he said.
Prior to Aresimowicz, Rep. John C. Geragosian, D-New Britain, served as the House's "food guy," leaving the position when he took on the responsibility of Appropriations Committee chairman.
"Being appropriations chair is a lot easier than being food guy," Geragosian joked Wednesday, saying that it is hard to please so many lawmakers. "I was very happy to pass the spoon."
When food is ordered for House Democratic lawmakers and a few of their staff members, Aresimowicz said that he must plan to feed 100 people. Most of the time, they dine on sandwiches and pizza, he said, adding that occasionally they splurge for Chinese food.
"Cost is our No. 1 factor," Aresimowicz said.
The food ordered by all caucuses is paid for with taxpayer money. Each caucus gets a budget, which is money appropriated to the caucus from the state budget through the Office of Legislative Management.
The House Democrats have a caucus budget of a little more than $5 million. House Republicans have a budget of $2.8 million. Senate Democrats operate on $4.8 million and the Senate Republicans' budget is $2.9 million.
Caucus budgets are used for purposes determined by the caucus leaders, and some of the money is spent on food. Providing food when the legislature is in session is important because lawmakers need to be near the House and Senate chambers to vote, lawmakers say.
House Democrats, by far the largest of the four caucuses, with 114 members, spends between $1,000 and $1,500 per meal. The amount spent varies and depends on how many people need to be fed, points out Douglas Whiting, press secretary to House Speaker Christopher J. Donovan, D-Meriden.
House Republicans, a group of 37, say they usually end up spending about $20,000 when the legislature is in session for a short session of just a few months, but they spend about $25,000 when the legislature has a long session and meets regularly for about five months.
The dozen Senate Republicans have spent $5,199.14 since Jan. 1 on lunches, dinners and a few other events. They order from Hartford eateries, said Brett Cody, the Senate Republicans' spokesman. Their colleagues across the aisle have spent about $6,000. Democrats have 24 in the Senate.
During tough economic times, the caucuses say they are trying to save money by being judicious about how often they buy lunches and dinners, and they say they are not planning to spend their entire allocation.
Connecticut is facing a budget deficit of just over $1 billion for this fiscal year and a nearly $8 billion deficit for the next biennium, according to the state Office of Policy and Management's latest estimates.
House Democrats plan to save some money by having a few caucus potlucks throughout the legislative session. The first potluck, organized by Aresimowicz, was Wednesday, and lawmakers were impressed by the edible display in the House Democratic caucus room.
"It's a good move," said Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Cheshire, adding that she appreciates the choices that come with a potluck lunch.
Wanting to bring something healthy to the Capitol Wednesday, Esty made a salad.
"There's never enough salad," Esty said, adding that she wanted to make sure there were healthy options available because the job of lawmaker often is associated with weight gain.
Esty said she was warned that she would gain five to 10 pounds during her first year as a lawmaker. "It's like the freshman 15," she said.
"It's no joke," said Aresimowicz, who made sweet and sour meatballs for the potluck.
Like Esty, Rep. Emil Altobello Jr., D-Meriden, also came with a healthy dish - a frozen berry salad.
"The silver spoon in the berry bowl was made in Meriden," Altobello said.
Altobello's mention of his hometown got Aresimowicz' wheels turning and soon he began to outline a plan for a dessert potluck day. Lawmakers would be responsible for bring desserts made in their districts, he said.
In addition to some potluck meals, Aresimowicz said he may also collect a few dollars from lawmakers to save money. Other caucuses are asking for similar donations.
By: Amanda Falcone, Record-Journal
HARTFORD - Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, likes to cook and eat, making him the perfect person to be in charge of coordinating lunches and dinners for the House Democratic Caucus.
The General Assembly's four caucuses order food on the taxpayer's dime when they are in session for hours at a time, and for House Democrats, all meal requests go through Aresimowicz.
He is now known as the "food guy" among his Democratic colleagues.
Aresimowicz takes recommendations, shops for the best deals and takes note of any dietary restrictions. It's a volunteer responsibility he has embraced. He likes seeing people satisfied, he said.
Prior to Aresimowicz, Rep. John C. Geragosian, D-New Britain, served as the House's "food guy," leaving the position when he took on the responsibility of Appropriations Committee chairman.
"Being appropriations chair is a lot easier than being food guy," Geragosian joked Wednesday, saying that it is hard to please so many lawmakers. "I was very happy to pass the spoon."
When food is ordered for House Democratic lawmakers and a few of their staff members, Aresimowicz said that he must plan to feed 100 people. Most of the time, they dine on sandwiches and pizza, he said, adding that occasionally they splurge for Chinese food.
"Cost is our No. 1 factor," Aresimowicz said.
The food ordered by all caucuses is paid for with taxpayer money. Each caucus gets a budget, which is money appropriated to the caucus from the state budget through the Office of Legislative Management.
The House Democrats have a caucus budget of a little more than $5 million. House Republicans have a budget of $2.8 million. Senate Democrats operate on $4.8 million and the Senate Republicans' budget is $2.9 million.
Caucus budgets are used for purposes determined by the caucus leaders, and some of the money is spent on food. Providing food when the legislature is in session is important because lawmakers need to be near the House and Senate chambers to vote, lawmakers say.
House Democrats, by far the largest of the four caucuses, with 114 members, spends between $1,000 and $1,500 per meal. The amount spent varies and depends on how many people need to be fed, points out Douglas Whiting, press secretary to House Speaker Christopher J. Donovan, D-Meriden.
House Republicans, a group of 37, say they usually end up spending about $20,000 when the legislature is in session for a short session of just a few months, but they spend about $25,000 when the legislature has a long session and meets regularly for about five months.
The dozen Senate Republicans have spent $5,199.14 since Jan. 1 on lunches, dinners and a few other events. They order from Hartford eateries, said Brett Cody, the Senate Republicans' spokesman. Their colleagues across the aisle have spent about $6,000. Democrats have 24 in the Senate.
During tough economic times, the caucuses say they are trying to save money by being judicious about how often they buy lunches and dinners, and they say they are not planning to spend their entire allocation.
Connecticut is facing a budget deficit of just over $1 billion for this fiscal year and a nearly $8 billion deficit for the next biennium, according to the state Office of Policy and Management's latest estimates.
House Democrats plan to save some money by having a few caucus potlucks throughout the legislative session. The first potluck, organized by Aresimowicz, was Wednesday, and lawmakers were impressed by the edible display in the House Democratic caucus room.
"It's a good move," said Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Cheshire, adding that she appreciates the choices that come with a potluck lunch.
Wanting to bring something healthy to the Capitol Wednesday, Esty made a salad.
"There's never enough salad," Esty said, adding that she wanted to make sure there were healthy options available because the job of lawmaker often is associated with weight gain.
Esty said she was warned that she would gain five to 10 pounds during her first year as a lawmaker. "It's like the freshman 15," she said.
"It's no joke," said Aresimowicz, who made sweet and sour meatballs for the potluck.
Like Esty, Rep. Emil Altobello Jr., D-Meriden, also came with a healthy dish - a frozen berry salad.
"The silver spoon in the berry bowl was made in Meriden," Altobello said.
Altobello's mention of his hometown got Aresimowicz' wheels turning and soon he began to outline a plan for a dessert potluck day. Lawmakers would be responsible for bring desserts made in their districts, he said.
In addition to some potluck meals, Aresimowicz said he may also collect a few dollars from lawmakers to save money. Other caucuses are asking for similar donations.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Bet you didn't know...
- that the General Assembly's four caucuses each get money from the state budget each fiscal year. House Democrats, the largest caucus, gets just over $5 million, while the House Republicans get $2.8 million. Senate Democrats get $4.8 million, and Senate Republicans have a budget of $2.9 million.
- that the money is appropriated through the Office of Legislative Management. The caucus leaders, however, get to decide how to spend it. (If you are keeping track, those leaders are: House Speaker Chris Donovan, House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, Senate President Pro Tem Don Williams Jr. and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney.)
- that some of that money is used to feed lawmakers when the legislature is in session.
To learn more about lawmakers, food and taxpayer money, read Sunday's Record-Journal.
- that the money is appropriated through the Office of Legislative Management. The caucus leaders, however, get to decide how to spend it. (If you are keeping track, those leaders are: House Speaker Chris Donovan, House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, Senate President Pro Tem Don Williams Jr. and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney.)
- that some of that money is used to feed lawmakers when the legislature is in session.
To learn more about lawmakers, food and taxpayer money, read Sunday's Record-Journal.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Sen. Gaffey must pay a fine
I spent much of yesterday writing about Sen. Tom Gaffey, D-Meriden, and local attorney Dennis Ceneviva, who served as treasurer of Gaffey's political action committee.
I attended the state Elections Enforcement Commission meeting where the agreements between the state and Gaffey and Ceneviva were approved. Gaffey must pay a $6,000 fine for misusing political action committee money and for billing both the state and his committee for a variety of expenditures. Ceneviva was fined $3,000 for failing to require documentation prior to approving Gaffey's expenditures, for not itemizing expenditures and for not providing receipts on time or not at all.
Gaffey cannot control or establish a political action committee for one year, and Ceneviva cannot be treasurer of a candidate, party or political action committee for one year. If they wish to resume these roles in the future, they will have to attend a course on campaign finance law.
Gaffey's mistakes were outlined in his lengthy agreement. There was the double-billing. He also received reimbursement from his committee for personal use, which is against state law. According to elections enforcement, one cannot charge a hotel room upgrade to a political action committee. There's a whole host of other issues mentioned in the agreements, which can be found on www.myrecordjournal.com. A longer story about the agreements can also be found on the Record-Journal's Web site.
What do you think about the agreements? Are they fair? Did the Elections Enforcement Commission, which investigated four years worth of the political action committee's records, handle the situation well? Will the outcome hurt Gaffey's chance for reelection if he decides to run again in 2010?
I attended the state Elections Enforcement Commission meeting where the agreements between the state and Gaffey and Ceneviva were approved. Gaffey must pay a $6,000 fine for misusing political action committee money and for billing both the state and his committee for a variety of expenditures. Ceneviva was fined $3,000 for failing to require documentation prior to approving Gaffey's expenditures, for not itemizing expenditures and for not providing receipts on time or not at all.
Gaffey cannot control or establish a political action committee for one year, and Ceneviva cannot be treasurer of a candidate, party or political action committee for one year. If they wish to resume these roles in the future, they will have to attend a course on campaign finance law.
Gaffey's mistakes were outlined in his lengthy agreement. There was the double-billing. He also received reimbursement from his committee for personal use, which is against state law. According to elections enforcement, one cannot charge a hotel room upgrade to a political action committee. There's a whole host of other issues mentioned in the agreements, which can be found on www.myrecordjournal.com. A longer story about the agreements can also be found on the Record-Journal's Web site.
What do you think about the agreements? Are they fair? Did the Elections Enforcement Commission, which investigated four years worth of the political action committee's records, handle the situation well? Will the outcome hurt Gaffey's chance for reelection if he decides to run again in 2010?
Allegrettos sing at Capitol
Maloney High School's Allegrettos opened the House of Representatives' session yesterday by singing the National Anthem. I stopped in the House chamber to watch them perform, and I managed to get a few pictures.
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